US Postal Service -- card in PWE issue

[shaner1]

Mailed out a low-level card today at my local PO in a PWE. The lady at the counter takes the envelope and starts flexing it back and forth, and states
"This is not bendable enough to be sent in the regular mail. You have to mail it first-class parcel." So $2.07 to mail a card in a toploader in a PWE now! For a $3.50 card! BS or Not BS??

Anyone ever have a similar experience?

[toppsfan]

Before I used paypal, the lady at the PO always questioned what I was shipping over and over again.

[Bader]

nope sounds like BS postal worker to me...should have just taken it back and dropped it in a mailbox, that's what I do

[waulk11]

Next time just buy a stamp and place it on the PWE yourself! Then place the PWE in the mailbox.

[free2131]

Just drop it in the slot for stamped mail and bypass people like that. Or just let your mail carrier pick it up.

[Qwasian]

not sure why you would have taken a pwe to the counter?

[Madrid1028]

or just pay online and its cheaper anyway

[lawjawjones]

not sure why you would have taken a pwe to the counter?

I'm thinking he doesn't do PWE trades enough to buy a bunch of stamps for one time.

And like others have said, just buy stamps and throw it in a mail slot.

[yankee_pride]

I've been doing top loaders in PWE's for years never had an issue. As long as it wasn't like 3 or 4 toploaders sounds like someone who clearly had no clue.

[ohiomike]

If you ship in Top Loaders, the postal worker was right and wrong. Top Loaders are too rigid to go regular first class (though they routinely do, without incident... but technically they shouldn't), but there is a 20 cent non-machinable surcharge you can pay for such pieces of mail. Too rigid but letter size and uniform thickness (and less than 3/4" thick) should be able to go for $0.66.

[shaner1]

I thought it was BS. I was mailing out a bunch of stuff in bubble mailers, all higher-end cards. I only had the one PWE, so I just handed all of the packages to her, and she grabbed the PWE and started flexing it.

Next time, the PWE is definitely going in the mailbox!

[chezball]

Don't know why you needed to use postal worker.Print labels from ebay.

[chrisxacosta]

buy stamps and a do not bend rubber ink stamp. end of story

[benshobbies]

Maybe time to switch post offices. I notice different post offices have different rules. If I go to one post office they'll take my mailers, if I go to the other one they won't. Its completely ridiculous. One arm doesn't know what the other arm is doing & as long as they accept the mailer, things are good.

Except for the one PWE a BS worker mailed back to me in Wisconsin. That was a laugh in a half. My Post Master just said "Send it back."

[superjames27]

buy stamps and a do not bend rubber ink stamp. end of story

simple solution , and p.s. sell me your red logan schafer auto:)

[crabbygraphs]

If you ship in Top Loaders, the postal worker was right and wrong. Top Loaders are too rigid to go regular first class (though they routinely do, without incident... but technically they shouldn't), but there is a 20 cent non-machinable surcharge you can pay for such pieces of mail. Too rigid but letter size and uniform thickness (and less than 3/4" thick) should be able to go for $0.66.

Whats funny is one of the workers at my post office flat out told me that even if its marked "non-machinable" it will probably still go through the machine. she said the people sending them through don't really care and are to busy to keep watching out for that stuff. She said it was a waste of money.

[shaner1]

This sale had nothing to do with ebay btw...just a Blowout Forum sale. Is everyone just putting on a 46 cent stamp on the PWE and dropping them into a mailbox? What then happens if it's overweight, do they catch that and return it to me with "insufficient postage?" That delay wouldn't make the recipient very happy.

Superjames27 - the red Logan is still sitting here lonely....hahaha!

[lazygambler]

My $3.50 cards are normally shipped in a bubble mailer too........ If using a PWE is accepted for ~$5 cards (which it obviously is) I have been wasting a lot of money. Oh well, live and learn. So when do you guys/girls cut off $ wise on when to use a PWE. $5 - $10???

[jlzinck]

If you ship in Top Loaders, the postal worker was right and wrong. Top Loaders are too rigid to go regular first class (though they routinely do, without incident... but technically they shouldn't), but there is a 20 cent non-machinable surcharge you can pay for such pieces of mail. Too rigid but letter size and uniform thickness (and less than 3/4" thick) should be able to go for $0.66.

This X infinity

[tajikey]

Do people throw only the toploaded card in the envelope and send off, or do you wrap in a piece of paper or two, then stuff in envelope? I would think the paper would add some level of protection and provide the necessary rigidity.

[oldgoldy97]

My postal worker has never complained about my package being too rigid.

[XL5]

My $3.50 cards are normally shipped in a bubble mailer too........ If using a PWE is accepted for ~$5 cards (which it obviously is) I have been wasting a lot of money. Oh well, live and learn. So when do you guys/girls cut off $ wise on when to use a PWE. $5 - $10???

I use bubble on everything. It's $1.69 w/ DC. Not worth the headache otherwise.

If it's not worth the $1.69 postage, I just won't sell/trade.

[XL5]

My postal worker has never complained about my package being too rigid.

So that's why you get to mail everything for free...

[tajikey]

My postal worker has never complained about my package being too rigid.

Is Migraine your postal worker, cause he told me otherwise :eek:

[gchockey14]

I just mailed one the other day and i wrapped my toploader with an extra piece of paper so it was a little bulky and i was still able to send for .66 cents

[MetDude]

not sure why you would have taken a pwe to the counter?

Speaking for myself,
sometimes I will bring a PWE to the counter
simply because I want to have it marked non machinable
and pay the extra 20 cents.

Sometimes, if its 2 toploaders with 2 cards each in a business envelope, I'm concerned that it will be a tad over weight for a regular stamp and that the recipient might get it with postage due. I suppose I could just put 2 forevers on it, but I walk past my small neighborhood PO at least 4 times a day, so its not an inconvenience.

[desertdogg]

well. as a former postal worker. i can tell you why she may have said that. the letter sorting machine is belt driving and has lots of loops and big roller wheels the the letter goes around on so yes they do have to have a lil flex in them or they will jam the machine if the are too ridged. and sometimes and you may get your letter destroyed in the proccess. i have seen this first hand. it does not happen a lot but every once in a while it does. and you have to stop and clear the machine. i send pwe,s my self like everyone said toss a stamp on it and just drop it in the box. you have a 95% chance nothing will happen. but sometimes it does.
so it a risk but if the card is cheap then its worth the risk. it the card is more than 5 bucks it going in a bubble envelope. that,s what i would do, hope this help,s you out .

larry ;]

[Karl]

When I ship cheap cards by themselves, the cardsaver 2 is usually the best way to go...more than enough flex to them, cheaper than regular top loaders usually as well. On the other hand, I usually err on the side of caution and put everything in bubble mailers. $1.69 for up to three ounces with DC is enough to keep cards safe and everyone happy.

Karl