Any thoughts on size bubble mailers to buy

[buymycards]

One thing to keep in mind is that a few days ago, a new rule was put in place for first class packages. The surface of the package now has to be big enough to contain the address, return address, postage, and the tracking bar code label, on the surface of the package. This means that some of the smaller bubble mailers, and some of the smaller boxes, will not be able to be mailed at the first class rates.

The reason for this change is that a lot of people who print their postage at home are wrapping the barcode around the package so the bar code is on the side or the bottom. The high speed package sorting machines have difficulty reading these barcodes, so these packages may not show any tracking history or they may be delayed. In addition, it is easier for a letter carrier to miss the barcode during delivery, so the package may not be scanned as delivered. We tell the carriers to turn each package over to make sure, but sometimes when they have been out in the below zero weather for several hours and they are performing their 500th delivery of the day, it is easy to miss a scan.

Anyway, you might want to stop using the 3x5 and possibly the 4x6 bubble envelopes and the really small card boxes, because they will no longer be mailable. I am giving my customers a couple of months to use their remaining inventory of boxes and bubble envelopes and this will give me time to educate my customers on the new rule.

The rule will be officially published on Jan 17th, but it takes effect immediately.

Rick

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by buymycards

One thing to keep in mind is that a few days ago, a new rule was put in place for first class packages. The surface of the package now has to be big enough to contain the address, return address, postage, and the tracking bar code label, on the surface of the package. This means that some of the smaller bubble mailers, and some of the smaller boxes, will not be able to be mailed at the first class rates.

The reason for this change is that a lot of people who print their postage at home are wrapping the barcode around the package so the bar code is on the side or the bottom. The high speed package sorting machines have difficulty reading these barcodes, so these packages may not show any tracking history or they may be delayed. In addition, it is easier for a letter carrier to miss the barcode during delivery, so the package may not be scanned as delivered. We tell the carriers to turn each package over to make sure, but sometimes when they have been out in the below zero weather for several hours and they are performing their 500th delivery of the day, it is easy to miss a scan.

Anyway, you might want to stop using the 3x5 and possibly the 4x6 bubble envelopes and the really small card boxes, because they will no longer be mailable. I am giving my customers a couple of months to use their remaining inventory of boxes and bubble envelopes and this will give me time to educate my customers on the new rule.

The rule will be officially published on Jan 17th, but it takes effect immediately.

Rick

Thanks Rick. I'll just have to print smaller and invest in a bar code shrinker.

[glchen]

Originally Posted by buymycards

One thing to keep in mind is that a few days ago, a new rule was put in place for first class packages. The surface of the package now has to be big enough to contain the address, return address, postage, and the tracking bar code label, on the surface of the package. This means that some of the smaller bubble mailers, and some of the smaller boxes, will not be able to be mailed at the first class rates.

The reason for this change is that a lot of people who print their postage at home are wrapping the barcode around the package so the bar code is on the side or the bottom. The high speed package sorting machines have difficulty reading these barcodes, so these packages may not show any tracking history or they may be delayed. In addition, it is easier for a letter carrier to miss the barcode during delivery, so the package may not be scanned as delivered. We tell the carriers to turn each package over to make sure, but sometimes when they have been out in the below zero weather for several hours and they are performing their 500th delivery of the day, it is easy to miss a scan.

Anyway, you might want to stop using the 3x5 and possibly the 4x6 bubble envelopes and the really small card boxes, because they will no longer be mailable. I am giving my customers a couple of months to use their remaining inventory of boxes and bubble envelopes and this will give me time to educate my customers on the new rule.

The rule will be officially published on Jan 17th, but it takes effect immediately.

Rick

Rick, thanks for this information. I don't mean to sidetrack this topic, but do you know if there's an online place where these rules for the Post Office are posted? Basically, in the Spring 2016 ebay seller news, Top Rated sellers need to have their tracking information showing an Acceptance scan within ~24 hours of buyer payment, and if that does not happen, then the package needs to show that it was delivered to the buyer within the stated delivery time on the ebay listing. The issue of course, is that if the seller drops the packages into a post office box and doesn't request an acceptance scan from the post office clerk, then occasionally the acceptance scan does not happen with that 24 hours (or is missed entirely). In addition, if the package is delayed within the postal system, then it may not be delivered within the stated delivery time. This is further complicated by the issue where ebay is tightening the tracking requirements from something like 90% need to meet this threshold currently to something like 98% in the Spring. Therefore, if you have 1-2 packages that are missed, then as a seller, you would lose your Top Rated status.

The workaround is to get all of your packages scanned by the Post Office clerk with the Acceptance scan when you mail it. However, when I talked to some clerks, they said that they need to charge you for each Acceptance scan (unless you have a SCAN form, which is available when you ship via the USPS online system for Priority mail, but not to my knowledge for the prepaid ebay shipping labels). The clerk that I talked to about this said this new rule took place a few months ago (perhaps early 2015?), so ideally, I would like to point this out to ebay to see if they can adjust their new seller rules to take this fee into account. (The clerk stated the charge is due to something around needing a certified mailer for the Acceptance scan. Something like that, don't know if I'm remembering it correctly.) Thanks!

[buymycards]

Hi Gary,

Most info can be found on USPS.com. You can search the DMM, or click on Postal Explorer.

If you have a lot of packages, you can print a form that can be scanned once, and that will automatically accept all of the packages that are manifested on that form.

I have never heard of charging someone for an acceptance scan. If a carrier picks up your parcel, the carrier scans it as accepted. If you bring it to the Post Office, it is the clerks job to scan it as accepted. If you put a package in the blue collection box, whoever picks up the mail from that collection box is required to scan those parcels as accepted.

I would really like to see if someone in your Post Office can show me the rule that allows them to charge for an acceptance scan. It is actually a benefit to the clerk to scan the package. Every acceptance scan generates 1 minute and 12 seconds of additional workload and that workload translates into more workhours for the clerks.

Rick

[glchen]

Rick, thanks for your feedback. Now that I think about it, could the reason for the charge be that I requested a receipt of the Acceptance scan? I think this is what the Postal Clerk may have been trying to explain to me. That I could stand in line and watch her scan the packages, but I wouldn't receive a receipt, and she wouldn't charge me. However, if I wanted the receipt for the Acceptance scan, then I would be charged. Is this it?

The reason for the Acceptance scan with the clerk is that sometimes if I drop it in the postal box whether it is inside the Post Office or in the blue collection box outside it, it doesn't always receive an acceptance scan. Here's one example of a tracking number that never received a scan even though I dropped it in a blue collection box: 9407409699938922193528

It did arrive on time, but there are sometimes when the packages are delayed a bit. Thanks again!