I saw someone using these on YouTube. I could really use some free USPS GA boxes, so I went to usps website. Unfortunately, they aren’t listed there.
Are these real? Are they still available? If so, how does one get them?
Videos
Got through to USPS (800-610-8734)
The representative I spoke to was well aware of the free "ground advantage" boxes and mailers. All the following come in packs of 25. I was able to order 75 of each box and 100 of the mailers. If you need more, you can, that's just how much I wanted to start off with.
Box 1: 12 x 12 x 8.5
Box 2: 14 x 7 x 5
Poly Padded Bubble Bag: 12.5 x 9.5
Paper Padded: 14.5 x 20,5
Polybag: 14 x 17
I was told it would take 7-10 days to arrive.
Of course, they will ask you for your Poshmark closet name. Hope this helps! I was hung up on about 10 times, and finally on hold for about 30 minutes, and had a very helpful and pleasant representative.
And according to the following link on usps website, ground advantage is eligible for free pickup
https://faq.usps.com/s/article/What-is-Package-Pickup#eligibility
After calls dropped dozens of times I finally got through to a postal worker and she admitted that Posh sellers have been blowing up their lines today and they had NO CLUE of the update!
Poshmark has promised the following (I highlighted the important bits) https://blog.poshmark.com/ :
Poshmark has partnered with USPS to provide complimentary Ground Advantage shipping supplies exclusively for Poshmark sellers. Packaging options include a variety of polymailers, padded mailers, and boxes*.*
To order your packaging supplies, please call 800-610-8734. Please note that you will need to provide your closet name to USPS to confirm you are a Poshmark seller.
Rest assured, USPS is prepared for this transition and ready to support requests from our community.
I particularly love the last line about USPS being prepared for this (REST ASSURED - ha!)!
I found out that the USPS customer service reps have an internal chat group where they can reach out to each other to help with information about things they are getting calls on and the supervisors and team were all in the dark on this.
Call lines are open M-F 7am - 11pm (1-800-610-8734). Lets help each other out and report back if anyone has any success getting the free packaging Poshmark is promising. Otherwise, this means the discounted shipping makes selling MORE EXPENSIVE because we are now providing shipping materials from our own pockets.
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10:15pm EST Update - Finally got through and the phone system seems to have been fixed to not drop calls since the prompts seemed to be different. The rep said they have been overloaded by Posh sellers but they are working through to get to everyone quickly.
Supplies options includes different polymailers, bubble mailers and boxes. Limited selection but its better than nothing.
I asked what they do with our closet info and she said they are supposed to look us up to verify that we have a closet.
I said that the Posh community is generally really great and that I hoped everyone was being nice and patient with them and she said yes, most were lovely. SOOOO ---- lets represent our community well and let them know how appreciative we are of what they do to support us in our sales!
Just posting a photo in regard to a question I had in a thread on here. I came in later in the day. So I’m unsure about other sizes being available. There was a stack of these sizes. But to compare; this one would be considered a large box. Dimensions included in the last photo. Post office clerk told me if we used the white ones, there’s a chance they can send it pack because it costs more. So beware. Happy Poshing!
I need to mail a computer keyboard using USPS Ground Advantage. The dimensions are awkward since it's long, 20.5" x 6.5" x 2".
Need a box that's an appropriate size and dimensions. All of the boxes I have at home that can fit 20" are very big overall, but then I'll pay more for shipping because of the box dimensions, even though most of the box will be empty.
None of the shipping supplies on the USPS website have a dimension longer than 20.5"
Never heard of ground advantage, so I’m used to using first class and priority
Hey all! I want to use my own custom boxes for my ecommerce business, the small foldable cardboard box will be no bigger than 7 inches, by 5 inches by 5 inches, roughly. Can I do ground advantage still so long as its under 15 ounces? And is using my own branded box okay? Will be printing labels myself.
I saw on a separate thread that the limit is 70 pounds? So I am also confused a little bit.
I am certain I can keep my weight below 15 ounces perhaps, but maybe it will be slightly over. I am shipping a light vitamin pack, like 10 - 15 capsules (but dont want to get them crushed, hence the box )
How would you all ship this as cheap as possible to still fall within 2-5 day window?
Thanks in advance!
Well, I called USPS this morning as soon as they opened and was able to submit an order for free Ground Advantage Shipping supplies. For me there was no wait time, and the rep was able to place the order with ease.
Someone already posted what is available, but I also wanted to add that you need to order in increments of 25, with the exception of the polybags which need to be ordered in quantities of 250 minimum (This quantity has apparently been different from representative to representative, mine was likely misinformed about it). There is also a 3rd box option that is 20 inches large (I missed the other diameters of the box, but it's the biggest one they offer).
Here are the other packaging options that smray66 posted over in the poshmark sub:
Box 1: 12 x 12 x 8.5
Box 2: 14 x 7 x 5
(Adding Box 3): 20 x ? x ?
(Edit: Box 3 is 20 1/4" x 14 1/4" x 10 1/2")
Poly Padded Bubble Bag: 12.5 x 9.5
Paper Padded: 14.5 x 20.5
Tyvek bag/Polybag of some kind: 14 x 17
7-10 days to arrive
Also -- my two cents:
USPS seems to be only giving out the ground advantage supplies for use by organizations that they have a negotiated shipping agreement with. This may be why they are not publicly available on the USPS website right now and why they might not end up on there in the future.
The difference is that with the Priority supplies, they are readily available because the post office wants to encourage the general public to upgrade to premium shipping. There's no push for customers to select the economy ground advantage option, so there's no incentivization with access to free supplies for everyone online. This really is just a perk of the contract posh has.
Has anyone had any luck in getting a response by emailing the USPSPoshmark@victorypackaging.com address? We've tried twice now with no response. The Poshmark guide on the new shipping said you can call or email to receive free USPS Ground Advantage shipping supplies, but we literally can't get anyone to talk to us. I'm actually on hold right now (again). At the 30 minutes right now...
Where do you all buy bulk boxes for USPS Ground shipments?
I’ve been getting mine on Amazon, but they’re coming out to around $0.50 per box, which adds up pretty quickly.
Curious if other sellers have found cheaper alternatives especially for buying in bulk. Open to any recommendations (online suppliers, local stores, etc.).
I handle mail for a large company in my area and we have a pickup from the post office. We ship a lot of different packages daily. Usually priority mail or what used to be retail service packages.
But I tried shipping some awkward packages Ground Advantage, and received them back the other day with a sticker saying “priority mail packaging necessitates priority mail postage.”
We don’t have any Ground Advantage packaging so we used priority packaging for these items. There is no GA packaging to order on USPS’s website. So if I can’t ship in other USPS packaging how am I supposed to officially use the service?
Is it even true that if the item is in a priority mail package that it has to go priority - even if it’s labelled ground advantage? My first thought was that was an asshole clerk fed up with handling stuff for the day (I’ve been there believe me) but idk maybe it’s accurate to send it back to me
It's been 5 days since I received this e-mail. Nothing in my junk/spam folder. I included all the necessary info. Have any of you had luck ordering supplies via e-mail? 😩
ETA: It's September 28th - still nothing.
Does anyone know if you can use USPS boxes with ground advantage? I know we can't use the flat rate boxes.
If you mean the red white and blue "Priority Mail" boxes or the mostly blue and white (with a tiny bit of red) "Priority Mail Express" ones, that USPS gives out for free - those can be used ONLY for Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express shipments, respectively. The flat-rate ones require postage at the appropriate flat-rate. The non flat-rate ones require Priority (or Priority Express) postage based on the shape, size, and weight.
If you mean some other boxes - which ones?
The only other "USPS boxes" are "ReadyPost" packaging offered for sale in many Post Office lobbies - if you buy those you can use them for any class of mail you want, as long as they are of a suitable size and shape for that mail class (eg, you can't use a box as a "first class letter") Or you can buy them to take home and store rocks in. Or pack your household goods in to load in a moving truck. Once you pay for them, they are yours to use for whatever you want.
OK thank you for the help
Hey all! I sell mid-size electronics and I pack them from my home office. I have plans to improve my packaging materials (cardboard boxes) but for now my boxes are not as durable as I want them to be. I have shipped over 1,500 packages with USPS and UPS before, and had damaged packages with both companies (more accidents with UPS). And a lot of the times, even if the package is not severely damaged, the packages still looked pretty rough from the photos my customers sent me. I don’t like leaving bad first impressions with my customers.
For my product, USPS Priority shipping and UPS Ground cost around the same. Which one would you go with if you want less damages on your packages? I’m keen to hear from people who have used both services. My packages are around 3lbs for reference. Thank you!
Can I use any package/box/poly mailer with a usps ground advantage shipping label? I went to ship something today and had a ground advantage label on a priority mail box and they wouldn’t take it
Title Says it all, Can i use the free supplies (https://store.usps.com/store/shipping-supplies)
If I use USPS Priority Mail boxes for my items, but my shipping policy is set to USPS Ground Advantage, will I have any issues, or should I use plain boxes instead?