misuse of USPS products

[justforfun6]

I have sold for nearly 20 years. I appreciate the USPS supplying us free boxes and other materials. I also shop on ebay. Lately I am finding seasoned sellers using the USPS padded   flat rate envelopes as padding inside first class packaging. I find this disturbing as in the end we as consumers we will be forced to bear the cost in higher rates, along with the fact it is a fraudulent use of government property.  Initially when they started suppling us with free shipping materials they gave us tape. People promptly ordered it for personal usage, so we no longer have the use of free priority tape. People turned the boxes inside out so they could use them without having to ship priority. Now they print the inside of the boxes to prevent that. The postal service gives us a discount on shipping prices by shipping through ebay. We should not be taking advantage of that by basically stealing from their kindness.  Times are difficult but that is not a reason to deliberately misuse products. When someone has over 30,000 feedback the excuse cannot be made they were unaware of this usage. Let`s keep ebay a respectable business.

[fern*wood]

Let your seller know.  They may not care, but if every buyer would call them out it might make a difference.   Many of us have complained about this for a long time.  As with everything, a few ruin things for many.

[jda04121]

Of all the things I need to worry about this is so far down the list I can't even find it. Years ago I had a stack of USPS envelopes I could not use anymore. The PO did not want to take them. Would you have preferred I just throw them in the garbage?

[heckofagame]

If a non-priority mail package is discovered to contain priority mail packaging, whether used for padding or inside out for packaging, they will surcharge too the priority rate. 

[frommichel]

What an excellent post! Thank you! I detest the waste of plastics - so toxic. On an average week, I buy items that result in me having a great amount of extra materials that I use for padding - I find it incredible that anyone has to resort to stealing any. Sometimes I make little packing boxes out of cereal boxes or I tape up wads of clean packing tape that came off another box. Grocery store bags, paper towel rolls, and on and on. In case anyone missed those lessons in school - stealing is wrong. And, if you have USPS envelopes that you are not going to use, then you can donate them or use them to collect table scraps or use them to store/organize small items.

[albertabrightalberta]

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@jda04121 wrote:

Years ago I had a stack of USPS envelopes I could not use anymore. The PO did not want to take them. 

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I had a lot of priority packaging that I couldn't use and my local post office was more than happy to take it for their customers. 

They told me they're only allowed to stock flat rate packaging so when customers are willing and able to supply them with other types of priority boxes and envelopes, they love it.

[mr_lincoln]

@justforfun6   I agree ... to me its simple math, if USPS is giving away FREE materials then that is pushing our shipping costs higher ... there's no free lunch and at the end of the day there is NO FREE PACKAGING MATERIALS FROM USPS.  People still wrap those priority boxes in brown paper and ship them that way. 

Mr. L

[katzrul15]

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@albertabrightalberta wrote:

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@jda04121 wrote:

Years ago I had a stack of USPS envelopes I could not use anymore. The PO did not want to take them. 

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I had a lot of priority packaging that I couldn't use and my local post office was more than happy to take it for their customers. 

They told me they're only allowed to stock flat rate packaging so when customers are willing and able to supply them with other types of priority boxes and envelopes, they love it.

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We took a stack of the board game boxes to them at the holidays.  USPS would not take them. 

Unfortunately, they are stacked on the warehouse floor, soon to hit a recycling bin.

[bashort]

Yes you are not to use priority mail supplies for anything besides priority mail and getting people to quit doing this would result in  much lower shipping costs. Got to go, I am off to a seminar on the effect on rising sea levels from people spitting into the ocean. 

[dhbookds]

We took a stack of the board game boxes to them at the holidays. USPS would not take them.

They are discontinued so the PO cannot give them out........

[dolcetreasures]

There are so many inaccuracies here I don’t even know where to begin. 

[mod-designs4u]

I've used old Priority Mail bubble wrap before on First Class Mail parcels which were originally sent Priority Mail to me. I've also used old Priority Mail box pieces along with other cardboard to reinforce the ephemera I've sold. Is that a crime or should I let these reusable shipping items go to the landfill or become incinerated adding to air pollution? I'm sure USPS has other more important issues than some sellers misusing some of their free bubble wrap. I get most of my packing materials for free at my local retail stores and sometimes there's bubble wrap and shipping peanuts inside a few of the boxes. Sometimes I find large pieces of box Styrofoam and break them up into smaller pieces and add them to the shipping peanuts. Bubble wrap is very inexpensive and I can't see many eBay sellers pilfering their local Post Office for free Priority Mail bubble wrap.    

[iart]

I don't care how many sellers try to justify this, it is theft. And, along with not paying taxes, is another way some sellers are able to undercut other sellers who actually pay for their shipping material.

[714ricki]

The use of the USPS supplies has always been a big talking point. Personally, if my items aren't suitable for the USPS envelopes or boxes then I use my own shipping supplies. 

Stay safe!

[katzrul15]

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@dhbookds wrote:

We took a stack of the board game boxes to them at the holidays. USPS would not take them.

They are discontinued so the PO cannot give them out........

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Understood.  It was being suggested to take Priority supplies to a PO.  Most will not take them unless it is something they usually carry in the lobby.  Even then, they may not.

The free supplies continues to be an issue - hard to get everyone to abide by the rules.