Can you use your own packaging for priority? Can you use your own for flat rate priority?

[radikalresale]

Hi everyone, new seller here.

I want to ship by weight. I tried to ship something by "padded flate rate envelope" setting on ebay, because I misunderstood a youtuber saying to use the "package/thick envelope" setting to ship priority by weight. My package was slightly over a pound.

I know there's a billion people explaining prority mail but I'm still just not getting it! I paid about 6.50 for a box in a padded envelope in a poly mailer-did not use any free priority boxes. Then when my boyfriend dropped it off at USPS, they charged him another $6.10ish. Plain old priority mail was only $10 something and I wish I had used that instead. Or that they had billed up to that amount. I was only going to make $4 or so anyway. I paid over $12.50 to mail this package-100% loosing money on an item that sold for 12.50 before fees and shipping 😞 😞 😞

The ebay USPS shipping options don't match all the different boxes and envelopes available for USPS priority. I do not have a store or anything, is that why I cannot see all the shipping options? (Like flate rate shoe box, for example).

I also thought you could use your own packaging for priority. Can you use your own packaging for priority? Can you use your own for flate rate priority? I know you cannot use flat rate packaging for anything other than flat rate. 

Thanks so much for any assistance, shipping charts etc you can lend 🙂

[partial*eclipse]

The eBay shipping options do match the USPS Priority Mail items.  There is no "flat rate shoe box."  There are 5 flat rate boxes, and they all say "Flat rate" right on them: One small, 2 medium, and 2 large.  All other boxes, including those that you provide yourself and all the other Priority Mail boxes provided by the USPS,  ship at the regular rates that are based on weight and distance.  The only exception is the Priority Mail Regional boxes, which have their own separate fee chart.

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@sepiatron wrote:

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 ... ! I paid about 6.50 for a box in a padded envelope in a poly mailer-did not use any free priority boxes. Then when my boyfriend dropped it off at USPS, they charged him another $6.10ish. ...

$6.50 if the online postage price for the Priority Mail flat-rate padded envelope  that is provided by the USPS.   Any other  envelope, including one that you provide, goes by the regular rates that are based on weight and distance.  An envelope over 1 pound would cost $6.52 - $10.28, depending on distance.

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sepiatron wrote: ... Can you use your own packaging for priority? .... 

Yes.

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@sepiatron wrote:

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 ... Can you use your own for flate rate priority? ...

No. You must use the specific packaging (boxes and envelope) provided by USPS which say "Flat rate" right on them.

[portieradesigns]

When your boyfriend paid the extra postage, he had to pay counter rates for the whole package.  All of your discounts disappeared at that point.

Padded flat rate envelopes are the cat's meow.  Go to USPS.com and order a bunch.  Anything that you can shove in there ships for 6.50 at Commercial Base/online rates to the whole country.  I put boxes inside them with all sorts of unlikely things like coffee mugs and barbecue sauce.

You can use your own packaging for Priority Mail, but there is no reason to pay for packaging when you can get it for free.  Just realize that all of the free packaging is for Priority Mail (or Express) or is a specific Priority Mail Flat Rate product.  Go order a few of each size so you can see what works.  There's a 7x7x6, a "shoe" box, a 12x12x8, etc.  Post offices usually only stock the Flat Rate products.  You can grab a few of each there, including the cardboard flat rate envelopes, but you have to order the rest on the website. 

You need your own packaging for anything under a pound that ships First Class Parcel.   It is just as fast as Priority most of the time, and costs the same to anywhere in the US instead of varying by distance.  I never use Priority when it can go First Class.  You also need your own packaging to ship internationally via First Class Mail International for packages up to 4 pounds. 

Most of the flat rate boxes do not save you money unless you are shipping bricks, gold bars, or my mother's fruitcake.  Shipping by weight makes sense for most items, unless it can be jammed into a flat rate envelope.  The regional rate boxes are also great, but a little difficult to get the hang of.  You cannot specify them in a listing, but you can use them when you print the label after the sale.  If you try that selection in the label print program, you will see that there is a point where regular Priority and the regional box cost the same.  Then, as the weight goes up, the regional box starts to save you money.  It depends on your zone and theirs.  For me, the cutoff for Regional A is 2 pounds and for Regional B it is 4.  There are two shapes of each of these boxes, and it doesn't matter which one you use as long as the stuff fits. 

[radikalresale]

Thank you for clarifying!

Double checking my new understanding: So this box, the USPS shoe box, would go priority by weight. Period. I don't have to choose small, medium or large becaue it is not a flat rate box. That must mean the poster box aka the dual use priority or priority express small tube would also go as priority (Or priority express)-but not flat rate. 

I thought it was flat rate because I thought all the free stuff was flat rate. I have not seen most of these packages in person yet to notice when it says "flat rate" or just "mailing box".  I'll separate my boxes and mailers into these categories.

Thanks so much for your help 🙂

[7606dennis]

Yes, you can use your own packaging for Priority Mail. 

No, you cannot use your own packaging if sending PM Flat Rate.  You must use shipping materials furnished by USPS and marked Flat Rate to use that service.

[lja440]

Flat Rate mailers and Regional Rate mailers are easy to spot. ALL of them have it printed right on the mailer.

There is also a wide verity of ZONED Priority mailers available these will have 'mailing box' in the same area as the Flat Rate indication. This also includes the shoebox which is a zoned box, and the Tyvek envelope (another one that gets mistaken for flat rate). This will also be the same as if you use your own box.

The Regional Rate boxes have two in each size 'A' and 'B' these ship at a static rate but have a lower max weight than the standard 70# for USPS packages (15# for 'A' and 20# for 'B'). Current rate for the RR boxes is set at 2# for 'A' and I think 5# for 'B'. You should note that there has been some problems with these and the new postage verification system. Problem is we have been using a work around as PayPal doesn't have these on their drop down menu so we have just been printing a 2# label. If you are going to use these until we goose PayPal into updating the menu I suggest going to Click and ship (usps.com) to print these so there isn't a Postage Due problem. 

It's a hassle but well worth it as these can offer considerable savings.

Once you get these down come back and we will discuss cubic foot pricing.

[partial*eclipse]

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@lja440 wrote:

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 ... . Current rate for the RR boxes is set at 2# for 'A' and I think 5# for 'B'. ....  If you are going to use these until we goose PayPal into updating the menu I suggest going to Click and ship (usps.com) to print these

The postage cost for the Regional "B" boxes is the same as the regular Commercial Base online rate for 5 pounds; it went up last January.

The eBay shipping label preparation form offers labels for the Regional boxes, so eBay sellers don't need to switch over to  Click N Ship.  AFAIK,  PayPal  is the only online label source that doesn't offer labels for the Regional boxes. (They also don't offer labels for the Legal size flat rate envelope but nobody seems to mind about that.)

[partial*eclipse · Accepted solution]

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@sepiatron wrote:

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 ... Double checking my new understanding: So this box, the USPS shoe box, would go priority by weight. Period. I don't have to choose small, medium or large becaue it is not a flat rate box. .. I thought it was flat rate because I thought all the free stuff was flat rate. ...

Correct: the "shoe" box and the triangular "tubes" ship by weight and distance.  If you go to the usps.com site to order supplies, you will see that there are many free Priority Mail boxes in addition to the 5 flat rate and 4 regional-rate boxes.  Post Offices usually don't stock these.

[tangatahone]

Money..money
Seller and buyer are secondary concerns

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

Whether or not the flat rate save money depends how far you’re shipping. Now the the RRB ships at the five pound rate I’m using them fairly often. I ship a lot to zone 8 though

[berserkerplanet]

RRB was a lot more useful when it shipped at 4 pound rate a couple of years ago 😞

[phcd1]

As others have said, you can use any packaging for Priority, just not for the flat rate pricing.

[lja440]

Well of course the 4# rate was better than the 5# rate but considering RR'B' is larger than the MFRB it is still a value if used correctly. 

[portieradesigns]

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@the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth wrote:

Whether or not the flat rate save money depends how far you’re shipping. Now the the RRB ships at the five pound rate I’m using them fairly often. I ship a lot to zone 8 though

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I was talking about the small, medium, and large flat rate boxes.  I use the regional ones too, but never use the ones that just say flat rate.  (Except for those fabulous padded flat rate envelopes, and an occasional cardboard legal envelope.)

I recently moved from one zone to another, and am now having to ship to zone 8.  I used to be in the middle, and didn't really appreciate just how much money that saved me on heavier items.  I never saw zone 8 before unless I was shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico.

[kattinsanity]

I see many of your current listings can ship in a 1st class envelope or box.  I buy my padded envelopes & boxes right here on ebay  as I do ship a lot 1st class.  I like to buy the colored pink & purple padded envelopes.  They're expensive if you buy them in a store but cheap from ebay sellers.  I just received 2 orders the other day of 100 each in 2 sizes.  I order my 6 X 6 X 6 boxes either 50 or 100 at a time.  They're cheap as well.  I also keep a stock of every priority box & the padded flat rate envelopes on hand at all times~~I rarely use the flat rate priority boxes.  I tried to put a cast iron skillet into a medium flat rate box yesterday but the pan was too long so I had to resort to a regular priority box.  Good thing too because it shipped for under $10.00 compared to the medium flat rate of nearly $14.00.   Whenever I get regular boxes from the store I break them down & keep them on hand in case I might need that size box.  I sold a large vintage humidifier last night that has to ship priority to Ohio and priority boxes are too small for it so the store boxes come in handy~~I just put priority stickers on the box and it's set to go.  When you order boxes, order a roll of priority stickers too in case you use your own packaging to ship priority.