Shipping from home using Paypal

[+AtwellFamily]

Looking to do this but how do people weigh the packages to know how much poctage to put on them? That is my only hangup for visiting the post office and waiting in line.

 

Boy the people behind me aren't happy then I show up with 200 bubble mailers.

[+OshnDoc]

You can do that in two ways.

 

1) have a standard packaging method, with known package material weight, plus your coin weight; have a sample of that weight determined at the post office with one coin , two coins, 3 coins etc and use that weight.

or

 

2) buy a $35 Dollar digital scale on ebay and weight the packages after you are done packing them.

 

Personally I have used both approaches.

Edited June 8, 2007 by OshnDoc

[+AtwellFamily]

You can do that in two ways.

 

1) have a standard packaging method, with known package material weight, plus your coin weight; have a sample of that weight determined at the post office with one coin , two coins, 3 coins etc and use that weight.

or

 

2) buy a $35 Dollar digital scale on ebay and weight the packages after you are done packing them.

 

Personally I have used both approaches.

Seeing as I am doing two coins in the next few months the scale is probibly the better choice, will have with trades as well.

[+SeabeckTribe]

I have a small digital scale at home. It is really accurate. I have had to question the clerk several times and found that he hit the wrong rate or key. With the change of rates, make sure you ask the PO the correct calulation for postage for that kind of package. I think it is $.41 cents for the first ounce and $.25 for each additional ounce. For tens of an ounce it is always rounded up to the next ounce. With the PO new computer system they have now. It seems to take twice as long for them to calulate the postage. Of course I have not had to do 200 at a time. So I am sure there are others out there that might have a better system. Good luck

[+The Moop Along]

You can do that in two ways.

 

1) have a standard packaging method, with known package material weight, plus your coin weight; have a sample of that weight determined at the post office with one coin , two coins, 3 coins etc and use that weight.

or

 

2) buy a $35 Dollar digital scale on ebay and weight the packages after you are done packing them.

 

Personally I have used both approaches.

 

A combination of OshnDoc's methods is what I use. I shipped approx. 100 Northwest Ohio Geocachers coins when they hit for sale. I weighed a fully packed envelope with 1, 2, and 3 coins on my scale, then used that number for all the packs with the same number of coins. Works like a charm.

[+Anthus]

I bought a digital scale. In Paypal you can select the package size, method of shipment, and enter the weight. Paypal calculates the rate. Their delivery confirmation is cheaper than going to the post office and they auto email the buyer to let them know the package is on its way. Plus, I don't have to worry about goofing up on the mailing address because I print the lable from paypal. The only downfall is that this is a bit more time consuming that just printing labels from a dataase or spreadsheet.

[+Landsharkz]

We bought a postal scale, we buy stamps, have a supply of customs forms and I have a rate sheet here for Canada, US and International. I can drop them off in my local post box and only have to stand in line for heavy ones or unique sizes. I have never had any returned since I started doing this, but I did have a few returned when I relied on the post office to figure them all out. Go figure!

[+islander1988]

I have a small digital scale I bought on eBay for $5.50 (though shipping to Canada cost more than the scale). It's this model.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIt...em=300090873933

It's nothing fancy (and unfortunately doesn't have metric, which is what Canada Post uses), but it does the job. It's a bit of a pain when I'm on the edge of the weight limit and don't know if I'm a gram over or under, but most of the time it's just what I need to make sure which weight category the package falls in.

[+Team Sand Dollar]

The digital scale at home is the way to go. These can be picked up usually at either SAMS or Costco.

 

The biggest headache will be in determining if you have a first class large envelope or a first class package. Letters cannot exceed 1/4' thick so they are pretty much out.

 

First class large envelope can be up to 3/4" thick but must still be flexible. I have been able to stay within this size for up to 4 coins. Rates are $.80 for the first oz and $.17 for each additional oz.

 

Once you get to something larger you will be stuck with the First Class parcel rate of $1.13 for the first oz and $.17 for each additional.

 

One other item is once you go over 13oz you can send it only Priority mail.

 

Why do I know this. I have been going to the PO every day for the last 3 weeks with shipments. I have had only one returned for insufficient postage but after a visit with the marketing department of the PO it was determined that some additional training of their staff was needed and they took care of getting my returned item back in the system.

 

The new system is very subjective so not everyone is in agreement yet with what is what. So I find it best to still take all my items to the clerk for hand cancellation but I do go ahead and put the postage on at home. Since I see these clerks almost every day they have gotten to know me and it takes very little time once I get up to the window.

 

Team Sand Dollar

[+AtwellFamily]

The digital scale at home is the way to go. These can be picked up usually at either SAMS or Costco.

 

The biggest headache will be in determining if you have a first class large envelope or a first class package. Letters cannot exceed 1/4' thick so they are pretty much out.

 

First class large envelope can be up to 3/4" thick but must still be flexible. I have been able to stay within this size for up to 4 coins. Rates are $.80 for the first oz and $.17 for each additional oz.

 

Once you get to something larger you will be stuck with the First Class parcel rate of $1.13 for the first oz and $.17 for each additional.

 

One other item is once you go over 13oz you can send it only Priority mail.

 

Why do I know this. I have been going to the PO every day for the last 3 weeks with shipments. I have had only one returned for insufficient postage but after a visit with the marketing department of the PO it was determined that some additional training of their staff was needed and they took care of getting my returned item back in the system.

 

The new system is very subjective so not everyone is in agreement yet with what is what. So I find it best to still take all my items to the clerk for hand cancellation but I do go ahead and put the postage on at home. Since I see these clerks almost every day they have gotten to know me and it takes very little time once I get up to the window.

 

Team Sand Dollar

I was in the other day and they wouldn't send the small bubble mailer out as a large envelope becuase there is a minimun size tot he large. So they said they had to got parcel.

 

Looks like I'll get a scale. Thanks for the help.

[+Anthus]

I really hope none of the laptop geocoin packages come back with wrong postage. What a pain this new rate system is going to be for me. I went to the post office last weekend to double check on the package sizes. I made the comment to the postal workers that I'll have another couple hundred mailers to send out and said this isn't going to be fun. His comment to me was "it isn't pretty". I haven't had any come back to me yet and I know of some that said their packages arrived. So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[+Team Sand Dollar]

I was in the other day and they wouldn't send the small bubble mailer out as a large envelope becuase there is a minimun size tot he large. So they said they had to got parcel.

 

Looks like I'll get a scale. Thanks for the help.

 

What size where you sending?

 

As long as the large envelope was at least 5 inch min. by 3-1/2 inch min. is was not too small.

 

As per the USPS rules the minimums of a large envelope states you only need to exceed one or more of the letters maximum to be a large envelope which for use is usually the thickness of 1/4". As long as you meet the other 2 minimums you are still a large envelope.

 

I had the same problem as the clerk did not see the * and though you had to exceed all three of the letters maximum to be a large envelope.

 

If you continue to have a problem go to their marketing department to work things out.

 

No I do not work for the PO. At least not any more ... but I do consider myself an ex disgruntled postal employee.

[+PaRacers]

Paypal postage worked very well for us, no hassel waiting at the post office, the postage is paid thru the paypak account and you have a good record of your sales. The worst part was overseas parcels.

[+LadyBee4T]

Since this rate change every single bubble mailer I have received has come as a large envelope and every single one I sent out the post office says is a parcel even if its only one coin saying its not "flexible"

 

I use a home scale I also got on ebay and its seems very accurate as I checked it several times against the P.O. scale after I got it. Since the rate change I have been going back to the post office a bit to see how they are doing it.

[ParentsofSAM]

I bought a nice postal scale and it was about $20. I love it.

 

On the other hand I do not do postage at home for trades I take them to the PO. Well this week and last Friday I have mailed out 17 trades and yesterday and today 16 of those trades have come back for wrong postage.

 

I am quite upset....I think I will have to wait until Saturday or maybe Monday to go back to the PO and re-mail them and hopefully the person will get it right.

[+islander1988]

The biggest headache will be in determining if you have a first class large envelope or a first class package. Letters cannot exceed 1/4' thick so they are pretty much out.

First class large envelope can be up to 3/4" thick but must still be flexible. I have been able to stay within this size for up to 4 coins. Rates are $.80 for the first oz and $.17 for each additional oz.

 

Canada post also has rules on the thickness of envelopes (5mm). Sometimes if I'm only mailing one coin I see if I can make it under the weight and width restrictions, but the main problem is knowing whether it's thin enough. To keep from having to guess I took a piece of cardboard from a cereal box and with a ruler & exacto blade cut a slot 5mm wide in it. Now, when I prep an envelope I'm hoping to send as a normal letter I can drop it through the slot to make sure it's not too thick.

[+LadyBee4T]

I bought a nice postal scale and it was about $20. I love it.

 

On the other hand I do not do postage at home for trades I take them to the PO. Well this week and last Friday I have mailed out 17 trades and yesterday and today 16 of those trades have come back for wrong postage.

 

I am quite upset....I think I will have to wait until Saturday or maybe Monday to go back to the PO and re-mail them and hopefully the person will get it right.

 

 

So you mean the post office themselves goofed up thier own postage? LOL Maybe that's why the ones I have redceived are the large envelope but here the post office says mine are the parcels and then they cost more.....

[+Damenace]

I use a Stamps.com scale that I got for free when I first signed up. I have since cancelled Stamps.com and use the Paypal Multi Shipment feature.

 

I print the postage on a regular size piece of paper, when I cut out the label I put the extra paper in the envelope to make it 3/4" thick.

 

Knock on wood I have yet to have a package returned to me. I will be shipping around 12 packages this week, if I have any problems I will post the results.

[+S&G.Davison]

I need new kitchen scales - the digital ones that were there are now sat upstairs in the study ready to weigh the next bubble mailer. If it wasn't for online postage these mailers would just sit forever waiting for me to get organised and post them.

 

Used the paypal mialing once - but at for the same mailer it was 30p more then using the Royal Mail online system I know where I'm going next time and it's not paypal. I can do a lot of Ctl C and Ctl V for that 30p to make sure I get the address correct.

 

Sue

[+rasj & Stacey]

I use a small digital scale that I bought at one of the local office supply stores. It's a pelouze brand scale and even though it was inexpensive, it is very accurate. I used to verify the weights at the post office before shipping, but I have since stopped doing that because my weights were always dead on. I have never used the PayPal shipping feature so I don't know much about that. I use the endicia postage software with a Dymo 400 label printer. The labels fit perfectly on the #000 envelopes.

 

Just remember that if your package weighs 2.1oz, USPS considers that to be 3oz. They always round up.

 

Edit to add: I use my setup for all mailing, not just coins. I print my own stamps for letters too. I haven't had to go to the post office in quite a while, and I do not miss it one bit.

Edited June 9, 2007 by rasj

[+Damenace]

I use the endicia postage software with a Dymo 400 label printer. The labels fit perfectly on the #000 envelopes.

 

 

Started a new thread to answer my question.

Edited June 9, 2007 by Damenace

[Prowler53]

I guess I'm the only one who don't use a scale. I usually just figure a 1.75" coin is 1 1/2 ounces and allow 1/2 ounce for the 4x6 bubble mailer.

heres what I use for paypal shipping:

1 coin = 2oz

2 coins = 4oz

3 coins = 5oz

4 coins = 7oz

5 coins = 8oz

6 coins = 10oz

7 coins = 11oz

8 coins = 13oz

 

9 coins and above = Flat rate Priority mail boxes.

 

I know that depending on coin shape and thickness the weights will vary, but I usually do 1.75" coins and 3mm thickness.

My calclulations might not be dead on but very close and I've never had any come back for insufficiant postage.

[+Trucker Lee]

I bought a nice postal scale and it was about $20. I love it.

 

On the other hand I do not do postage at home for trades I take them to the PO. Well this week and last Friday I have mailed out 17 trades and yesterday and today 16 of those trades have come back for wrong postage.

 

I am quite upset....I think I will have to wait until Saturday or maybe Monday to go back to the PO and re-mail them and hopefully the person will get it right.

 

Best to deal only with the postmaster. Looks like some retraining needs to take place there.