Making a Flat Rate Envelope into a box. Does the PO permit this?

[vintagemoth12]

I am adding a link to a video I just watched on Youtube. To tell you what it is about  in case you don't want to watch the video, she takes a flat cardboard mailing envelope and makes it into a box. It was ingenious to say the least but is it legal? Has anyone done this?

Thanks for adding your thoughts!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDqZoH9I8Ww

[missjen831]

I mean....yeah you can do that. But it wouldn’t qualify for PFRE pricing. I believe the DMM says you can’t manipulate the shape. So if you do change the envelope to a box, it gets charged the regular priority rate. 

[nobody*s_perfect]

Here's what the DMM says:

1.2 Sealing Flat Rate and Regional Rate Packaging

When sealing a Flat Rate Envelope, Flat Rate Box, or Regional Rate Box, the container flaps must be able to close within the normal folds. Tape may be applied to the flaps and seams to reinforce the container, provided the design of the container is not enlarged by opening the sides and the container is not reconstructed in any way.

https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/125.htm

The gal in the video didn't open the sides or "reconstruct" the envleope. She just folded it a lot, while explaining that the envelope would still close within the "normal folds."

Friend Of EBay Jason Smith has a Youtube video about mailing a coffee cup in a padded FRE; apparently he does this all the time. Calls it the "FOMO" method.

[sam9876]

Perfectly legal.

[vintagemoth12]

OH.. OK I thought she was implying that it would ship at the $5 rate because she said the package had to be sealed with the adhesive strip.
It didn't seem right. Maybe I missed something. The whole point would be to ship it at the flat rate.
Thanks, Jen!

[vintagemoth12]

Right, she didn't enlarge it or open the sides. Thanks!

[vintagemoth12]

Thanks, Sam!

[sam9876]

The flat rate envelope costs more than $5.

[sam9876]

"I mean....yeah you can do that. But it wouldn’t qualify for PFRE pricing. I believe the DMM says you can’t manipulate the shape. So if you do change the envelope to a box, it gets charged the regular priority rate. "

Nope.

[orangehound]

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@missjen831 wrote:

I mean....yeah you can do that. But it wouldn’t qualify for PFRE pricing. I believe the DMM says you can’t manipulate the shape. So if you do change the envelope to a box, it gets charged the regular priority rate. 

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Sorta agree ... sorta don't.

Whereas "by the book" what she did did not violate the rules for getting the flat rate envelope price, I wouldn't tape those flaps in to make it look like a box because it is risking getting flagged somewhere along the line and then changed to regular priority mail.

[montanatiki]

It would not work at my post office - any modification - in this case - a box shape vs. a flat envelope would cause them to charge the weight of the object because the box was "bent, folded, or modified" - So although videos may show you differently - it is the post office that has the final say and they will direct you to a padded envelope or a priority box - to replace a "stuffed" flat Envelope.  I know this - I saw it first hand when they told a lady that the envelope with her item did not meet their specifications on the envelope and they refused the flat rate  - they gave her a box instead.

[bestbuyjackie]

If its altering the envelope then probably not legal.  Anything you can stuff and fit into the envelope is legal and PO will take.

[sam9876]

Your post office is not following the rules in the DMM.

[vintagemoth12]

I thought it was pretty cool but like someone said, even though it follows the letter of the law the spirit of the law isn't being kept. I doubt I will try it as I wouldn't want to be flagged and my customer getting a notice of postage due.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@sam9876 wrote:

The flat rate envelope costs more than $5.

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The video is at least 3 years old, so maybe she was refering to a FRE rate that's now obsolete.

Here's my favorite quote from my favorite USPS document, which addresses whether flat-rate envelopes have to be flat. (They don't.)  IMHO the whole document is worth a read.

....

A. Tape is permissible as reinforcement on the seams and flaps of a FRE or FRB to make sure the container does not break open during processing and transit. However, tape should not “encase” the FRE or FRB. Note that if a customer is using a printed Click-N-Ship® label or PC Postage Vendor label, extra tape is allowed to properly attach it to the envelope or box.

Q. What about bulges?

A. As long as the FRE or FRB can close “within the normal folds,” bulges are not a problem. “Flat” refers to the price, not to the shape.

Q. What if the FRE is too thick?

A. There is currently no maximum thickness for a FRE. “Flat” refers to the price, not to the shape.

Q. What if the FRE is stuffed so full that it’s shaped like a cylinder?

A. As long as the FRE can close within its normal folds, and as long as the sides of the FRE haven’t been reconstructed, for example by being slit and having a gusset inserted, it is fine. “Flat” refers to the price, not to the shape.

Q. What if a skillet is packed in an FRB and the handle sticks out? ... 

https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2016/pb22435/html/updt_002.htm