USPS labels timeframe and using a regular mailbox

[happynewenglander]

Hi all, 

I'm a new seller and I'm wondering how strict the post office is with their regulation that packages need to be shipped on the same day that the USPS label is printed. 

I'm planning on printing labels for small packages the night before, and then dropping them off in a mailbox the next day after work. I'm wondering if I were to drop off the package in a mailbox after the normal collection time, would my package be returned to me because the label has a past date? Will it make a difference if the package is in the box overnight?

[johnrj1226]

When you buy your  label you can choose the next business day or two for a shipping date.  You may want to set your handling time for 2 or more business days if you are going to drop  your packages in the "blue" USPS boxes.

[happynewenglander]

That makes sense. Thanks!

[points13]

I wouldn't think you would have an issue with the date. Your mailing it on the date it says. But as mentioned you can adjust the date if you know for sure you will be missing collection time.

Anything small just goes in my home mailbox flag up if you have that option.

[a_c_green · Accepted solution]

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@happynewenglander wrote:

I'm a new seller and I'm wondering how strict the post office is with their regulation that packages need to be shipped on the same day that the USPS label is printed. 

I'm planning on printing labels for small packages the night before, and then dropping them off in a mailbox the next day after work. I'm wondering if I were to drop off the package in a mailbox after the normal collection time, would my package be returned to me because the label has a past date? Will it make a difference if the package is in the box overnight?

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You will be fine. The rule you're quoting is for Metered Mail, where the user has his own postage meter that prints date-cancelled postage on the envelope. Those must be in the mail on that date, because the envelopes are not barcoded for tracking and so the meter date must accurately show as the date of mailing.

The labels you print via eBay/PayPal are classified as PC Postage, and that does not have to be in the mailstream on the printing date, because the label's barcode is used for tracking. That includes an Acceptance scan on the day that USPS takes possession of the package. No one is going to go squinting at the label print date in the corner. Consider that a package dropped in a bin late on Friday may not be looked at until Monday of the following week, or even Tuesday for 3-day holidays. The USPS doesn't go sending anyone's package back to them just because the barcoded label was printed on a previous day.

[happynewenglander]

Thank you for the detailed response. This is really helpful!

[3eyedfishcatcher]

Ideally USPS wants the item to be given to them with in 24 hours of purchasing the label. Most postal workers do not check the date but if you run into 1 that does and it is past 24 hours you may have to go home and purchase a new label. 

If you are printing labels in advance there is a option to change the ship date. So if it is Saturday and you will not go into the post office till Monday. Then you change the ship date to Monday.

[kds99]

I have been told and still believe to be true that the post office intends to honor our ebay labels if actual ship date is between 3 days prior to 3 days later than the label print date. What any given clerk chooses to do is debatable.

[happynewenglander]

Thank you for the screen shots!

[3eyedfishcatcher]

Originally I used to print labels on the weekend and hand the items to the postal worker delivering mail on Saturdays or the fallowing Monday. Then I moved to a rural area. My local post office does not have a drop box and the counter is only open Monday - Friday. They do get mail in and deliver it Saturday. So I decided to print a label for a item I sold Friday night and waited all day Saturday but no driver went down my street. It turned out the drivers do not drive the whole route and only go to houses with mail. When I went in Monday the clerk at the counter tried to tell me the label was 3 days old. She insisted I would need to go home and purchase a new label. I also would have been past the time I could void a label. I had to get the post master involved. He let me know that since I was new to the area they would make a exception. He also said that  not every postal worker goes by the book, but in my town they have little to do so they check such things. It is 1 of those rules that the majority of the time gets over looked but if you ignore it eventually it will pop up and cost you more money and time. The best thing to do is wait till the day you will ship and print labels that way if things come up you do not have to worry about voiding labels. Ideally a few hour before you ship is best. This can very upon how many sales you need to process. If you do print days in advance remember to change the ship date. 1 thing about purchasing in advance buyer will see the tracking and if you are too far off from when you plan to ship they can get annoyed at you for not taking the item to the post office. Over the weekend is not to bad and most buyers would understand. 

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@3eyedfishcatcher wrote: ... I decided to print a label for a item I sold Friday night and waited all day Saturday but no driver went down my street. It turned out the drivers do not drive the whole route and only go to houses with mail. .... I also would have been past the time I could void a label. .... 

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Of course they only go to houses for which they have something to deliver. He would have picked up your package if you had ordered Carrier Pickup.

USPS postage labels purchased through eBay can be voided up to 5 days after purchase.

[muttlymob]

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

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@3eyedfishcatcher wrote: ... I decided to print a label for a item I sold Friday night and waited all day Saturday but no driver went down my street. It turned out the drivers do not drive the whole route and only go to houses with mail. .... I also would have been past the time I could void a label. .... 

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Of course they only go to houses for which they have something to deliver. He would have picked up your package if you had ordered Carrier Pickup.

USPS postage labels purchased through eBay can be voided up to 5 days after purchase.

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Depending on the type of mail route, this isn't entirely true.

Rural Route carriers drive the same, entire, route every day.  Unless there is something that makes the route undrivable.  Whether there is mail for a given mailbox or not the rural carrier is supposed to stop to pick up any outgoing mail (ie, flag up).

The same applies to some city route carriers - if they are on a route that drives mailbox to mailbox.  I don't know how it works for city carriers on walking routes - I don't think they go to houses if they have no mail for them, but I don't know if they must walk the entire route if a whole street gets no mail.

Which is what the OP said - there was no mail for that street so the carrier didn't even drive that street. 

[nobody*s_perfect]

I live on a walking street with mailboxes attached to the houses (i.e., not on the curb with a flag).  If there was somehow nothing to deliver to any of the 10 houses on my dead-end street, then the carrier would just skip it.  He's not required to walk up and down the whole street just to check on whether somebody has clipped an outbound letter to their mailbox. Sounds like something like that happened with "no driver went down my street. It turned out the drivers do not drive the whole route and only go to houses with mail."

Scheduling a carrier pickup is just a few extra clicks after you purchase your online label.