With Christmas fast approaching, it is easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of people out and about all trying to accomplish the same goal. If you are like me (my relatives can vouch for me here), I DESPISE the act of going to the post office to mail packages! Much to my dismay, my packages are always late for birthdays and holidays. I have recently discovered a way to avoid having to even go to the post office-yeah! Thank goodness for the internet, because now I can even ship things online. Well, sort of. By visiting the United States Postal Service website, anyone can order packing and shipping materials AND schedule a pick-up from the post office! To get started, follow these steps:
- Go to www.usps.com
- Under “Order Supplies” , click on the blue button that reads “Stock Up On Supplies”
- Select the category you wish to order (I order “flat rate” because you can stuff the box for one rate.)
- Choose your item (I order “Priority Mail Box Flat Rate” because it is a reasonable size to fit a lot of goodies.)
- Under “Items”, choose how many you would like-10 or 25 boxes.
- Select quantity (ex. “1″ pack of 10 boxes).
- Click “order”.
- You should see your order and that you are not being charged for it. From here, you can continue to checkout or shop.
- When you are ready to checkout, you will have to set up and online user name and password through the postal service.
- Once you set up your account, your information will be saved for future purchases. Don’t forget to tip your postal worker this Christmas for all of his/her hard work!
The postal service website also allows you to print your own shipping labels and pay online for the postage (in order to weigh items, I use my little kitchen scale). You can then schedule a pick-up from the postal service in your area. Don’t forget that you MUST have the appropriate lables and postage already on the box in order for it to be pick-up directly from your home. You can schedule pick-ups in most areas up to 3 months in advance! Be sure to check the postal servide website for specific weight guidelines. Some items, even if you are using a flat rate box, have to be carried into your local post office to be processed there. Overall, this is a great service that is at no extra cost and “virtually” hassle free.
(5 customer reviews)
