Tips and tricks for shipping your PIF

[basilray]

Here's my keys to shipping success:

1. Place all items to be sent in a small ziplock bag
2. Take a scrap of paper and put the name and address that it should be shipped to
3. Give your girlfriend $5 and the items
4. Tell her to mail it for you

 

[bwood12043]

Like others, I keep a bag or two of items handy, and then still sometimes go through the stash to find other stuff.

I got some really nice self-sealing small bubble envelopes at Office Depot for cheap, about $.50, they work great.

for larger batches, I just go ahead and send in a box and if it's heavy, just go ahead and use priority box, same price.

I have rural mail pickup and she is great, when she notes that I have a box or too going out, the next day, she brings me some more boxes. And sometimes even a roll of tape or other extras, she is great mail lady.

I keep a word document of what I offered and who it goes to and where, also the ship date.

Also keep a document showing what I took in offers and when and from who, so I can get back to them with thanks when I receive it and be sure and leave feedback.

 

[pm2006]

Here's my keys to shipping success:

1. Place all items to be sent in a small ziplock bag
2. Take a scrap of paper and put the name and address that it should be shipped to
3. Give your girlfriend $5 and the items
4. Tell her to mail it for you

ROFL. THAT may be the best idea! I was young and in love once, too.

 

[SirVette]

... I myself have to depend on my kids to do it. Since I have such a weird sleep schedule, if I don't catch one of my sons at night to tell them I need them to make a run, they sometimes get out of the house before I can tell them. If it's going to be more than a day or two, just shoot a PM to the person getting your offer and let them know what's going on. ...

Maybe set up a location for outgoing mail- anything in location is to mail.

 

[Lorizgal]

I keep all the small baggies, large baggies, bubble mailers, bubble wrap, and reuse everything.
I keep all my PIF juices and stuff in a small box. that in turn is in a larger box with all my other stuff, chargers, batteries, white address labels, papertowels (to make the package even in thickness and soak up any spills if baggie leaks and to make the post office happy. Then when I need to send out a PIF I grab my stuff in the PIF box and pull out what I want to offer put that in a bag, and then put that in mailer, put a few address labels on it and then add it to my excel spread sheet that has date taken, date mailed, screen name, real name, address, whether it is sent or recieved comments and PIF, Swaps, etc...and this form is always up when I am online in ECF...I just never know what will catch my attention.
Now that I have money in paypal that may happen more often now. On all the mailers is my screenname and my name and addy.
I send out the mail with my daughter if she is going somewhere, or I put stamps on and when I send her to get the mail, she puts it out for the next day pick up (we have a mailbox on the street).
I could do it differently, but because of being laid up right now, I don't have alot of space to keep my stuff so I just do the best I can. Without taking a lot room away from everyone else.

 

[pm2006]

Has anyone tried cutting the stamps off a mailed envelope and resending them? I just got some that had no marks but I can't reuse the envelope. Do you know if it a problem if I cut them off and tape them on another envelope?

 

[DemonCowboy]

i wouldn't know about cutting and taping, as when i tried it i carefully peeled off the stamps and stuck them on the other envelope

 

[Adja]

You are not supposed to put tape over the face of a stamp. You could glue them on with elmers or a glue stick though.

 

[pm2006]

Thanks. I will try that.

 

[pm2006]

Ok. Doing my part for the expense of shipping. I will now be shipping my bubble envelopes with white labels (easy to cover or remove) and regular stamps (often not canceled). Use, recycle, save!

 

[Lorizgal]

according to my post master in Lake Ann, MI, you can indeed tape over the stamp if it was put on something and then not mailed out. So it's just fine to tape over them to get them to stick. That is according to my Post Master.

 

[Sallana]

Thanks, Lorizgal! Who's workin' for PIF? This girl went to the Post Master in search of answers! What a noble quest!

 

[pm2006]

according to my post master in Lake Ann, MI, you can indeed tape over the stamp if it was put on something and then not mailed out. So it's just fine to tape over them to get them to stick. That is according to my Post Master.

Great. Because as soon as I brought this up, I noticed that my next package that came in had no cancellation!! woohoo. I wonder how many I missed. The pifs that I sent out today had real stamps and I will be using them from now on.

 

[Neo]

Almost everything you send is going to take package rates because of the bulk and rigidity.

You'll need a scale to know how much your package weighs. As a rule, it's less than 1 ounce, between 1 and 2, or between 2 and 3.

buy some 61 and 78 cents stamps.

Less than one ounce=$1.22 or two 61 cent stamps

1-1.9 ounces=$1.39 or one 61 cent and one 78 cent stamp

2-2.9 ounces=$1.56 or two 78 cent stamps

Presto! You always have the right amount of postage!

 

[pm2006]

I was buying stamps at the p.o. today and I was trying to figure out which ones were going to work. Thanks for making it easy Neo. You always have the answers.

 

[Neo]

I just figured this out recently and it's amazing how much simpler my postage is now! No more 44 cent stamps, 20 cents over, etc. etc.

I went there intending to try to buy postage in those amounts as single stamps and she started telling me what denominations they had instead and the light bulb went off. I only need two denominations and they work in most situations!

 

[Elana]

Has anyone tried cutting the stamps off a mailed envelope and resending them? I just got some that had no marks but I can't reuse the envelope. Do you know if it a problem if I cut them off and tape them on another envelope?

Why can't you reuse it? o.o




I don't have address labels, and sometimes address labels are just too small to cover up the writing/other addresses on recycled mailers/envelopes. What I use is WHITE duct tape and just cut a strip off and use a permanent marker to write in the addresses This duct tape also serves as packing tape when I'm out

 

[Katya]

I used to collect stamps when I was little. To take them off an envelope, just steam them off or submerge them briefly in boiling water. Then peel off gently. I used to do that with cancelled stamps, for my collection, but I don't see why it couldn't be done with uncancelled stamps. Let dry flat and glue on the envelope you're sending.

 

[pm2006]

Why can't you reuse it? o.o


I don't have address labels, and sometimes address labels are just too small to cover up the writing/other addresses on recycled mailers/envelopes. What I use is WHITE duct tape and just cut a strip off and use a permanent marker to write in the addresses This duct tape also serves as packing tape when I'm out

Too much tape and writing. lol. I had to cut the package to get through the tape.

 

[Elana]

Too much tape and writing. lol. I had to cut the package to get through the tape.

>_< dang! Was that something I sent you?