Once you understand the services that the post office offers, it makes it a little easier listing your item for sale. 

You can find this information at the post office website at usps.com

Priority Mail: - Flat Rate.

The Post Office offers Priority Mail shipping, a very popular method of shipping ebay items.  Free Priority mail boxes are available from the post office web site, and can also be ordered through ebay.  

FLAT RATE is a special type of Priority Mail shipping. 

 With FLAT RATE PRIORITY, you can ship items for the same cost to any US destination.    

I believe that the post office now has 3 different sizes of flat rate, and the cost varies.  

In order for you to use Flat Rate,  you must use specific FLAT RATE boxes, and your item or items must fit into the special boxes.  Read on for more information.

  Free Mailing Supplies

 These special boxes and envelopes are marked: FLAT RATE on them.

Sometimes people are confused by some points about flat rate. 

1. If you use a flat rate envelope, or a flat rate box, you must pay the flat rate charge.  Sounds simple, right?  Well, sometimes people need a shipping box.  They look around, and find a flat rate box in their garage.  Their item fits, so they want to use the box.  Great, right?  Well, the item and the box only weigh 1 pound total.  They want to pay the current 1 pound shipping rate. Why should they pay more? The weight is only 1 pound. 

Well, sorry, you can't mail your item in a FLAT RATE Box and only pay for 1 pound shipping.  You can't do anything about it.  You can't argue with anyone, or ask politely.  If you put your item into that flat rate box, and then only put 1 pound  shipping cost on it, it will be noticed, and it will cause problems. 

The post office may attempt to deliver your parcel, but they will charge your customer the additional money due.   If your customer refuses to pay the additional shipping, (which is only correct, as they already PAID you to ship the box to them) the post office will return the box to you, undelivered. 

If your customer DOES pay the additional postage due, expect possibly a negative feedback, and / or a paypal complaint.

You can't cover up the flat rate words on the box, you can't turn the box inside out to hide it, and you can't wrap the outside of the box.

The post office has designed those special sizes for the boxes, and they do recognize their products. They reserve the right to inforce the stipulations for using their free products.

So, if you use a FLAT RATE BOX, you must pay the current flat rate cost to mail it. If you use a FLAT RATE ENVELOPE you must pay correct amount.  (Or the current Flat Rate Box or Envelope Fee, subject to change)

2. Another Point:   You can not alter the size and shape of the flat rate box or envelope.   This means that if your items do not fit, you can not MAKE them fit.  You can not shove a whole bunch of stuff into the box or envelope, and then secure it with a whole roll of tape.  

The Flat Rate Box Must retain it's original shape and dimensions.   The Flat Rate Envelope is only allowed to be secured with ONE piece of tape, and it is also not allowed to be distorted in size (That's not a mile long piece of tape)

If you do not follow these rules, you or your customer will be charged at normal priority mail rates.  You will not receive the flat rate charge, you will be charged based on the Weight of the item instead. (unless, of course, if you would save money using the actual weight, then you will be charged the flat rate fee, or your parcel may be refused by the postal service and returned to you. )

Online Delivery Confirmation: Is FREE for priority mail shipments! (This includes Priority Mail Flat Rate ) Online DC is only available if you print your shipping label online!

If you pay for DC at the post office, you have to pay full retail price for it. (55 cents before price increase)

As more customers learn about flat rate priority mail, and begin to use it themselves, then you will be expected to provide these services.   If you are listing an item, and the customer can obviously tell that it will fit inside one of these boxes, they will know that you CAN ship the parcel for the current flat rate fee.

For an unlikely example:  You are selling some heavy bricks. For some reason, bricks are in demand, and a potential customer wants to buy them. 

 You either:

a) have no shipping cost listed  You don't want to overcharge, and who knows what shipping zone they are in??

or

 b) have a high shipping cost listed These bricks are heavy! Shipping will be high!

But, the customer KNOWS that these bricks will fit into a flat rate box, and they know that it will cost you the current flat rate,  plus possibly free online delivery confirmation.

So, they are wondering why you are trying to rip them off?

Can you see why this would cause problems?  You probably won't be selling some bricks, but you may be selling something else that is heavy, and that would fit into a flat rate box for $8.10 shipping.

• The inside dimensions for  two of the boxes available are 11" x 8.5" x 5.5" and 13.625" x 11.875" x 3.375". There is a new larger size of 12 x 12 x 5
• The contents of the flat rate box must be neatly contained inside of the box with adhesive packaging tape.
• The box must close securely and retain its shape when taped with adhesive.
• The shape of the box may not be changed or enlarged to fit its contents.

Update:

We have received some emails from people who do not agree that they can not change the size of the Flat Rate package, or that they believe that they can use as much tape as they wish, etc.

These emails state that the domestic mail manual (the Post Office Rule Book) is unclear on these issues.

Well, here is our opinion on that subject: 

    Every postal employee has the ability to cause a problem with your parcel,  Not just the postal employee that accepts your parcel at the window.  Any postal employee that handles your package,  either at the shipping post office, distribution centers, the receiving post office, etc.  If any postal employee sees your parcel, and decides that you did not pay enough postage, they can mark your parcel POSTAGE DUE.

     Usually, the type of postal employee that does this states that they are protecting their job, and they consider under-payment of postage to be theft.

So, if you, as an eBay seller, do something questionable, such as over-stuff a Flat-Rate box, you are risking upsetting your customers.  This will cause a problem for you if your customers are charged postage due, or if their parcel is returned to you.

.

ADD ON Services:

As mentioned above, DELIVERY CONFIRMATION is STRONGLY advised.  At this time, PayPal accepts delivery confirmation as proof of delivery, this helps you in case of a charge-back by the customer. 

Due to PayPal's policy of refunding customers,  a dishonest customer may look at their received packages  and file a claim for every package that does NOT have a delivery confirmation number on it.

INSURANCE is actually not recommended, unless the customer insists. The reason that I am not recommending insurance is that it is very difficult to get reimbursed for insurance claims.  If the item is very valuable, you can get the insurance anyway if you want, but be sure to pack the item EXTREMELY well,  even double or triple boxing the item, with plenty of foam and packing peanuts. Place packing peanuts into bags so that they don't settle all into one area of the box.  This special type of packaging, with extra boxes, will greatly increase your shipping weight and charges. 

If you are purchasing insurance, you should Read the INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS carefully to be sure that you are fulfilling the requirements for reimbursement.  It is not enough to just buy the insurance.  You will be very upset to hear that your expensive item is not covered due to your lack of following the stipulations.  For example: Do you have the retail receipt from when YOU purchased the item?  Is coverage for AUCTION SALE PRICE only?  Is your buyer willing to assist with keeping all items in YOUR packing material, and shipping them back to you, or visiting the Post Office, as necessary?  Are you willing to refund the buyer while you wait for months for an insurance refund?

REGISTERED MAIL: Registered Mail is the USPS's most secure form of mailing. If you must ship precious or expensive items (which is not recommended) then you should choose registered mail.

Items include: Plane tickets, rare collectables, cash, non-replaceable financial documents, personal documents, antique papers,  possibly photographs, essentially, anything that you would be VERY UPSET if the item were to be stolen, damaged in mail sorting equipment, or misdelivered.

Keep in mind: Accidents can still happen, even with Registered Mail, so mailing the above mentioned type of item is discouraged.

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