package labels

My postal person told me that we can no longer cut the "Priority Mail" title off the adhesive labels to use for other boxes. The PO now will charge the priority cost, even if the letterhead is cut off and used on first class or parcel post. Sigh!! It was so easy not to have to find a label and then tape.......

Hmm...so THAT'S why they looked at me funny when I did that. Guess they let me slide...that time. I'll ask next time I'm there and see if it's really a "rule".

It really is a "rule". The PO provides free boxes, labels, tape ect... for Priority & Express mail. Enforcing it will depend who you get for a window clerk. I've had my butt chewed out about cutting off the stripes on the labels before and I knew the girl that waited on me!! Trimming down a label seems pretty trivel but if you think about it they have to draw the line somewhere. Many people take advantage of the free priority merchandise and use it for everything but. The boxes are often turned insideout or wrapped in brown paper. The tape is prolly used for all kinds of fix-its around the house.

The last couple times I ordered boxes & stuff off the website they sent me a waiver to sign stating that I would use the items ONLY for the mail service they were intended for.

Either I am really confused, or I just don't get it. What is so wrong with "recycling" a label, if you are using it (and paying the postage) for the reason intended? Can't they find better things to enforce? They certainly can't enforce you taking it off and using it to tape your eye glasses back together.

There's nothing wrong with recycling it to fix your glasses... if you paid the Priority postage rate ;o) The idea is the PO pays thousands & thousands of dollars to provide those freebies for certain mail services. You & I recycling a label is a drop in the bucket... and prolly more often then not the widow clerk would let it slide. But if you think about every person in the entire US that has trimmed up a few mail labels to send items at the standard mail rate it's a huge revenue loss.

I'm not lecturing... I don't care if you pack your grandma's china in PO boxes. I'm just trying to explain why they are cracking down on it. It boils down to the money it cost them to provide those freebies.

Excellent point, poppysue.

As for me I send nearly everything I mail Priority. Figgered the address labels would be helpful to use for other mailings. Had never thought otherwise. My mistake.

Reckon I'll just hit Walmart for non-Priority labels in the future...it oughta make everyone happy that way! (Lordy mercy me...I don't wanna cross my local post office, they are really a good service and great bunch of folks!)

LOL Shoe! - NO NO... you certainly don't want to cross them PO people!!! ;o)

;>)
Big smile here....

HI, My favorite PO person, is the one who cut off the first one for me, but I guess they started cracking down and had some blank ones for people making the transition !?! She was the one who told me about the change this week.
Poppysue. I have had businesses send their products in new boxes, turned inside out, so I can really understand the PO's reasoning -especially if you have seen the cost of buying new boxes at packing stores. And about that tape-it hates me-it is sitting in the closet-better there than sticking on the box, the table, my arm, itself etc....
I love my PO people, they get baked goods and plant tips from me. I am known as the plant lady, for the many boxes I send out-I wonder why??

ok - do they mind if we re-use them if we ARE paying the right rate? I guess that is mostly my question.

As far as I know, that kind of recycling is just fine. I just take as much of the old postage and label off as possible. If I did not recycle some of the postal boxes that I received, I would not have had the right size to send the longer, bigger trades.

well, seeing as how I've received about 600 priority boxes, 15 rolls of tape, and lotsa labels from USPS for nothing this year, I hope they enforce it.
Nothing would bother me more than the USPS not doing this because a bunch of people couldn't follow the rules and thus USPS lost money on the deal....

not to mention, free packing supplies is the only reason I use USPS over Fed Ex Air.


Drew

Ohhh I LOVE the free boxes and stuff! You dont even have to pay shipping on them. I try and make certain we don't use that stuff unless were mailing it out "properly". If they started charging shipping, etc then I wouldnt be able to share my plants with fellow DG`ers! :-(

Recycling boxes and paying new postage on them is fine. I do that all the time too. Deliberately trying to alter the boxes or labels to pay a cheaper rate is what will get you in trouble.

i, too absolutely LOVE the free postal supplies
and, i have to admit i am guilty of using the boxes around the house, too, until their time comes to serve their "True Purpose"
but, they do always get used for packing and shipping plants and paying the appropriate postage to do so! (it's not like i place an order for some boxes and tape everytime i have a project to do around the house or anything.. ) and i do recycle them
.. .. i recycle everything.. lol
padded envelopes, priority (and non priority) boxes, bubble wrap, packing supplies (like those air filled baggy things they use now instead of styrofoam peanuts).. and just about everything i could ever see myself using to pack something else up

I've been known to recycle the bags/paper towels-etc that people pack my plants with! LOL
I just wrap more plants in them and ship them out! hehe.

i do that too
well.. not the bags
those normally get ripped while i'm getting the plants out
but i reuse the crumpled newspaper for repacking plants :)