How to Ship With Parcel Post
Parcel Post is an economy rate offered by the United States Postal Service for shipping small or large packages, thick envelopes and mailing tubes. It is traditionally less expensive than Priority Mail shipping. Parcel Post can be used for packages being shipped anywhere in the United States, including packages being sent to post offices or military addresses. Shipping times will vary depending on how far the package needs to travel and will take longer than Priority Mail. Packages shipped using Parcel Post may way up to 70 pounds and can measure up to 130 inches in length and in the distance around the thickest part.
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Things You'll Need
- Cardboard box, padded envelope or mailing tube
- Packing tape
- Packing material
- Permanent marker
- Shipping label (optional)
Instructions
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Select a plain brown package that is large enough to contain the item you wish to mail. If the package is recycled and has any writing or markings on it conceal these with black magic marker or tape. Do not use any Priority Mail boxes or containers available from the USPS as these boxes may only be used for shipping packages via Priority Mail.
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Place the item you are mailing into the box along with packing material. Newspaper, bubble wrap and Styrofoam peanuts all work well for cushioning packages. Before sealing the package, fold closed any flaps and gently shake the box. If you can feel the item moving around at all, add more packing material. The packing material should keep your item steady in the box and fill any voids so that the box does not become crushed if other boxes are piled on top of it during transit.
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Use two-inch wide clear or brown packing tape to seal the box. Reinforce all the seams on the box with packing tape. Do not use any sort of cord or string to seal your package, as this will get caught in post office machines.
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Write a destination address and a return address on the package. You may use plain labels to add the addresses or simply write directly on the package using a permanent marker. Write "To:" before the destination address, and write or affix this near the center of the top of the package. Write "From:" before the return address and write or affix this to the top left corner on the top of the package. The post office asks shippers to use a Zip + 4 address when possible.
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Bring your package to your nearest post office to purchase postage and ship your item. You may also print Parcel Post postage from your home computer. However, you may not do so through the USPS website. To print Parcel Post postage at home, you may use a PayPal account or an account through an online postage provider. You will need to weigh your sealed package on a postage scale to determine its exact weight before printing out postage.
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References
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