What's with sellers using free USPS envelopes as packing material?

[jacquelinesdesignercloset]

RANT

I received 2 packages today for purchases made on ebay, 1 a priority box and the other, the small flat rate envelop.  BOTH had the items wrapped inside Priority mail large Tyvek envelopes, which were then put into the actual  priority packages they were mailing.

No wonder the USPS lost $69 billion over the previous 11 fiscal years.

Are people too cheap to go to the 99 cent store and buy a pack of 50 sheets of tissue paper?

[inhawaii]

Check out this listing: 144176631145

It's amazing that someone is actually selling this.

It's even more amazing that 2 people have bought it.

[itscalledapostingid]

I will have to check back later to see how the apologists have explained that it is ok to sell the Priority Mail supplies for profit.

[north40sales]

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@itscalledapostingid wrote:

I will have to check back later to see how the apologists have explained that it is ok to sell the Priority Mail supplies for profit.

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Careful.....using an adjective like that to label people like that will earn you the attention of the moderators....

[dbfolks166mt]

     Like others have commented I too use the USPS padded envelopes as packing material but never new ones. I try to keep from pitching anymore in the trash/recycle than possible. If the envelope is in good condition when I get a shipment I will re-use it to ship an order. If not I use it for packing material. I do the same with USPS boxes, Amazon packages, boxes and any other items I receive shipments in. 

     When they are in too poor of a condition to re-use I recycle what I can. Trying to do a little bit to save the planet. 

[yuzuha]

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@nuclearomen wrote:

USPS allows that if sending priority mail... understand what you saying, they wrapped items in USPS priority mail tyvek envelopes inside a USPS Priority Mail box...but that's not unusual or prohibited use. I myself have witnessed many times USPS workers at counter DO THIS EXACT thing for customers.

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Exactly... and likewise, I've seen clerks put a Priority Mail box inside a Priority Mail tyvek envelope. There's nothing prohibited about that type of use-- using a single extra envelope or box for added protection. That's not misuse, that's using the items as they're intended.

What's not allowed is shoving a handful of padded envelopes into a box to use as cushioning instead of getting your own bubble wrap/tissue paper/air pillows/packing peanuts/etc.

[katzrul15]

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@dbfolks166mt wrote:

     Like others have commented I too use the USPS padded envelopes as packing material but never new ones. I try to keep from pitching anymore in the trash/recycle than possible. If the envelope is in good condition when I get a shipment I will re-use it to ship an order. If not I use it for packing material. I do the same with USPS boxes, Amazon packages, boxes and any other items I receive shipments in. 

     When they are in too poor of a condition to re-use I recycle what I can. Trying to do a little bit to save the planet. 

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We save the used padded mailers also and re-use.

I often roll and tape them and use to cushion top and bottom.  Black out info on label, but use them to recycle. 

[evelyb30]

Same here. I do cut up some Priority materials, but only damaged ones or items made for services no longer in existence.  I have  a stack of Regional Rate C Priority boxes; the USPS doesn't offer this rate any more.  They can be used as is for normal Priority mail if you're willing to pay the DIMM freight, or cut down and used for other Priority packaging.  Just cover the Regional C designation.   I doubt they'd care if I chopped them up for stiffener in other packages either since the boxes can't be used for their original purpose, but I've never done it. 

[katzrul15]

I do cut up used boxes and re-use the cardboard for stiffener/frankenbox ends/sides, etc before bubbling and placing in a mailer, box, whatever depending on the item.

We keep packing supplies used from our Amazon purchases as well.

Rolled and taped, the cushioning is stronger/better than air pillows or single layer bubble wrap.  I would never use tissue paper for packing material.  if it gets wet, it bleeds if colored and it crushes inside easily once the parcel is moved around.  Offers zero protection.

The goal is to get it there safely, quickly and in the condition advertised/sold.  I see nothing wrong with using clean recycled shipping materials.  Just  my 2 cents, which would have to be 5 cents or more if I was forced to never use recycled items with our orders again.  🙃

[computeraidllc]

They can do that as long as it is used for Priority Mail. You can have a Priority Mail box with a Priority Mail envelope inside of it as long as it is shipped via Priority Mail. On the other hand, if someone used a Priority Mail box or an envelope and put it in a plain box or plain envelope and used another class of mail like Media Mail or First Class or something other than Priority, then it would be crime to do so.

I have ran into this many times with Priority Mail boxes and envelopes being used for Media Mail or some other class of mail and I always leave negative feedback because this costs me more money in postage. I especially do this if I have to pay for postage of the item. I also file a complaint with the post master generals office and scan the mailing label and take pictures of the package with contents and what have you and send it as part of the report. Will USPS do anything about it, probably not but they can and should.

[jacquelinesdesignercloset]

Yes, but by a large seller, I didn't mean the corporate sellers who hire employees to do the packing.  I meant the used clothing seller with 10,000 reviews and 2,000 items for sale.

[jacquelinesdesignercloset]

Wow!  Too bad there's no 'report buyer' button!

[jacquelinesdesignercloset]

I understand; I recycle/reuse  everything package related too.  My peeve was with the wasting of several brand new, expensive Tyvek envelopes.

(I should have said the items recieved were clothing, and I sell clothing, so pretty tissue paper is all that's needed.)

[katzrul15]

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@jacquelinesdesignercloset wrote:

I understand; I recycle/reuse  everything package related too.  My peeve was with the wasting of several brand new, expensive Tyvek envelopes.

(I should have said the items recieved were clothing, and I sell clothing, so pretty tissue paper is all that's needed.)

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Gotcha!

Sounds like your seller is lazy.  It is really quick to stuff something in a tyvek and shove it inside something to ship.  We buy plain tyveks to use inside flat rate mailers (cardboard ones), etc, but we do wrap the item before it goes inside the tyvek, etc.

Amazing how some Sellers do not understand presentation, etc.  We received an item today tossed in a box 10 times bigger than the item, no packing materials at all, not bubble wrapped, just thrown in a big box.  

The box of the item is crushed in on 1 side and it no longer looks new, not giftable.  We emailed the Seller who indicated it was a lightweight item and no packing materials were needed.  We have opened a return.  lol

[nuclearomen]

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@katzrul15 wrote:

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@jacquelinesdesignercloset wrote:

I understand; I recycle/reuse  everything package related too.  My peeve was with the wasting of several brand new, expensive Tyvek envelopes.

(I should have said the items recieved were clothing, and I sell clothing, so pretty tissue paper is all that's needed.)

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Gotcha!

Sounds like your seller is lazy.  It is really quick to stuff something in a tyvek and shove it inside something to ship.  We buy plain tyveks to use inside flat rate mailers (cardboard ones), etc, but we do wrap the item before it goes inside the tyvek, etc.

Amazing how some Sellers do not understand presentation, etc.  We received an item today tossed in a box 10 times bigger than the item, no packing materials at all, not bubble wrapped, just thrown in a big box.  

The box of the item is crushed in on 1 side and it no longer looks new, not giftable.  We emailed the Seller who indicated it was a lightweight item and no packing materials were needed.  We have opened a return.  lol

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That's what I call "Amazon Packaging" - their common method of shipping items, no bubble wrap, item thrown in unprotected in a box 4x larger then needed with (sometimes) a string of air pads. My wife gets these all the time. She always tries to pawn the box off to me saying "you can reuse this box right" and I always "no, it's partly damaged, way too big for what I need, and cardboard is flimsy" - but I steal any air bags included and then send her to the dumpster with the box. Another company that is famous for doing this is Gamestop... even worse packaging handling then Amazon. 

[katzrul15]

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@nuclearomen wrote:

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@katzrul15 wrote:

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@jacquelinesdesignercloset wrote:

I understand; I recycle/reuse  everything package related too.  My peeve was with the wasting of several brand new, expensive Tyvek envelopes.

(I should have said the items recieved were clothing, and I sell clothing, so pretty tissue paper is all that's needed.)

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Gotcha!

Sounds like your seller is lazy.  It is really quick to stuff something in a tyvek and shove it inside something to ship.  We buy plain tyveks to use inside flat rate mailers (cardboard ones), etc, but we do wrap the item before it goes inside the tyvek, etc.

Amazing how some Sellers do not understand presentation, etc.  We received an item today tossed in a box 10 times bigger than the item, no packing materials at all, not bubble wrapped, just thrown in a big box.  

The box of the item is crushed in on 1 side and it no longer looks new, not giftable.  We emailed the Seller who indicated it was a lightweight item and no packing materials were needed.  We have opened a return.  lol

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That's what I call "Amazon Packaging" - their common method of shipping items, no bubble wrap, item thrown in unprotected in a box 4x larger then needed with (sometimes) a string of air pads. My wife gets these all the time. She always tries to pawn the box off to me saying "you can reuse this box right" and I always "no, it's partly damaged, way too big for what I need, and cardboard is flimsy" - but I steal any air bags included and then send her to the dumpster with the box. Another company that is famous for doing this is Gamestop... even worse packaging handling then Amazon. 

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Well, my shooting star Seller must work PT for Amazon!  lol  (didn't even get any air pillows!)