Silk Road forums

Discussion => Shipping => Topic started by: readyrock on December 30, 2011, 01:36 am

Title: Potential new seller witha few basic shipping questions
Post by: readyrock on December 30, 2011, 01:36 am
I am thinking about selling a few products and have a few questions if someone could help.

1) How do I use DCN without going to the post office?  I know I can pickup the slips ahead of time but how do you pay for them when you drop a letter in a mail box?

2) When shipping tablets/capsules domestically do most people vacuum seal them?
I have the sealer but think it might just be over kill and add another expense.

Thanks ahead of time for your help
Title: Re: Potential new seller witha few basic shipping questions
Post by: SierraRS on December 30, 2011, 03:04 am
No security measure is overkill. Seal them.
Title: Re: Potential new seller witha few basic shipping questions
Post by: Holly on December 30, 2011, 04:15 am
No security measure is overkill. Seal them.

Seconded. 8)
Title: Re: Potential new seller witha few basic shipping questions
Post by: demetri on December 30, 2011, 12:02 pm
I am thinking about selling a few products and have a few questions if someone could help.

1) How do I use DCN without going to the post office?  I know I can pickup the slips ahead of time but how do you pay for them when you drop a letter in a mail box?

2) When shipping tablets/capsules domestically do most people vacuum seal them?
I have the sealer but think it might just be over kill and add another expense.

Thanks ahead of time for your help

There is no way I'm aware of to send post with tracked or signed for services without handing it over at a post office. Even using online services you can't do it at present (in UK at least).

That presents a major risk for sellers and I think the risk is far greater than just taking the risk of scam buyers and/or lost deliveries. Ok so you may be fine if you deal only with domestic buyers. But if you do ship overseas and customs spot something they will know which post office its come from and will have a handle on you before long if you use the same post office.

If you are gonna use tracking on overseas its surely best to keep on using different post offices over a wide area.

I personally think it would be far less hassle and risk just to accept the loss risk and vet your buyers carefully..be wary of new buyers and large orders. Set your terms out clearly on lost items and new customers.

















Title: Re: Potential new seller witha few basic shipping questions
Post by: thecloser29 on December 31, 2011, 11:37 am
My preferred method is suing the automted post machine to pay postage with a gift card and drop it in another box.

Sometimes vac sealing is bulky, esp. when shipping 1st class, so I use a laminator, works just as welll, but also compresses/flattens the product to better fit a std envelope
Title: Re: Potential new seller witha few basic shipping questions
Post by: readyrock on December 31, 2011, 02:35 pm
Thanks for all the responses.  My main question is about USPS (USA Postal Service).  I have a bunch of the DCN forms in hand.  I never paid for them just picked them up at the post office.  If I put them on a envelope do i include an extra stamp or two?

I have placed orders in the past that had a DCN on it but the letter just had stamps no printed postage from an actual Post Office.  I may be partially retarded and can't find it on the USPS site but I assume you can add the payment for the DCN by just adding more stamps.  I just don't know where to find how much to add.

Thanks in advance if someone can't tell me what might be the obvious.
Title: Re: Potential new seller witha few basic shipping questions
Post by: Holy Fyre on January 02, 2012, 08:46 pm
Read the post that digitallink made about how the feds profile mail. It offers great insight. Good job doing your homework. Its always a good idea to study and learn about your adversary before taking action. In this case the adversary is LE and the action would be shipping contraband.
Title: Re: Potential new seller witha few basic shipping questions
Post by: rise_against on January 04, 2012, 02:25 am
i dont think pills give off a scent so you'd probably be okay not vacuum sealing.