eBay

tommy50607 · ‎10-09-2017

I want to ship a small lightweight item that is 1 oz. I saw this on the USPS site:

"To be eligible for mailing at the price for letters, a piece must be:

Rectangular
At least 3-1/2 inches high x 5 inches long x 0.007 inch thick.
No more than 6-1/8 inches high x 11-1/2 inches long x 1/4 inch thick."

So does that mean I can cut a bubble mailer to the max dimensions and then just put a postage stamp on it?

Also If I want to ship a small item that is less than 4oz but more than 1/4 thick, is there another cheaper rate that I can use since the first class ebay rate starts at 4 oz and costs at least $2.60?

partial*eclipse · ‎10-09-2017

Most bubble mailers would be more than 1/4 inch thick, especially after you put your item in. But if it's within the maximum dimensions for a letter, then you can mail it as a letter.

If your piece is over 1/4 inch thick then it can't be mailed as a letter. It could be either a package or a flat. Flats (AKA Large envelope) cost less, but don't have tracking. To be mailed as a flat, your piece must be (1) not over 3/4 inch thick; (2) flexible not rigid and (3) even thickness, which the USPS defines as variation in thickness not more than 1/4 inch.

eBay only sells postage for packages. To mail as a letter or flat, you must go to the PO counter or use stamps.

dtexley3 · ‎10-09-2017

Remember, if you use stamps you will not have a tracking number. An unscrupulous buyer can take advantage of you and claim Item Not Received (INR). Most buyers are honest in my experience, but then I never put the temptation of an INR in front of them.

Member of the Grumpy Old Man crew

takikawa4 · ‎10-09-2017

@tommy50607

And know that if you ship without delivery confirmation, you will be refunding for items not received.

eaux-de-vie · ‎10-09-2017

Honestly, if someone is not willing to pay the package rate that you can print on here, it is not worth selling. Just so much easier to have tracking and auto upload of info. Even the full 13oz 1st class pack is only $4.59 or such (I only hit that with small boxes). And if you miscalculate and there is postage owed for the letter rate, you might have an angry customer. I ONLY use package rate. Most items need some extra padding, even flat items, so not worth the hassle.

partial*eclipse · ‎10-09-2017

@eaux-de-vie wrote:
.... Even the full 13oz 1st class pack is only $4.59 or such (I only hit that with small boxes). ....

The cost for online First Class package postage is $3.88 for 13 ounces, and $4.30 for the maximum weight of 15.999 ounces.

Many sellers of small low-value items such as tickers and patches do just fine using letter psotage.

tommy50607 · ‎10-09-2017

@partial*eclipse wrote:
Most bubble mailers would be more than 1/4 inch thick, especially after you put your item in. But if it's within the maximum dimensions for a letter, then you can mail it as a letter.

If your piece is over 1/4 inch thick then it can't be mailed as a letter. It could be either a package or a flat. Flats (AKA Large envelope) cost less, but don't have tracking. To be mailed as a flat, your piece must be (1) not over 3/4 inch thick; (2) flexible not rigid and (3) even thickness, which the USPS defines as variation in thickness not more than 1/4 inch.

eBay only sells postage for packages. To mail as a letter or flat, you must go to the PO counter or use stamps.

If I mail it as a flat and use stamps, how many stamps do I use? Is it per oz?

partial*eclipse · ‎10-09-2017

paulhua3 · ‎10-09-2017

I send 100s of items such as postcards, stamps, patches, trading cards, EVERY MONTH as letter mail and I have had eactly 1 INR in the last year (to Malaysia). Scammers are not looking for $20 or less items and most collectors are honest people in my experience.

Note: this is not my selling ID.

tommy50607 · ‎10-09-2017

@partial*eclipse wrote:

Does USPS round up or down if It is say 1.3 oz? And if it is $1.19 how do I pay that with a stamp?

muttlymob · ‎10-09-2017

Does USPS round up or down if It is say 1.3 oz? And if it is $1.19 how do I pay that with a stamp?

It's up-to-but-not-over. So anything 1.1-2.0 ounces mails at the 2 ounce rate. 2.1-3.0 ounces mails at the 3 ounce rate, etc.

You can get stamps in varying amounts - use enough of them to add up to the total postage you need. Or you can take your envelopes to the PO and have them add the postage. This might be safer until you are comfortable with figuring your own postage.

partial*eclipse · ‎10-09-2017

As the chart says : "Weight not over" x ounces. So you pay the 1-ounce price if the item is not over 1 ounce. If it weighs over 1 ounce, such as 1.3 ounces, then you pay the 2-ounce rate.

pantlandia · ‎10-09-2017

Over 100 items per month on my other account without tracking and have had 3 INR claim, one of them proven to be legit because I got the item back for insufficient address.