shipping

[2013jaybird77]

usps new IMPB system  Ive had to hits with it so far for postage being do and automaticly taken from my acount 

all because the the label was paid for usps bye wieght and dimensions 

the box used was a flat rate box but where it sais flat rate had been covered up the new computer system billed me for a flat rate box to times now  just a warning to u guys might consider baging them boxes so it dont happen to u as well 

[tdumonde2014]

You can only use Priority Flat Rate boxes when shipping using that method and covering up part of the box doesn't change that requirement. Did you not notice the warning on the box "This packaging is the property of the US Postal Service and is provided solely for use in sending Piority Mail shipments. Misuse may be a violation of Federal law".

[johnrj1226]

Flat rate or Regional rate boxes/envelopes must have a  corresponding flat rate shipping label.   Flat rate boxes are for a fixed rate anywhere in the US and the US protectorates up to the max weight limit of the box/envelope vs  weight/dimension/distance (zone) based shipping  rates.

Don't think  the issue is with USPS.  You may have been able to do this in the past but USPS is tigtening up on there policies - you got caught.

USPS has several std Priority boxes that are similar in size that you can order on line for free for  your weight/distant based shipments. 

For the most part I seldom use  flat rate medium or large boxes just the small flat and the padded envelopes and we've shipped over 1500 items.

[orangehound]

You can go to USPS.com and order similar sized boxes that are not flat rate ... I rarely use the Flat Rate boxes, perhaps only 1 out of 100 shipmetns are flat rate.

[kensgiftshop]

If you use the flat rate boxes, you have to pay the flat rate postage.

It doesnt matter if you cover up where it says flat rate, it's still a flat rate box.

[thallidguy]

Well, if you don't like it, you can thank sellers like yourself, who have been doing exactly what you've been doing. USPS needed a more efficient (and fair) way of collecting postage due, a problem that has gone way up since eBay brought sellers playing fast and loose with USPS rules into the market.

I'm going to guess that you had buyers complaining about postage due.... Or maybe they decided to just eat it and privately decide that buying on eBay sucks because sellers just rip you off....

[thallidguy]

I might also add that I had no idea that USPS had instituted this new way of doing things until I read about it here in the forums. Because in almost 20 years of selling, I have never done anything to incur postage due charges.

Some of us do our best to understand and respect the rules, so we don't get caught violating them.

[clee1325]

soooo you used a flat rate shipping box....covered the flat rate logo and tried using it as a normal box???....smh...that's a big no no same with turning the priority mail boxes inside out.....it's technically stealing from the usps...and then that kind of shady stuff causes postal costs to rise for us honest sellers..

[jklangunlv77]

I just looked at a flat-rate box and all it says on it is "Priority Mail Postage Required".  Not flat-rate postage required.  So I guess you could argue that as long as you used priority postage, it is still ok to use a flat-rate box to ship priority by weight and not flat-rate.

[partial*eclipse]

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@jklangunlv77 wrote:

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 ... you could argue that as long as you used priority postage, it is still ok to use a flat-rate box to ship priority by weight and not flat-rate.

You could argue that, but as the OP's experience illustrates, the USPS would say you are wrong and they would win the argument by charging you for postage due.

[jklangunlv77]

Oh, I understand that.  But you would think that if USPS is going to set up the template to print "Flat Rate" on the box, you would think they would alter their template to edit that portion to say "flat-rate postage required" also.

[orangehound]

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@jklangunlv77 wrote:

I just looked at a flat-rate box and all it says on it is "Priority Mail Postage Required".  Not flat-rate postage required.  So I guess you could argue that as long as you used priority postage, it is still ok to use a flat-rate box to ship priority by weight and not flat-rate.

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I'm very confused by this statement. 

I mean, isn't it obvious that a Flat Rate Box is Priority Mail, and that the "Priority Mail Postage Required" is the postage for a Flat Rate Box?

Or, am I missing something?

[jklangunlv77]

Correct, a flat-rate box is priority mail and uses priority postage, but it is possible that by weighing a package that is still in a flat-rate box that the priority mail weight charge is cheaper then the priority mail flat-rate charge.  So even though you are still using priority mail, you are not using flat-rate and that sounds like what happened to the original poster and he got dinged for it.  And my original comment stated that that is all the box says, that priority mail postage is required and that is what he used.

[mr_lincoln]

@2013jaybird77  USPS does not permit their pre-sized and pre-printed boxes to be used for anything other then what they were created for and the new APV system will catch them.  They should have told you about your package at the Post Office but now with the APV system they let them go through and you get charged the Counter cost for the package.  USPS supplies boxes for free to be used for their shipping rates so trying to use them differently will cost shippers.

[centexcompsvcs]

It sounds like your post office may have made a mistake .  You can use Priority Flat -rate boxes for  Regular Priority mail, as long as the postage is correct by weight and zone.  Here is the link, dated  Feb 2016:

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

"If an FRE or FRB is presented at the office of mailing and the customer has manipulated or reconstructed it, the container is accepted using weight and zone — not the Flat Rate price. A customer is not required to repackage an item unless the contents are fragile and would be at risk of damage during processing and transit."