The new USPS shops - from someone who's done one

Yes, same, and I was paid within a week. That was just a day after my recipient received her package. LOL

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/2024 05:45PM by SteelerNation.

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Here in Phoenix I've seen $5 bonuses on these shops and they are all over the metro area and they sit and sit and sit. I took one as I needed to send a small package off to Lordsburg, New Mexico and it's nice to get $10 plus free postage but I would not run around town to do this shop for a $3 bonus, anything under $10 just seems too too too cheap.

Well damn, someone went on a spree of USPS shops in the Dallas, TX area with the $5 bonus. I thought about shipping something, but it's going to take some planning now, when I'm already planning to be in a farther area.

I'm super bummed!! USPS shops were always my go to because I run a nonprofit and we send gifts to our donors. I only shop a few months a year and so when I went to my regular MSC to pick up some USPS shops, I was shocked to not find anyway! So came to you guys to find out what was going on. I have had a TERRIBLE time with that app and stopped using it after two shops were rejected for technical issues. So this is a bad day for me... ????

Shopping domestic and international locations since 2003.

It's worse than I thought now that I've found the company. $5?? Are you kidding??

Shopping domestic and international locations since 2003.

Actually rock bottom was reimbursement only, it's slightly increased since then.

Yes, its a shame what they did to this program. The client switched MSCs. The new MSC is charging the same rate to the client per the contract obtained through FOIA, so the new MSC is doing nothing more than increasing their profit by paying so little. Using the app actually isn't awful, but the new MSC is constantly changing the survey. They don't seem to know how to read the receipts, so they just keep adding strange new questions, such as upload a picture of the receipt and then upload a second picture of just the bottom of the receipt (thats redundant, they should just train their "editors" how to look at pictures). You enter the price paid twice. You now have to enter the weight of the package (although there it is RIGHT on the receipt!). They get the shop fee sort of correct towards the end of the month where they add a $5 bonus, but then they have their offshore employees calling and emailing and texting to beg people to do these shops. And they have them call from a spoofed number so it looks like its coming from VA. Its all so terribly unnecessary and cheesy.

They have absolutely broken it.

I couldn't believe my "luck" when I saw the USPS shops. The same MSC had these shops before the one that just lost the contract. And get this, they used to pay more when they had them 15 years ago. Under the former MSC, though, there were some really nice bonuses at times. I do miss having the shops as I was mailing a lot when I sold on eBay and Amazon. I would set up routes. I just don't know if it's worth it again. I sort of hate the new/old MSC.

I'm not a fan of the app they are on now. I really loved using their custom Mobi Audit app. So easy.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/2024 04:47AM by cherubino3.

So now I've done one. The original MSC had it down. There was even a count of how many windows and where or not there was an SSK, so you never had to worry about it. You have to take two exterior photos! 2 receipt photos!! I guess it's not the worst. The worst part is entering the time. I've just never liked the app these shops are on. It seems like people are pretty much done with them as they are sort of sitting around. It's just I have a lit to ship right now. They don't reimburse enough and they don't pay enough. Sigh.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2024 05:43AM by cherubino3.

The plot thickens. The package that I used this shop to send to New Mexico on someone else's dime with reimbursement? Came back to me yesterday with no explanation. Addresses correct, and the addressee is still at the same address. Cue the Twilight Zone Theme. At least I was paid for the shop.

At some point, this company is going to have problems with failing to meet the contract requirements. It's too bad that greed is more important to the company than fulfilling the requirements. In my area, there are 38 shops available. Further west, there are another 37 shops sitting on the board.

Yeah. For a payment of $5.00, that is a lot of work. I mean, that is phone-call-to-an-apartment territory!!!!! Especially when you consider that if you go at the wrong time of day, you could be in line for 20 minutes. I won’t be doing them until they make it worth my time.

Just remember: if the MSC is under contract to get these shops done, make them come to us (price-wise). Don't settle for "finally acceptable".

Someone thought that the current MSC is being contracted by the former MSC (who still have the USPS contract) Anyone know if that's actually true? If so, it would somewhat explain the roller coaster drop of fee.

Shopping domestic and international locations since 2003.

Has anyone gotten more than the $5 bonus??
I have done two today that are shipped back to myself for under the $15 reimbursement. I have to seen any bonuses more than $5. Have you?

Yes there are some $10 bonuses in my area but those are not close enough for me to drive to for an extra $5. Driving time would eat up an hour or so. The two jobs close by are stubbornly at $5 bonus.

@Insight wrote:

Has anyone gotten more than the $5 bonus??
I have done two today that are shipped back to myself for under the $15 reimbursement. I have to seen any bonuses more than $5. Have you?

Near me, the shops were sitting at a $5 bonus for a long time, but then most of them went *poof*. I had some stuff to ship, but it was on my timeline. I was also curious to see how this round of shops would turn out into September, so I let the shops sit.

I'm guessing someone coordinated a route. I forget the specifics on the hours, if any, these shops need to be done, and time in between shops. But if what I assume holds true, the shopper must have ran it across the scheduler and got the shops assigned. Well, the shopper left one of the most unattractive locations on the board. It's within another office building. Who knows what kind of editing/feedback nightmare that could turn out to be. Now, that location is bonused at $10.

Before the bonus went to $10, ( it was still $5 bonus) I was offered and completed several for $10 bonus via a phone call. Now those older ones are all @ $10 bonus on the board, but they're far and scattered. Newer shops are only at $5 bonus.

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The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..

Mark Twain

The two post offices down the street from me are both at the $10 bonus, but I'm just meh -lol- about doing them. I'm not sure the anxiety is worth $30.

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown

Anxiety??? Post office shops are like auto pilot for me. What about it gives you anxiety? The exterior photos can be a pita, but the rest is pretty routine.

*****************************************************************************
The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..

Mark Twain

@MsJudi wrote:

Anxiety??? Post office shops are like auto pilot for me. What about it gives you anxiety? The exterior photos can be a pita, but the rest is pretty routine.

The previous MSC banned me from post office shops for some unknown sin I committed. It's that great unknown that brings on the anxiety - not knowing what I did wrong and the worry that I could do it again.

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown

It looks like $5 bonus is the going/set market rate for my close proximity. For the next round, the same/another shopper plucked them before Labor Day weekend. Most likely same shopper, same number of locations taken, same pattern.

So I finally decided that I would send a package to my grandson for his birthday and bite the bullet and send it as a shop. So I go online and there are no post offices anywhere near where I live. I can't believe that they were all taken. Maybe they will show up later in the week.

Let them sit. Eventually they will have to pay more to get the shops done. They also don't cover all of the postage or a box, like the other MSC did. I've worked on this a little, but not nearly like I used to.

Just curious, what do people use to add some extra weight too their package? I remember reading somewhere adding rocks, but the person I sent it to thought I was being passive aggressive.

Sent out a package today, but was in a hurry. Surprisingly, I think I stumbled upon something that works well. Bags of Texas Roadhouse peanuts. It added the weight that I needed, and it served as a nice cushion. Someone try to beat that! And I'm fond other types of nuts, well not legumes ... that's what she said, tee-hee!

Depending on how much extra weight you need you can put in a book you may have lying around your house or even some magazines. Just dont tell the post office that is what is in it or they may charge media rate if they still have that.

@Okie wrote:

Just curious, what do people use to add some extra weight too their package? I remember reading somewhere adding rocks, but the person I sent it to thought I was being passive aggressive.

Sent out a package today, but was in a hurry. Surprisingly, I think I stumbled upon something that works well. Bags of Texas Roadhouse peanuts. It added the weight that I needed, and it served as a nice cushion. Someone try to beat that! And I'm fond other types of nuts, well not legumes ... that's what she said, tee-hee!

@sandyf wrote:

Depending on how much extra weight you need you can put in a book you may have lying around your house or even some magazines. Just dont tell the post office that is what is in it or they may charge media rate if they still have that.

Media Mail, which is usually (but not always) the cheapest rate, only applies if it is just books, CDs, DVDs, etc. (media - but not magazines nor anything with advertising in it) and nothing else. They're not going to apply Media Mail rate if there's other stuff in with the media. Believe me, it'd be great if they did - people are always trying to cheat and get Media Mail rate for non-Media. But Media Mail gets inspected and if they find non-media items in it, you get charged a higher rate.
.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/12/2024 08:05AM by shopnyc.

@Okie - Make sure whomever you are sending your package too does not have peanut allergies.

@sandyf - Books do not have to go media mail. They can go Ground Advantage or Priority. In fact, sometimes that is cheaper for me as a reseller. RARELY can magazines go Media Mail. Whenever is shipped media mail cannot have any advertising. If I ship a book media mail, I cannot toss in my business card or flyers. At least, I cannot do it and stay within the rules. Magazines often have advertising. There are a few exceptions. For example, I have shipped vintage Highlights for Children and Sesame Street Magazines because they contain no advertising. My vintage Life magazines cannot be shipped media mail as they are loaded with ads. Blank audio cassettes and CDs cannot go media mail, but if they have content on them they may. It is often cheaper to ship GA over Media Mail for CDs, cassettes, etc. The other downside is Media Mail can take several weeks to reach its destination. In 18 months I got dinged for two late packages. Both were sent Media Mail. [Edit: ~~I missed @shopnyc's post - sorry to have repeated some of that.~~ Oh, wait, I didn't. We were posting at the same time. LOL Glad I'm not THAT crazy!]

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/12/2024 08:08AM by ServiceAward.

@ServiceAward wrote:

Blank audio cassettes and CDs can go media mail, but if they have any content on them whatsoever, they must go GA or Priority.

You've got that backwards. If it's blank, there's no media. You can't use Media Mail for blank journals, for example, nor for blank DVDs and CDs. There has to be at least 8 pages of text in a book and either video or audio recordings on a DVD, CD, cassette, etc., for those items to qualify as media. Without content on/in them, they're just supplies.

[about.usps.com]

[pe.usps.com]

.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/12/2024 08:03AM by shopnyc.

@shopnyc wrote:

@ServiceAward wrote:

Blank audio cassettes and CDs can go media mail, but if they have any content on them whatsoever, they must go GA or Priority.
You've got that backwards. If it's blank, there's no media. You can't use Media Mail for blank journals, for example, nor for blank DVDs and CDs. There has to be at least 8 pages of text in a book and either video or audio recordings on a DVD, CD, cassette, etc., for those items to qualify as media. Without content on/in them, they're just supplies.

[about.usps.com]

[pe.usps.com]

.

I stand corrected, you are right. I know that. I have no idea why I churned out incorrect information. [Edit: Correction made.]

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/12/2024 08:09AM by ServiceAward.

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The new USPS shops - from someone who's done one

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