General Forum

If I have ever shorted anyone on postage, I sincerely apologize. I hope anytime this happens my trade partner would let me know. It would be a learning experience for future trades.

I've had 2 trades in pwe's come to me postage due. I had to go to the post office both times. Both times the postal clerk forgave the postage due, after much consultation with co-workers and a supervisor. So in my mind the amount of postage required is subjective and the rules are up for interpretation. I really don't know how else to interrupt that. 

I recently purchased a scale and am writing the weight I came up with on the envelope. I guess we can only do so much.

i just had that happen to a trade partner of mine and I feel horrible. I took it to a postal Annex and they told me an amount.  I paid that amount and it arrived postage due. I still don't understand how that can happen if there is a standard system in place. 

I use a scale. I'm not aware of any postage dues coming from me, but in general for me, some of it's just the cost of doing business. My postal worker gives me an envelope to put in my mailbox for the 11 cents or 34 cents or whatever the sender is short. Doesn't happen a lot, or I'd be annoyed.

All good responses. Good information. I have recently been burned twice with postage due. On a PWE the sender affixed 60 cent stamp, and postage due was nearly $4. Just about everybody talks about getting the scale and taking care with that, but the issue with this one was strictly with the thickness of the PWE. The sender went a little bit overboard with protecting a single card (or two), by putting a moderately thicker cardboard on each side of the card. I stood in line, and was ready to deliver my protest, because I had also received similar sized PWE envelopes that day with 60 and 99 cents postage. Postal clerk was more than ready to show what the problem was. The envelope in question was just too thick....she demonstrated the slot that an envelope must be able to pass thru without friction in order to qualify for all the rates we all expect.....if it fails, it gets treated as a package and now the rate jumps to $4-5. There was zero doubt that the item did not fit the permissible slot. So.......I'm here to tell you that the scales are good and fine, but do not overlook the thickness test. You probably need to add the thickness test to your shipping focus, as well.

I've gotten several in the last few days where postage is due...it urks me when people write nonmachinable on the envelope and then only apply a forever stamp....its then that post office pays attention and doesn't machine it and then hits me for the extra amount due.  I then have to chase down a postal person which isn't easy for me to do and obviously not worth my time and sometimes gas money to pay the extra 30 cents due.  Who knows how many fountain drinks I have paid for if the postal worker pockets it!!!   I'd prefer that no writing is on the envolope other than the address/return address. If is packaged correctly, weighed and has a thin enough profile its going to go through without any issues.

And some people wonder why I don't do PWE at all. This thread contains reason #3. 

I have had it happen to me once where I've recieved a postage due PWE, but the person who sent it says the person at their post office sent it with tracking, even though he didn't request it, so I had to pay the small amount. Not the end of the world. I have a good sense of how many cards I can send with one stamp, and I can get up to 10. Anything over is 2.

Postage due almost always comes down to the Post Office that delivers the mail to the physical address. 

I've been trading online from the same address since 2009. My postage dues that I have to pay are at a higher rate than most traders I've talked to. While it hasn't happened a lot, there have been times when the clerk at the sending post office makes a mistake. 

While Postage due is annoying, my mail comes almost everyday between 11:30 and noon, and the carriers and staff at the post office are generally friendly people. Also I work second shift. Typically when the mail comes I have music on and the windows open so the carrier knocks on the door and I take care of it right away. 

Thanks, Frank 

I have only gotten one postage due from a trader here.  The envelope was too thick and it was treated as a package, so the postage due was around $4.  It was just a couple of cards and the value was not nearly that much, but the guy used thick cardboard to protect it and it made the envelope too fat.  I did a simple return to sender at no cost to me and then emailed the guy that it was coming back to him.  I also mentioned a couple of tips for packaging in order to get the thickness down (using soft sleeves instead of rigid top loaders, using thinner cardboard from empty food packaging instead of cardboard boxes etc).  The trader was apologetic for the issue, thankful for the advice, and resent the cards to me after he received the return.  I COULD have paid the $4 and just gotten irritated, but now that same thing won't happen to someone else.  At least not from that trader.  And of course I saved myself $4. 

I have never received a postage due on a trade yet. And as far as I know none of mine sent out had any due. I always take mine to the po to get them weighed just in case. Would probably be easier to do it at home but I'm always running some where on my 1 day off a week so I just add that to my errands list.