General Forum

Amazon is still partially in on that "last mile service" too. If you see a USPS carrier out on a Sunday, they are only delivering Amazon packages! Amazon has taken it upon themselves to start delivering way more of their own packages, but the small stuff still ends up in the hands of USPS carriers. The good thing is that all of those Sunday carriers are "subs" who are getting some money to deliver packages because they had nothing to do all week if the normal route carriers worked that whole week. New hires to USPS spend years as a substitute for one or more regular carriers. A mail carrier is not full-time until they have their own route that they carry 5-6 days per week and that usually takes 4-5 years before they get to be full-time. My Mom is fixing to retire in a few months after 38 years at USPS and over 30 years on her current route. She currently has 3 different "subs" that fill in for her when she has stuff like doctor appointments or Union meetings to attend and can not work that day. Most subs only work on Saturdays for the vets that worked Mon-Fri.

My Mom tried to get me to join USPS for 20 years, but I never saw the point. Sure, they have great benefits once you become a regular. But it is a part-time job for years with no actual schedule. They call you at 6-7am and say we need you to come in today and carry this route for "so-and so"  and I can not do that. I need a set schedule. People that talk crap about USPS have no idea what it takes to even become your daily mail carrier. It's a hard job that is getting harder with all of the online shopping everyone does these days. From October to February, she doesn't get home before 6-8pm every day. She used to get home 3-4pm from March to September, but now a day getting home before 5pm is a shockingly good day for her. The routes are getting shorter by mileage, but the volume of mail is constantly increasing. Think about that info a bit before you criticize the mail carrier that delivers your mail every day.

Sportzcommish - that reply was not directed at you. It was a comment for everyone here to see and know where I was jumping off from with this reply.

My background: 1+ years of experience in in a major financial institution's mail room, my woman worked for USPS for over 20 years. My opinion based on my experience and passive intelligence collection: it doesn't take much to jam the letter processors; I've tested their limits. When a jam occurs, the offending letter is tossed to the side to get processed when there is time. Side note, the extra markings mean absolutely nothing. Packages get tossed the same regardless. IMO... anything over 12 cards, the envelope is going to be tattered through the process. I've abandoned the cereal box; provides minimal if any extra protection and jumps up the postage. I provide a buffer of tape around the sleeve and off it goes. I also utilize large manilla envelopes for larger trades. 9 card sleeve->plain file folder->manilla envelope. Ive shipped up to 81 cards this way at the large envelope price. Far cheaper than a package price. Feedback Ive received is on par with a regular PWE; envelope receives some damage however cards are perfectly safe.

i have noticed items going east to west go faster than west to east

i don't like to put more than 18 cards in a pwe

with prices going up i've also switched to sending 2 pwe over 1 bubble for trades less than 36 cards

I watch tracking on packages coming and going.  For some reason at times, the packages will set in Denver longer for the incoming then the outgoing.  The odd thing is:    in a few months it will be the other way around.

I cannot track PWEs but it appears to be doing the same thing.    A member sent me a card and another member a card the same day.    The one going west is delivered and mine coming east has not been.   UT to CA   UT to CO