Shipping small item at price for letters?

[tommy50607]

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?

[duchess-at-speakeasy]

Depends on the item.  I regularly mail postcard orders  of up to 3 cards as non-machinable letters in #11 paper envelopes or in 6x9 paper envelopes.  I line the envelope with thin cardboard (poster bard or file folder) and back each poly-sleeved postcard with the same.  For 3 cards, the total weight is 2 oz. and the cost is $0.91 with the NM surcharge.  Thickness is well under 1/4 inch. Bubble envelopes generally are thicker than 1/4 inch, even without contents, so they might be a flat (flexible) or a package -- but not a letter.  First Class Package Service starts at 1 oz, although the current minimum online rate of $2.61 includes up to 4 oz.  That is the least expensive cost for a domestic package. You can affix stamps to a package but the minimum retail rate is $3.00. Bottom line:   You can mail small paper goods -- such as stamps, trade cards, postcards, stickers, photos -- as an ordinary letter if the result is not rigid or lumpy, is no more than 1/4 inch thick , weighs no more than 3.5 oz. and meets width and length limits.  For example, a 2-page letter folded into a #10 envelope and enclosing a single 3-1/2 x 5 inch snapshot would be considered a letter.  Additional rigidity would make it a non-machinable letter -- even some greeting cards are subject to the NM surcharge! ~~C~~