Swap mailing recommendations. Now Unlocked. Please read my last post

[chugbug27 0]

Absolutely. Only works for relatively small rough flies

[Bryon Anderson 0]

43 minutes ago, flytire said:

bryon

is there another local post office in your area?

maybe they have a nicer understanding postmaster. 😄

i wonder if your postmaster was referring to "metered stamp" rather than forever or other denomination of stamps

i but 10 $1 stamp and use them + a forever stamp or two

i have 4 post offices in my local area

just for shits and giggles, i created an account at pirate ship, bought a postal scale and will try them out in the next swap i'm in

There are two offices actually -- the little one in my actual town has gotten so that there's never anyone at the counter and the door is always locked, regardless of posted hours. The bigger one in the town across the lake is the one where I struck out. I'll keep trying.  I do see Pirateship in my future. 

[vicrider 0]

Okay, we're unlocked. A strange thing happened when my wife took the swap packages to the PO today to drop in mail. I had told her they were just dropoffs and ready to go. She was not all that happy when she came home. There were a couple of packages that sent me money or stamps in package and a couple people had used their own prepaid labels on. Of the ones that were stamped 3 were weighed and had to get added postage. The ones I had done labels on (and refunded extra paid in envelope to tyer) and the other prepaid went right thru just getting tracking #. My wife asked me, "Why don't you just have them send the money and you do labels and make it easier to send and at PO"? HUH....

SO I'M REVERSING MY POSITION. EVEN OLD DOGS CAN LEARN NEW TRICKS AND TRADITION IS NOT ALWAYS THE BEST

If the Swapmeister is alright with it on his end I'll go along with sending $5 on most swap in envelope. For me I will use Pirateship.com to continue to send packages and print the labels. It is a little more trouble yes, but not that much and saves time and headaches at PO. I guess we should leave this to Swapmeister to choose if this is fine for him but hereafter it is the way I would prefer to do it. SASE has worked for years and will continue to but for some reason it has suddenly become a problem at some POs and the prepaid labels have not proven to be a problem. 

Okay, discussion is back open...

 

 

[niveker 0]

Thank you, Nick, for opening the thread back up.    

I agree with your very smart wife now also. 

I prefer to use pirateship to send and for my return address whenever possible.  If the swapmeister decrees  otherwise, well he IS the swappermeister meisterswapper for a reason. 

Since I use the pirateship, if and when I make the step to swapmeister, sending cash instead of a SASE would make no difference to me, as I can just print the labels at home and drop the packages in the box.   

 

[Northcaddis 0]

I find it easy for international ( Canada ) to send $ in whatever currency the sm is in ( U.S.A) and either get the change back. But just my opinion and works for me so far as long as the sm is ok with doing it. 

[Squeezy 0]

My biggest fear has been short changing the SM on postage. I figured if I mark the SASE that we’ll be all square. Never once thought it’d be an issue with the SM sending back. 
 

Do rates change over the course of a month or two?  Say, my package costs $6.39 to mail. If I toss $7 in cash into a self address envelope will that work?  Just don’t want the SM covering $$$ to send back

[vicrider 0]

Something that came to me when I was sending back the flies from the last swap. It is only a minor matter but we could save the cost of a return envelope if we used the $5 and flies in an envelope system. At least for me I could print the label to send them back in same package and cover anything on the original envelope with the label. I always use to sizes of envelopes when I send in a swap but ONLY IF the swapmeister would agree on HIS swap the return envelope would not be needed. This is the way I think I will go in the future.

Nick

[cphubert 0]

After receiving sets from two swaps both needing additional return postage, I talked to my local postmaster and was informed there was a rate increase between the time I mailed my flies and the time they were returned. I checked the price to send parcels back for a price check. Increased from $3.00 to $5.25 (+2.25) and $3.00 to $5.10 (+1.90) 2nd parcel was a little less due to 2 forever stamps on face. The increase was 40% ! Am I sending mailers in the wrong configuration?  I will be adding extra in future swaps $5.50 to $6.00 for return. I am not set up for pirate ship. Is it better to send cash or stamps? or set up for pirate ship?

[caddis16 0]

These didn't make it through the sorting machine. Plus they charged me postage due. One of the last swaps I hosted.

[vicrider 0]

When the rolling machine sends regular envelopes thru that are not smoothly distributed and under their thickness guide it can mess them up. That's why if you want to be in a swap with bulky flies you should foot the cost of a bubble of manila envelope. The few times I've sent someone a few flies in an envelope I put craft paper on each side inside envelope so it will go through roller smoothly.

[flytire 0]

11 hours ago, cphubert said:

 I am not set up for pirate ship. Is it better to send cash or stamps? or set up for pirate ship?

i just sent my swap flies using pirate ship

extremely easy

all you need is a cheap postal scale (to weigh your packages), a printer to print your labels and a pirate ship account (that's free).

cut out both labels, tape them to the appropriate envelope and head out to the post office. cost me $4.13 for each package to and from Sacramento, California

had i put my usual 9 forever stamp on my return postage it would have cost $5.67 

i wanted to know the process of using prepaid shipping labels, so i went inside the post office, handed the postmaster my labeled envelope, he scanned it and gave me a receipt with the tracking number on it. if you really don't need the tracking number you can drop your swap envelope in the outgoing mail slot on the post office wall 

the postmaster said the reason they changed those outside blue mailboxes to the envelope slot was because thieves were inserting devices into them to steal other people's mail hoping to find checks that were being mailed out

anybody blaming the postmaster should really be blaming the thieves.

my other "local" post office still has this style of mail box outside. i can drive up to it and just drop my outgoing mail in the slot and be done with it

[DarrellP 0]

I have had a problem with packages over 1/4 inch thick being returned unless I go in and answer the question stating it does not contain the prohibited items.

[flytire 0]

i think we have covered this in the past

is it really that much of an inconvenience?

if you were to mail any other size package the postmaster would be required to ask a series of questions and you would provide them with an answer. there are certain materials that the post office will not mail 

Shipping Restrictions & HAZMAT - What Can You Send in the Mail? | USPS

 

[niveker 0]

16 minutes ago, flytire said:

is it really that much of an inconvenience?

Compared to just popping it in your mailbox and putting the flag up, Yes. 

 

[flytire 0]

😢😢

not everybody has the luxury of having a mailbox with a flag at the curb. some do have to go to the post office to mail packages