Free Boxes

[AUBE]

many of you probably already know this but im posting just in case someone wasnt aware of it. if you ship something through the post office priority mail they give you the box for free. i didnt know that until a year ago or so...i always scrounged for boxes.

i pay about $6-7 or so for a 12"x12"x8" inch box with one knife to be shipped with $100 insurance(in country) and it gets there fast. not bad considering i know people that pay $3-5 just for the box at walmart, etc.

[NJStricker]

The post office has always charged me for boxes, regardless of how I ship. . .

[Terry Primos]

Armory414,
I ship everything (within the US that is) USPS Priority Mail. I've never been charged for the boxes.

Go to the USPS website at http://www.usps.com. Look for the category box on the home page labeled "Shipping Tools". In that box is a link named "Supplies".

You can order boxes ( 25 minimum ) from there free of charge. Not only are the boxes themselves free, the Post Office will deliver them to your door free of charge.

You can also order the receipts/forms for Certified Mail, Insured Mail, Delivery Confirmation, etc. free of charge.

[tmickley]

Terry's right. It's the way to go.
I ordered some of almost every kind online. I have a closet full of them. They show up a week or two later after you order them. The mailman didn't even blink when he dropped them off. They will even pick them up at your house if you order postage online. I ordered some full page labels (2 half page labels on one page) from label universe and print all of my postage online, slap on the label and it's good to go. WAY better than standing in line at the post off and free boxes to boot.

[AUBE]

Originally Posted by tmickley

They will even pick them up at your house if you order postage online. I ordered some full page labels (2 half page labels on one page) from label universe and print all of my postage online, slap on the label and it's good to go. WAY better than standing in line at the post off and free boxes to boot.

i wasnt aware of that. im glad i posted this message...learned something new. im going to give it a try, going to the post office was getting old. thanks guys.

[Don Halter]

Cool, I just ordered a bunch. My wife went to the post office before Christmas and they looked at her like she was crazy when she asked for the large flat rate box. Maybe I should take one down with me just to show them.

[NJStricker]

I guess I'll have to check them out online then. . .

[SharpByCoop]

My local PO can't even supply pens for the tables, let alone *give* you free boxes. Funny, how the little depot one town over has the boxes there ready for you to take. They are right under the bench with the two pens....

Online ordering for boxes is the plan. I do the same thing with all my FedEx boxes.

USPS is pissy if you try to send anything from a box that is labeled differently: NO Express mail from Priority, NO Priority from Express. NO either with FedEx boxes. Just an FYI.

Coop

[SPryor]

We ship everything Priority, and have been getting the boxes online for several years now. Live in a veryyyy small town, and the post mistress tells us we're her best customer. We even use the free priority boxes when shipping outside the u.s., and she just rewraps them for us.

Being such a small town, our P.O. is in danger of closing entirely, and she says we keep them open.

For us, when shipping a couple or more knives to the same client, it's best to use the flat rate/priority boxes.