Do it yourself postage for packages.

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  • Labeeman

    Well-Known Member
    Silver Member
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    23   0   0
    Oct 11, 2010
    1,001
    83
    Baton Rouge
    I would like to hear from some firsthand users of the postage from home companies. I would like to get set up to weigh and send packages from my home using one of these businesses. Going to the post office has put a damper on me selling and shipping honey to people in other locations besides BR because it’s such a pain in the @$$ to deal with the folks that run the place plus the long lines. I know there are people on this site that ship lots of products by mail and know the most efficient way to do this. As always thanks for the help and stay safe as we are living in precarious times.
     

    dmiculek

    Well-Known Member
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    34   0   0
    Oct 1, 2006
    1,100
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    Gramercy
    Go to USPS.com click on mail and ship. Not sure what size boxes you need to ship in but they offer various free flat rate and priority mail boxes and will deliver them to your home or business.
     

    Firearmfanatic

    *Banned*
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    44   0   0
    Aug 25, 2016
    2,404
    36
    Acadia Parish
    Go to USPS.com click on mail and ship. Not sure what size boxes you need to ship in but they offer various free flat rate and priority mail boxes and will deliver them to your home or business.


    This is the way I do most of my shipping through the US postal services. If shipping things not allowed to be shipped through the postal service you can use UPS or Fedex which also have sites that you can click and ship through also. If shipping through UPS or Fedex, they also have drop boxes and drop off locations with little or no interactions with other people if that is your wish.
     

    Magpie

    Well-Known Member
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    101   0   0
    Aug 1, 2007
    986
    18
    Gonzales
    I just started using USPS click and ship. You will need a printer to print out the shipping label. I love it as far as the ability to ship from home. The flat rate box cost is around $7.50 for up to a certain weight.
     

    Request Dust Off

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    26   0   0
    Feb 11, 2007
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    Westbank N.O.

    snipehunter7

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    20   0   0
    Dec 31, 2016
    508
    18
    Franklinton, LA
    I use a simple $10 digital food scale to weigh everything. My only complaint is that the scale is a little small when my package is large. I’d upgrade to a bigger scale if purchasing again.

    Don’t know about different services as most of my stuff is through eBay and they’ve negotiated rates with the USPS.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

    southerncanuck

    www.RangeSport.com (Use code "BayouShooter")
    Premium Member
    Industry Partner
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    62   0   0
    Dec 3, 2019
    839
    63
    New Orleans
    I do a fair amount of eBaying and selling stuff from home. Very rarely anything over a few pounds, so keep that in mind. Here's what I use:

    Shipping: PirateShip.com offers the lowest USPS rates around. PayPal shipping or eBay Shipping are same rates for anything under 16oz, but PirateShip has access to "priority cubic mail" which is the best price option over 1lb. Great platform and easy to reuse labels, track packages, etc. I use PirateShip exclusively now.

    • Anything under 10oz and 1/2" can go in a regular blue mailbox
    • You can schedule a USPS pickup from your home
    • Honestly, I just leave the paid, labeled packages in my mailbox and the mailman picks them up on his usual route. No scheduling, nothing fancy, super easy. Doesn't hurt to be nice to the guy and give a cold bottle of water ever now and then to make friends. Anything big or boxed I take to the post office to drop off.

    Tracking: I've been using ParcelTrack for a few months now and really happy with it. Cross-platform syncing (web and smartphone app) and does USPS, FedEx, UPS, all in one spot with room for notes to self. The free version works on your phone, or it's a $2 upgrade to sync with the web platform.

    Scale: I bought one of these no-name Amazon scales years ago and it still works great. Any digital "kitchen" scale under 20 bucks will do the trick up to about 10lbs. Amazon, Walmart, Target, BBB, etc.

    Labeling: I've never bothered with the expense of the specialized label printers. I just use these 8.5x11 full-page labels, run them through my printer, and trim them out as need be. You could also very easily just use some spray glue (same stuff you'd use for pasting targets) and regular printer paper.

    Tape: Believe it or not, you can get anal about tape haha! This Duck Brand stuff is heavy duty and SILENT. None of that awful noise when you're sealing boxes or whatever. For 2 bucks a roll, it's worth the sanity.
     
    Last edited:

    kcinnick

    Training Ferrous Metal
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    28   0   0
    Dec 24, 2008
    4,723
    38
    Baton Rouge
    Don't limit yourself to priority mail boxes, we use to use a ton or regional rate products and the PO still provided boxes. We also purchased boxes from Uline for certain sized items, the Uline best price boxes (common sizes on special) combined with USPS discounted rates through a third party shipper was cheaper in some instances. I don't think Pirate Ship was around when we were shipping a lot, but it looks like a good platform to use.
     

    Martman300

    Well-Known Member
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    44   0   0
    Nov 12, 2018
    702
    43
    Gretna, la
    I use Stamps.com, but ship a lot.

    You save on convenience and postage costs. Example a 1st class cost me .50, at the post office it’s .55 I think.

    I also got a free scale.

    I think this is $7.99 or $12.99 A month.

    Also try to see what’s the best deal.

    Priority Mail flat rate can ship up to 20 lbs, provides free boxes, & you can order on USPS.com Free supplies about 73 different sizes & items.

    Priority Mail (not flat rate) still has $50 of insurance included. (Both do) The weight here matter, as the price is also affected by the weight unlike a flat rate, where 1lb is the same as 20lb.

    First class is cheaper and still trackable, but honey will be more than a LB, so this probably won’t work for you, unless it’s under a LB. No insurance included either.

    You also have the options of other classes with insurance available for an added cost.
     

    southerncanuck

    www.RangeSport.com (Use code "BayouShooter")
    Premium Member
    Industry Partner
    Rating - 100%
    62   0   0
    Dec 3, 2019
    839
    63
    New Orleans
    I almost exclusively replenish my *gun fund* from eBay sales

    If you're a Reddit person, wait until you dig into https://www.reddit.com/r/GunAccessoriesForSale/ -- I'd say a good 50% of my online buying and selling of gun crap has been there for the last few months. Although it's all shipped, it's an incredible marketplace. (That's where I learned about PirateShip, actually! It was recommended by the forum moderators.)
     
    Last edited:

    DAVE_M

    _________
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    32   0   0
    Apr 17, 2009
    8,288
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    ________
    You can have USPS Priority Flat Rate boxes of all sizes delivered to your house free of charge. The box cost is factored into the flat rate fee.

    I use either USPS Click N Ship if someone pays me with something other than PayPal. If using PayPal Goods & Services, you will get the option of creating a USPS label through PayPal. It’s slightly discounted compared to the USPS website, which offsets the cost of the PayPal fees. I’ve been doing things this way for years.
     

    Bosco

    We are the hammer
    Rating - 100%
    56   0   0
    Sep 4, 2009
    2,246
    38
    Covington
    I don't know if you work for a company that has a UPS shipping account but if you do you can get them to set you up a campus ship account. You get their corporate negotiated rates but can use your account and credit card for personal packages. Just need a printer for the label.

    For padded envelopes and flat rate boxes, I find usps.com is the best solution. But once I start shipping anything that's a cardboard box, the UPS rates I get has them beat every time.
     

    Labeeman

    Well-Known Member
    Silver Member
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    23   0   0
    Oct 11, 2010
    1,001
    83
    Baton Rouge
    Holy moly this is great information. I’m going to look at the suggestions and see what fits my business the best. What I basically want to do is ship one and two pound bottles of honey to people and at a reasonable rate so it’s more attractive to them. I usually never ship more that 5-6 lbs so if someone has an idea what would work best for that let me know. I’m always surprised and appreciate the vast pool of knowledge on this forum.
     

    DAVE_M

    _________
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    32   0   0
    Apr 17, 2009
    8,288
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    ________
    Holy moly this is great information. I’m going to look at the suggestions and see what fits my business the best. What I basically want to do is ship one and two pound bottles of honey to people and at a reasonable rate so it’s more attractive to them. I usually never ship more that 5-6 lbs so if someone has an idea what would work best for that let me know. I’m always surprised and appreciate the vast pool of knowledge on this forum.

    Your issue will be size more than weight. I assume you're using larger boxes with some form of padding to prevent breakages. Liquids in large quantities will also incur other fees. You may want to contact your local PO and ask for their recommendation.
     

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