Shipping a 1lb 4oz box priority from Texas to Wisconsin cost $15.45, so assuming my shop is accepted, I'm out 45 cents. Shipping the same package through Pirate Ship costs $6.16 ground.

If I send a 1lb (exactly 1lb) package to the town that abuts mine, it's $9.25. At 1lb 1oz, the price goes up to $10.35. These will need to be heavily bonused before it makes sense to take them without a legitimate need to ship a package.

These are still a snoozer at $20.

Where I live, this $5 bonus hasn't yet made a difference. There are still 100 locations still available.

@MW wrote:

Where I live, this $5 bonus hasn't yet made a difference. There are still 100 locations still available.

Same. 100 near work and 84 near home. It hasn’t changed since they posted. I never would have known that there was an extra five dollars on the shop had I not read it here. I’m guessing that most people won’t notice; they’ve just written it off at this point.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2024 02:45AM by BayShopper22.

Ditto. I did these shops because I could ship foodstuffs to a food pantry in a small town. The $12 sometimes went towards postage, but offset expenses. I'm still doing them to get rid of the extra boxes and food stuffs, but in the future, most likely will keep a few boxes around and ship if a location is convenient to where I am shopping.

The shopping window is 3 days usually, with one reschedule permitted. This deters me from signing up in advance.

Just looked over the "insider info" once you actually accept a job. There is nothing there about the type of box to use. Can i now use a box with some markings on them or even a shipping vinyl envelope I used to use as the cost of those is 29 cents each where I buy them. So can i just cross thru markings left over from whoever sent the box out last> I bet many just left some of those arrows and other markings on the old boxes if they were not on the side of the photo anyway.

@sandyf wrote:

Just looked over the "insider info" once you actually accept a job. There is nothing there about the type of box to use. Can i now use a box with some markings on them or even a shipping vinyl envelope I used to use as the cost of those is 29 cents each where I buy them. So can i just cross thru markings left over from whoever sent the box out last> I bet many just left some of those arrows and other markings on the old boxes if they were not on the side of the photo anyway.

I honestly don't know. The guidelines say you can use:

plain boxes, bubble mailers, CD mailers, padded mailers, poly mailers

but can't use:

any branded materials including USPS, priority boxes/envelopes, flat rate packages, media mailers, decorative mailers/gift boxes, priority labels or tape, duct tape, colorful paper tape or stickers, prepaid or return service labels.

Does that mean buying a Duck brand mailer with the Duck logo on it is unacceptable? I have no idea. They contradict themselves all over the place. How can a "CD mailer" be okay while a "media mailer" isn't?

They state, "If you have a box, use it – just make sure it does not have any markings besides the address you
are shipping to for this shop."

So, I don't know. Even if markings don't show in the picture, they'll be picked up on camera at the post office, and it's entirely possible that will be noted when QC rolls tape.

I just sent an email to the contact listed for the project asking about boxes. She didn't reply the last time I had a question, so I'm not holding my breath to receive an answer. I'll let y'all know if I hear anything.

Sounds like it is similar to the last msc rules for boxes. A CD mailer is very small. All you can fit into it is a cd and unless it is made of lead I cannot figure out how you would have a pound.
I guess i will use my poly mailers then. Thanks.

@sandyf wrote:

Sounds like it is similar to the last msc rules for boxes. A CD mailer is very small. All you can fit into it is a cd and unless it is made of lead I cannot figure out how you would have a pound.
I guess i will use my poly mailers then. Thanks.

With the prior MSC, I used boxes that had markings/labels and just blacked them out with a marker. If I felt they were too "recycled", I'd wrap the box in brown paper and reuse it that way. I never had any issues with it, but again that was the old. All bets are off the table as far as what will fly with the new shops.

Boxes can be turned inside out to hide printing. OR brown paper bags can be cut into patches and glued over markings.

When I used to sell products on eBay, I would cover the the USPS Priority Box with a brown paper bag. One post office didn't care, but another post office denied my package and sent it back to me.

Also, I don't know what I was thinking, but on the regional rate boxes, I would cover the "regional" with a USPS Priority Mail Sticker. Same result as above.

@Rho* wrote:

Boxes can be turned inside out to hide printing. OR brown paper bags can be cut into patches and glued over markings.

I used to turn the USPS priority boxes inside out and ship them ground for non-shops. They eventually started printing "Thank you for using Priority Mail services" all over the inside, so that was the end of that. Without knowing how picky they'll be now, I'd be afraid a brown patch would be considered a sticker and, therefore, rejected. So many unknowns.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2024 03:27AM by drdoggie00.

7 of the 100 in my area (within 25 miles) have now been taken. I can't easily determine how many have the $5 bonus. The two closest to me have the $5 bonus. $5 would barely cover the IRS mileage rate. Admittedly, in the past, I did these as parts of routes. I might decide to do one on Wednesday since I will be driving past it.

BTW, the number of available shops shows by default in the app. I don't know an easy way to determine that using the website.

@Okie wrote:

When I used to sell products on eBay, I would cover the the USPS Priority Box with a brown paper bag. One post office didn't care, but another post office denied my package and sent it back to me.

Also, I don't know what I was thinking, but on the regional rate boxes, I would cover the "regional" with a USPS Priority Mail Sticker. Same result as above.

I don't see how they could deny a box that's wrapped in brown paper when they sell brown paper at the post office.

I've never heard of anything that's regional rate. Is that something they phased out?

@myst4au wrote:

I can't easily determine how many have the $5 bonus.

All of them I've checked have the same $5 bonus. metro looked at some out in BFE, Texas that used to get high bonuses....they're all $5.

I seem to recall that long ago i read something on the post office site that cautioned against wrapping your box in additional paper due to the fact that a stray corner not taped down correctly could get caught in their machines. Probably most of the time, if this is a rule, the clerks miss it and just let the packages thru but once in a while you get caught.
I found some brown packing a sealing tape at CVS that was the same color of my boxes and used that to cover stray marks after I peeled off the labels.

@drdoggie00 wrote:

@Okie wrote:

When I used to sell products on eBay, I would cover the the USPS Priority Box with a brown paper bag. One post office didn't care, but another post office denied my package and sent it back to me.

Also, I don't know what I was thinking, but on the regional rate boxes, I would cover the "regional" with a USPS Priority Mail Sticker. Same result as above.

I don't see how they could deny a box that's wrapped in brown paper when they sell brown paper at the post office.

I've never heard of anything that's regional rate. Is that something they phased out?

I would ship priority mail and schedule a pickup with the mail man when he delivered the mail. By default, he would drop it off at the closest post office located near me. When my package got returned back to me, I went to the post office in person. The clerk explained to me that they don't take packages fully wrapped in paper. This was like seven years ago. Since then, I usually go to another post office that's a couple of miles further, but aren't sticklers. Same clerks and never had a package denied. Also, handled an insurance claim smoothly.

I believe the regional rate boxes are discontinued now. One the of the boxes was about half the size of a shoebox and fit perfectly the type of products I was selling at the time.

USPS discourages wrapping boxes with brown paper and clerks have discretion on whether to accept it. The reason is for what @sandyf stated: Boxes cannot go through the machine sorter if they are wrapped in brown paper. They are not supposed to go through it, maybe that is a better way to put it. That means the box has to be sorted manually throughout the entire shipping journey and that will slow it down. That also means it would not be able to go to Priority Mail since Priority Mail is handled by either FedEx or UPS and they do very little hand sorting. Also, if someone screws up (or doesn't care) and the box goes through the machine, it can get damaged, or the shipping label can be lost.

The reason the client and MSC do not want "loud" packages is because you are a mystery shopper. They do not want anything about you to stand out. The duck logo branded stuff would be fine. Although not mentioned in the guidelines, I imagine they would not want you to go conduct the mystery shop dressed as a clown either. But I will pay double the money of what they are offering for someone to do it and snap a selfie of themselves in the USPS line dressed as a clown. @drdoggie00, want to make some money?

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2024 04:29AM by ServiceAward.

@ServiceAward wrote:

@drdoggie00, want to make some money?

-laughing- Sorry, Service. I sold my oversized shoes and rainbow-colored wig in a garage sale, but I kept my water-squirting lapel flower! -smiling while squeezing the bulb and spritzing you in the face- Happy Monday!

@drdoggie00 wrote:

@ServiceAward wrote:

@drdoggie00, want to make some money?

-laughing- Sorry, Service. I sold my oversized shoes and rainbow-colored wig in a garage sale, but I kept my water-squirting lapel flower! -smiling while squeezing the bulb and spritzing you in the face- Happy Monday!

I'll let you borrow MY rainbow-colored wig. And make that, Happy Tuesday.

Wait, Service Award, that sounds like a good deal. Double the money. Do you mean you will double the fee I get for the shop? Oh but I am not getting a fee. My postage and my box will use up all the money they are giving me so double, triple or quadruple the money and the math is easy. Zero.
So then I ask, if you are not allowed to wrap your boxes with brown paper, why do they sell it in the post office? Is there some other use for it postal wise?

@sandyf wrote:

Wait, Service Award, that sounds like a good deal. Double the money. Do you mean you will double the fee I get for the shop? Oh but I am not getting a fee. My postage and my box will use up all the money they are giving me so double, triple or quadruple the money and the math is easy. Zero.
So then I ask, if you are not allowed to wrap your boxes with brown paper, why do they sell it in the post office? Is there some other use for it postal wise?

You got it. Zero.

I believe the paper you are referring to is brown Kraft paper that is meant to be void filler in boxes. My local USPS offices do not carry it, but I have seen it at other USPS locations when I lived in another state. It isn't supposed to be used to wrap boxes. USPS does not ban the brown paper from being used, but their official rules discourage it and give the clerks discretion whether or not to accept the packages. They are definitely not supposed to go via Priority because that mail goes via air and 3rd party carriers (formerly FedEx, now UPS and some passenger carriers) handle air transport for USPS. That doesn't mean you won't have the occasional clerk who accepts it. Last week I shipped a single Li-Ion battery I sold and forgot to put the proper DOT label on the package. I'm legally supposed to do this. I did not realize it until I was dropping my stuff off at USPS and I handed the package over. I was going to take it back home and put the label on, but the clerk told me it was fine. She scanned my package, and I went on my way. My shipping label did state it was HazMat and ground surface transport only, but those things alone don't comply with Dept. of Transportation rules. My point is clerks tend to venture outside the rules from time to time, then there are some who are too strict. I'm lucky as where I live now I have good clerks that work with me. One messed me up a few months ago, but that issue got resolved.

@sandyf wrote:

So then I ask, if you are not allowed to wrap your boxes with brown paper, why do they sell it in the post office?

My point exactly! But I'm waiting for somebody to say they also sell wrapping paper during the holidays, which you obviously wouldn't use to wrap a package you'd mail, so.....

@ServiceAward wrote:

You got it. Zero.

I believe the paper you are referring to is brown Kraft paper that is meant to be void filler in boxes. My local USPS offices do not carry it, but I have seen it at other USPS locations when I lived in another state. It isn't supposed to be used to wrap boxes. USPS does not ban the brown paper from being used, but their official rules discourage it and give the clerks discretion whether or not to accept the packages. They are definitely not supposed to go via Priority because that mail goes via air and 3rd party carriers (formerly FedEx, now UPS and some passenger carriers) handle air transport for USPS. That doesn't mean you won't have the occasional clerk who accepts it. Last week I shipped a single Li-Ion battery I sold and forgot to put the proper DOT label on the package. I'm legally supposed to do this. I did not realize it until I was dropping my stuff off at USPS and I handed the package over. I was going to take it back home and put the label on, but the clerk told me it was fine. She scanned my package, and I went on my way. My shipping label did state it was HazMat and ground surface transport only, but those things alone don't comply with Dept. of Transportation rules. My point is clerks tend to venture outside the rules from time to time, then there are some who are too strict. I'm lucky as where I live now I have good clerks that work with me. One messed me up a few months ago, but that issue got resolved.

-just stares at you- I'm going to start calling you Encyclopedia Awardica.

Can you tell me how to get Alexa to start calling me by the correct name? -chuckles-

@drdoggie00 wrote:

Can you tell me how to get Alexa to start calling me by the correct name? -chuckles-

I'll get right on that....after my nap as is NOW after 5am!!

Doggie hi

Or anyone have done the USPS instead using box and using mailer enveloped was the clerk offering to change it to a Priority Mail envelope? The shop been rejected by that offered by clerk? Please and let me know I am on my way to do a USPS. Thanks.

Sorry, I can’t answer that as I used a box, not any type of envelope/mailer. I’ve used them in the past, though, and never had a clerk attempt to switch them out to priority mail flat-rate packaging. Normally, they’d stamp it priority or use a priority sticker.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2024 04:14PM by drdoggie00.

17 of original 21 all on the board in my area now have the $5.00 bonus. Not interested yet.

@aoreilly wrote:

Doggie hi

Or anyone have done the USPS instead using box and using mailer enveloped was the clerk offering to change it to a Priority Mail envelope? The shop been rejected by that offered by clerk? Please and let me know I am on my way to do a USPS. Thanks.

It may be too late, but never ever let the clerk repack your item or use any other box or mailer other than the one you have taken a picture of. If they offer to do this, simply tell them you are mailing the item for your spouse, friend, etc. and you want to ship it just as they packed it. If you allow the clerk to change out the packaging and the security footage is reviewed, your shop will be rejected and you will not be paid. Clerks are not supposed to be offering to repack items into packaging that will save the customer money. They are supposed to be upgrading customers and getting them to spend more money.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2024 04:50PM by ServiceAward.