If it fits, it ships!

[sumsum70]

When the perfect choice is priority flat rate padded envelope, but it won't fit - they get fairly stretchy with a little heat!

This was a 6.25x6.25x5" box. 

 

[retro_entertainment_collectibles]

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@the_fancy_fox wrote:

I ship in padded mailers a lot. I have boxes that barely fit and take a lot of pulling and pushing to get it in BUT the closure seals where it’s support to. 

Love the heat gun idea! I wonder if a hair dryer will work 🤔 

If it fits, it ships. Altering means adding to the flap or adding tape to extend the closure  flap. 

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Well there's no doubt about it the USPS is attempting to be a revenue gainer vs a revenue loser which has been its traditional history.  Personally I think there is a concerted effort to raise shipping costs with the USPS via the Gov. to price third party venues out of competitive range of traditional retailers and of course manufacturers.  Conspiracy LOL.  Manufacturer's, retailers, banking entities and more sit on one side of the fence placing pressure on legislators towards changes in eCommerce on the Net towards favor and on the third party side of that there exists nothing even close to lay pressure down.

Logic is logic...  Is a manipulated poly mailer or flat rate box really costing the USPS more money?  No, at least in most cases... No.  Policy is in place so they can make more money, simple and up's the cost of shipping to the seller.

The original poster seem think some of us (me) are big fans of the USPS, I've had more hassles with the USPS than I care count.  Heck, I remember ordering supplies back in the day and they screwed up the shipment.  I come home and in my driveway they literally unloaded an entire box truck of USPS supplies, pallets and pallets then refused to do anything about it even though I showed em' the original order.  They had to employee's with their little Jeeps come in and haul them away then tried bill me for their overtime!

They'll use any excuse in the books to raise rates and whenever said excuse disappears like fuel costing never see the rates go back to where there once were.  A good portion of what you pay in every parcel goes to pay for sweetheart retirement deals made back in the day that few who work that day job these days can even conceive of and thats stands true in much of Civil Service nowadays.

[glgenterprise]

I'd worry about destroying the integrity of the envelope by heating it up and stretching it to cram a box that is really too big for the envelope. We've all seen what the USPS workers and automated systems do to packages. Sounds like a opportunity ripe for a damaged shipment or missing label that would be entirely the sender's fault.

It's the definition of it doesn't fit if you have to heat up the envelope to make it fit. What I consider to be a bulge in a FRB is likely much less than some of the posters here.

I really wish people would stop trying to cheat on postage. It's one of the reasons costs continue to go up and the services that many of us used for years continue to disappear. Region Rate box rate comes to mind most recently.

[jahood1984]

A couple years ago the manager at USPS told me I could tape the ends of the priority boxes together when the flaps are open to make use of the box holding a longer item.  Gives you a few extra inches on each end, he said a lot of customers do it and never had a problem so I've probably shipped 40 or 50 like that since.  

[glgenterprise]

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@jahood1984 wrote:

A couple years ago the manager at USPS told me I could tape the ends of the priority boxes together when the flaps are open to make use of the box holding a longer item.  Gives you a few extra inches on each end, he said a lot of customers do it and never had a problem so I've probably shipped 40 or 50 like that since.  

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I don't care if some manager at your local USPS office told you this is ok - it again is the definition of it does not fit.  You are not closing on the original lines of the box if you are altering the end flaps.

Another example of someone who hasn't gotten caught on a personal level, but it all adds up across the board on a macro level to cost all of us more in postage.

[fern*wood]

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@jahood1984 wrote:

A couple years ago the manager at USPS told me I could tape the ends of the priority boxes together when the flaps are open to make use of the box holding a longer item.  Gives you a few extra inches on each end, he said a lot of customers do it and never had a problem so I've probably shipped 40 or 50 like that since.  

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This discussion is about flat rate boxes.  Aren’t you referring to regular boxes that ship by weight ?

[retro_entertainment_collectibles]

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@glgenterprise wrote:

I'd worry about destroying the integrity of the envelope by heating it up and stretching it to cram a box that is really too big for the envelope. We've all seen what the USPS workers and automated systems do to packages. Sounds like a opportunity ripe for a damaged shipment or missing label that would be entirely the sender's fault.

It's the definition of it doesn't fit if you have to heat up the envelope to make it fit. What I consider to be a bulge in a FRB is likely much less than some of the posters here.

I really wish people would stop trying to cheat on postage. It's one of the reasons costs continue to go up and the services that many of us used for years continue to disappear. Region Rate box rate comes to mind most recently.

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The postal service is catalyzing self-reactions...  Lets raise rates resulting in less third party consumer purchases due to the higher shipping followed by more increases to make up for it.  They want transition the entire delivery fleet to eVehicles citing carbon emissions.  The dent that'd put in said emissions is so tiny it's immeasurable but the costs wont be.

Economic horse sense would be the USPS should be cutting costs, like staggered every other day deliveries of mail but that isn't gonna happen.  That'd cut staff needed, cut fuel costs, cut a whole heap of expense but that's not the goal.  The goal IMHO is price you and everybody else out of being competitive with big retail who's been embracing the web instead of using it as a sideline.  They raise costs to keep their revenues flowing as they lost a WHOLE lot when Amazon transitioned into performing much of their own fulfillment.  Amazon was the #1 customer of the Postal Service, they priced themselves towards a point where Amazon said, "We can do our ourselves."

eBay and similar platforms allows common folks to make an income, supplement an income like no other web entity has ever done or been as successful at as a company or for those folks.  Now the "Big guys" want do whatever they can to quash that and I said in another thread, it didn't pass in the USA in what was it's form but The Shop Safe Act numerous legal and business entities clearly put forth, it would end third party sales venues at least in the USA.  The fact that legislation even came to be is a clear display of what path the powers that be of $$$ and more want see happen.

[rosszonebricks]

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@jahood1984 wrote:

A couple years ago the manager at USPS told me I could tape the ends of the priority boxes together when the flaps are open to make use of the box holding a longer item.  Gives you a few extra inches on each end, he said a lot of customers do it and never had a problem so I've probably shipped 40 or 50 like that since.  

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Ah the good ole 'Frankenbox' method, I've done that more than a few times without issue, but just with regular Priority boxes.  You'd definitely get busted for trying this with a Flat Rate Priority.

[chapeau-noir]

Making a flat rate envelope a little more malleable by heating it but still closing it as meant doesn't seem to me to be any kind of 'fraud', though I'd worry about the material integrity (i.e., tensile strength) getting mashed through the diabolical machinery at sorting centers.

Telescoping flat rate envelopes or trying to tape the flaps open by hiding it with fancy tape would get that package flung right back onto my porch with an explanatory sticker (or hand written note).  Once I shipped a package that was 1" oversize (37" instead of 36", as I thought it was) and it landed back on my porch. Our local USPS is ruthlessly efficient. 

[ms.rodriguez*]

Those disappeared because they were truly a great deal.  The post office needs every nickel it can get.

[chapeau-noir]

It must depend on what one sells and where they live - I found the A regionals to be all but useless. I finally got rid of the rest of them selling on Poshmark where it doesn't matter.

[ekmadonna]

"IF IT FITS IT SHIPS"! Tell that to all the NEW USPS counter clerks!!! I stuff large coffee cans in them and the newer clerks are always trying to tell me I can't do it and it will be returned. Lol I have been doing this awhile and know the rules more than they do. Although The Padded Flat Rate Bubble mailers are getting smaller and they coat the bubbles inside with something that sticks to whatever you put in the bag so it will not move. 

[ekmadonna]

Can't reverse the boxes anymore, they got wise to that and added PRINT on the insides too.

[retro_entertainment_collectibles]

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@ekmadonna wrote:

Can't reverse the boxes anymore, they got wise to that and added PRINT on the insides too.

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I've never reversed boxes, what I said is there was a small store here that did just that. 

That said, I have received on at least one or two occasions parcels in Flat Rate Priority mailers that the seller wrapped over with paper.  People do what they do...

[stephenmorgan]

I use many, many Flat Rate Bubble Envelopes.  Sometimes I use a 9" X 6" X 3" box inserted into a Flat Rate Bubble Envelope.  (162 Cubic Inches)

With different manufactures boxes are not always exactly the size advertised.  Some boxes will just slide in the padded envelope with ease while other manufactures it takes extra effort to get the box inside.  In either case the glue flap sticks to the opposite flap.

I have received boxes 1/2" over advertised size of 9" X 6" X 3" and these will not fit in the padded envelope.

Basically as long as the Girth (width plus height) is no more than 18 inches and the length is no more that 9 inches the box should fit.  If as someone mentioned above. the padded envelopes are smaller then maybe this box size will no longer fit.

[hurryagain]

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@jahood1984 wrote:

A couple years ago the manager at USPS told me I could tape the ends of the priority boxes together when the flaps are open to make use of the box holding a longer item.  Gives you a few extra inches on each end, he said a lot of customers do it and never had a problem so I've probably shipped 40 or 50 like that since.  

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As @rosszonebricks said:  "I've done that more than a few times without issue, but just with regular Priority boxes. You'd definitely get busted for trying this with a Flat Rate Priority."

I have watched as people who tried that method on flat rate boxes got their boxes refused by the PO clerk and were forced to either repack it or get another box that fit correctly.  Our PO will not even allow any slight bulging of those FR boxes...it has to be perfectly flush, flaps have to be perfect - zero bulge.

I guess it depends on your post office...ours are sticklers.  They go as far as nailing the ones that came over understated weight and other little fudges that are against the rules so make sure that the PO on the receiving end aren't sticklers either 😁