Valuable Information for Mailing Your Packages

As an online seller, I try to make sure that the item I am mailing is clean and wrapped well. I am a non-smoker, so I appreciate it when I get packaging that doesn’t smell of smoke. Smoke is particularly bothersome to me since I quit smoking. So, I try to make sure that MY packages being mailed aren’t smelly and appreciate it when people tell me in their listings whether they smoke and whether they have pets. Then I can decide if I want the item. Plus, this can be very bad for someone allergic to either smoke or pet hair.

I like to reuse packing material when I can but if it is smelly or in bad shape, I throw it away. Otherwise, I will save it to reuse, not only saving the landfill but saving me money since I don’t charge for any handling, only the shipping price. I also try to use a good box. I remove the labels as much as possible if it was previously used. If you are doing your packaging via priority mail through the post office, it’s easy to order free boxes and bubble envelopes. They are clean and professional looking. AND you have the benefit of free insurance up to $50 when shipping priority.

You have a business, selling online. Try to package your items as though it is coming from a professional business and not some garage sale. Yes, I get a lot of things from garage sales BUT my pictures and my listings are as professional as I can make them. I don’t want that impression destroyed by someone opening a package from me smelling to high heavens or looking like the cat drug it in! My husband did get a particularly fun package and this is what I am talking about. Believe it or not, this isn’t the worst I’ve seen. I realize that some people have different methods of shipping but this just totally destroyed the image of an online “store”. I did cover up the addresses.

 

The post office also has some rules for shipping, some that I wasn’t aware of so I thought I would include a snippet of what they have on their website.

“Only stamped mail pieces weighing 13 oz or less can be put in a blue collection box, Post Office lobby drop, USPS self-service kiosk drop, or any other unattended location.
If your mail piece weighs more than 13 oz and is bearing only stamps as postage, you’ll need to take it to the retail counter of a Post Office™, Contract Postal Unit, or Approved Shipper location. If left in a mailbox, it won’t be picked up; if dropped in a collection box or lobby drop, it will be returned to you.

There are rules and restrictions for what can and can’t be mailed.
This list is not exhaustive, but in most cases, you can't send…

· Alcohol — Alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, or liquor) are restricted and can’t go in the mail. If you’re reusing a box displaying alcohol brands, all logos and labels need to be completely removed.

· Perfume − Perfume containing alcohol is prohibited on air transportation, and can only be shipped domestically via surface transportation. Perfume containing alcohol is prohibited in international shipments. 

· Prescription Drugs – Prescription medications can only be mailed by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registered entities. Similar regulations may apply to over-the-counter medications. 

· Cigarettes & Smokeless Tobacco – With few exceptions, cigarettes and smokeless tobacco shipments cannot be mailed.

· Firearms – Only licensed manufacturers and dealers can mail or receive handguns.

And even though unloaded rifles and shotguns are mailable, mailers must comply with all applicable regulations. 

There are specific rules and restrictions for sending perishable matter through the mail.
Examples of mailable perishable matter include certain types of live animals, food items, and plants. Mailable perishable matter can be sent at the mailer’s own risk. These materials must be packaged as specified and must be mailed to assure that they are delivered within a time frame that will prevent deterioration.  

Help Us Keep the Mail Safe

Keeping the mail safe is a top priority at USPS®. Avoid delays in your shipments by following these simple guidelines.

Only stamped mail pieces weighing 13 oz or less can be put in a blue collection box, Post Office lobby drop, USPS self-service kiosk drop, or any other unattended location.

If your mail piece weighs more than 13 oz and is bearing only stamps as postage, you’ll need to take it to the retail counter of a Post Office™, Contract Postal Unit, or Approved Shipper location. If left in a mailbox, it won’t be picked up; if dropped in a collection box or lobby drop, it will be returned to you.

There are rules and restrictions for what can and can’t be mailed.
This list is not exhaustive, but in most cases, you can't send…

· Alcohol — Alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, or liquor) are restricted and can’t go in the mail. If you’re reusing a box displaying alcohol brands, all logos and labels need to be completely removed.

· Perfume − Perfume containing alcohol is prohibited on air transportation, and can only be shipped domestically via surface transportation. Perfume containing alcohol is prohibited in international shipments. 

· Prescription Drugs – Prescription medications can only be mailed by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registered entities. Similar regulations may apply to over-the-counter medications. 

· Cigarettes & Smokeless Tobacco – With few exceptions, cigarettes and smokeless tobacco shipments cannot be mailed.

· Firearms – Only licensed manufacturers and dealers can mail or receive handguns. And even though unloaded rifles and shotguns are mailable, mailers must comply with all applicable regulations. 

There are specific rules and restrictions for sending perishable matter through the mail.
Examples of mailable perishable matter include certain types of live animals, food items, and plants. Mailable perishable matter can be sent at the mailer’s own risk. These materials must be packaged as specified and must be mailed to assure that they are delivered within a time frame that will prevent deterioration.  

Many items can’t go in the mail.

Restricted materials come in a wide variety of forms and can be chemical, biological, radioactive, or a combination of factors.

Many common household and consumer products cannot be mailed through the US Postal Service®. These materials may not be dangerous on your shelf at home, but they may become a hazard when shaken or when exposed to temperature or pressure changes. Additional rules and restrictions apply for items being mailed internationally.

Examples of items that may be mailable but have specific restrictions…

· Aerosols

· Lithium Batteries

· Nail Polish

· Perfumes containing alcohol

· Pool Chemicals

· Paints

· Matches

· Certain Glues

· Live Animals

· Cremated Remains

Examples of non-mailable items…

· Air bags

· Ammunition

· Explosives

· Gasoline

Not sure if what you’re sending is restricted or prohibited? Just call 800-ASK-USPS® or your local Post Office.”

And, you can always go to the USPS.com website.

Be smart. Be a professional. Make sure your customers WANT to shop with you again!

Happy sales! And for the BEST place to sell, check out ONLINEAUCTION.com!!

Thank you! Visit us anytime at KornKountryTreasures!

Have Patience . . . . .

The entire country seems to be affected lately by the storms rolling across. Frigid, arctic air with seemingly endless snow in parts of the East and Midwest, which usually don't get prolonged snaps like this! Since major hubs of the airlines are affected, so are the deliveries, no matter if it was being sent by UPS, FedEx or USPS (even though USPS just raised their prices, again). It has affected everyone.

One of our OLA members, FyreByrd, put a note out on FaceBook stating "To all those that won my auctions...due to the inclement weather here in Ohio there will be a delay in getting your items out to you...I will send each of you an Omail to let you know as soon as your items have shipped....thanks so much for your bids!!" I thought that was a great idea since things are being held up. A pro-active seller!

I purchased an antique lamp and it got hung up in New Jersey for eleven days. It did get here but I was so excited about getting it, it seemed to take forever! I know it wasn't the sellers fault because they shipped it the day after I paid. The tracking number was in the system. But USPS had it in New Jersey for the longest time!

I bought a book the other day. And I received a nice email explaining that due to the unforeseen weather issues, the book may be delayed. "We wanted to let you know that your package may not arrive on time due to extreme weather conditions or an unforeseen natural event. Shipping carriers in the area of your delivery address--or cities along the delivery route--are reporting delivery delays because of these conditions. UPS will deliver the package as soon as possible. We are sorry about this unavoidable delay and we appreciate your patience."

I was very surprised by this as it isn't often I am told that a package may be delayed up front. FyreByrd has the right idea, to inform her customers what is going on. Sometimes we don't realize that other parts of the country are buried in snow and our packages have to go through that snow!!

So, I am asking all buyers, no matter where you have purchased your item, please be patient. Remember, this is a miserable winter for everyone. Please don't blame the sellers, who ever they are, where ever they sell, for those "extreme weather conditions". They will appreciate it!!

Patience IS a virtue!!

If you are trying to keep warm and love to shop, check out the great values on OnlineAuction.com! We treat you like we'd like to be treated!! Grab your hot chocolate and bunny slippers and enjoy!!

Is It Just Me

I just got a letter in the mail from our congressman for the state of North Carolina. It was trying to explain to me about what is wrong with our postal system. This letter was mailed in an envelope with the return address of "U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, WASHINGTON, DC" and marked "Public Document" and no postage on it.

It said that we may have to go to a six day delivery period for a letter. It blames all this on the fact that people are no longer mailing letters but are using the internet instead.

I have a problem with this way of thinking. Before we had sites where we could sell items and ship them through the USPS where did they get the bigger bucks. If I send a letter it cost 43 cents now and if I ship a package it cost no less than $3.00 with delivery confirmation. I do not ship without it.

Now 12 years ago I was new to selling on line but as time went on there were days I shipped only one package and other days when I shipped as much as 14 packages. Where does all that money go.

Every time I go in the post office there is a waiting line with people mailing out packages and bulk letters. I just do not understand how some are costing the PO so much by not mailing a letter when so many are shipping more expensive packages and the rates are going up again.

I guess the reason for this blog is really the fact that the letter I got today had no post mark on it, not even bulk mailing rates. It did however have a computer generated signature of our congressman where a stamp would go.

Also in the body of the letter it ask me to GO ONLINE  and voice my opinion. Isn't that kind of contradicting what this letter was telling me is wrong with why the PO is going broke. Personally I have yet to figure out how they are going broke with all the people who sell on line and shipping items that cost more to do than mailing out a letter.

I guess what I will do is go to the site he ask me to go to for voiceing my opinion and then copying this blog and pasting it there. I am also going to write something on the back of the letter I got, make a copy of it and put it back in it's original unstamped envelope and mark it return to sender. I am sure it will not happen but it is worth a try.

Why should out politicians be exempt from rules we must abide by and why can they fill our mail boxes with FREE mail soliciting for the USPS telling us what is causing the money shortage?

Ok, got that out of my system and so now back to work listing items for sale on line which will cost lots more to mail than a letter. 

Hope you all have a great day and to those in bad weather areas please stay safe, warm and dry. 

Life is short, live it to the fullest and have a good time with it.

The United States Postal Service

 The United States Post Office can trace it's roots back to 1775 when Benjamin Franklin was appointed Postmaster General by the Second Continental Congress. It is one of the few agencies expressly authorized by the United States Constitution.

The cabinet level office was formed in 1792 from Franklin's operation and was transformed into it's most recent form back in 1971 under the Postal Reorganization Act.

On December 5, 2011, the USPS announced it would close down more than half of their mail processing areas, eliminate 28,000 jobs, and stop the overnight delivery of first class mail. On December 13th, they announced they would hold off closing their 252 mail processing centers until mid May 2012.

At issue is the loss of revenue by the USPS and the rising costs. The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 (PAEA) (HR 6407) forces the USPS to fund, in advance, 75 years' worth of future health care benefit payments to retirees within a ten year time span. This was enacted in December 2006 and is a requirement that no other government organization is subject to.

Add this to the rising costs for salaries and the huge decline of first-class mail, and we have an institution that is slowly disappearing.

With our ever increasing use of electronic mail and the rising costs, it is becoming seriously uncertain as to how the USPS system can maintain it's current level of service.

In 2011 the USPS announced it's intention of setting up village like post offices in grocery stores and the like and close down 3,700 small post offices around the country. This would create a substantial savings and really wouldn't be too hard to deal with. The closing of half of the mail processing centers, on the other hand, might inconvenience everyone more than they can imagine. This will create a slow down of all mail delivery and completely eliminate the next day delivery for first class mail.

 

Recently, on December 7th, I shipped a package to a customer in North Carolina. This was going parcel post because it was much less expensive that priority mail due to the weight. I live in Iowa and the expected delivery date, according to the USPS website, was December 13th. That's good, right?

I received a query from my customer, asking if I had shipped the item on December 18th. I checked the tracking number and this is what I found. The package had been sent December 7th and sent to the sort facility in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and remained there until December 16th when it departed that facility. The next mention was it was being processed by a sort facility in Charlotte, NC on December 20th, which is today. The expected delivery date still shows December 13th, 2011. Perhaps Iowa's sort facility was already closed! (Really, this doesn't happen often!!)

My whole point in writing about this situation is:

 1) please be patient with your seller as they may be experiencing difficulties beyond their control through the mail system and

2) think about supporting your USPS system!! It's not going to hurt sending someone a handwritten letter once in awhile and buying some stamps to mail it and it might even bring joy to someone that day!!

Our postal system has served us long and faithfully. Yes, they have not made some of the wisest decisions, and yes, they are in the hole but imagine this . . . . . no more mail, no more newspapers, magazines, no more Christmas cards to save, birthday cards, get well cards!!

There are some changes that need to be made and they are working through them. I, for one, support USPS and no, I don't have ANY relatives or friends who work there. I just know that this is an institution that we would be lost without.

Please support the USPS.

Thank you!

We ship USPS and if you would like to browse through our store and purchase an item or two, we would be delighted!! I believe the majority of sellers here at OLA.com ship USPS and support their services.

Korn Kountry Treasures

Merry Christmas!!

PayPal and USPS Click-N-Ship Online Postage Shipping Solutions

During this Holiday Season you should have at least 2 different ways to print your Online Postage Shipping Labels. In my opinion, PayPal and USPS Click-N-Ship are 2 of the easiest shipping solutions available.

Most Online Sellers are familiar with printing Shipping Labels through their PayPal Accounts. PayPal allows you to print your Shipping Labels using USPS or UPS. The USPS Postal Services that are available through PayPal are Priority, Express, First Class, Media Mail, and Parcel Post. The shipping fees are taken out of your PayPal Balance. Here is a Direct Link to the PayPal Login where you can print a Shipping Label.

You can also print your Priority Mail shipping labels from the USPS through their USPS Click-N-Ship Service. Here are the step by step instructions. Go to the Click-N-Ship Website, set up an account, and then fill in the information for your label. You will have to use your credit card to pay for your shipping fee.

Just remember, that you can only Print Priority Mail shipping labels through Click-N-Ship. If you need Technical Support, they can be reached at 800-344-7779 option 3.

Written by Jan M. Bradshaw

http://janmbradshaw.com/

Postage Will Not Go Up January 2, 2010

By NATASHA T. METZLER, Associated Press Writer Natasha T. Metzler, Associated Press Writer – 34 mins ago

WASHINGTON – The independent panel that oversees the U.S. Postal Service has denied the agency's request to increase the cost of mailing a letter by 2 cents - to 46 cents.

The Postal Regulatory Commission announced its decision rejecting the requested price hike at a news conference Thursday.

In July, the Postal Service proposed raising first-class postage from 44 cents to 46 cents as part of a strategy for dealing with a worsening financial crisis. The Postal Service lost $3.8 billion last year, and the agency has been seeking other rate increases as well, including higher fees for periodicals, post cards and parcels.

The new rates would have taken effect next Jan. 2.

Chairman Ruth Goldway told reporters at a news conference that the Postal Rate Commission's vote to deny the rate request was unanimous on the five-member commission.

She said that in her view, the requested rate adjustment was not due to recent recession, as indicated by Postal Service officials, but was, rather, an attempt to address longterm structural problems.

The decision was applauded by the Affordable Mail Alliance, a coalition of postal customers including consumer groups, small business, chairities, utilities, national retailers and banks.

"The PRC today has helped countless businesses stay competitive and saved tens of thousands of jobs," said Tony Conway, a spokesman for the alliance. "The commissioners recognized that imposing an additional tax on Postal Service customers is not the way to address its financial troubles. Our members look forward to working with the Postal Service on the long-term restructuring needed to restore the Postal Service to competitiveness."