Silk Road forums

Discussion => Shipping => Topic started by: dabdiego on May 15, 2013, 07:28 pm

Title: USPS Express
Post by: dabdiego on May 15, 2013, 07:28 pm
I know it's written all over these forums that express mail is under a ton of scrutiny lately and it IS higher risk. I do see many very reputable vendors offer express shipping, all seeming to come out pretty unscathed when looking at reviews. I am very interested in shipping with express, and think I have developed enough stealth to pull it off. A few questions for people experienced in using Express Mail (Vendors I know you're out there!)

1) I have the capability to print out shipping labels appearing as if they are from any business or location. Any thoughts as to what types of people/buisnesses send express mail envelopes? What is usually in them?

2) How thick does the typical express mail envelope look. Is thickness an issue that is looked for? My envelope would ideally contain 1-2 thin magazines.


I am thinking I can send from a local law office, but was wondering what other businesses send express mail often.


Really I think it will be fine and am confident, I just know it is all about blending in with the mail system and I am really not too familiar with express mail envelopes and what they are used for.


Many thanks in advance!

Dabdiego
Title: Re: USPS Express
Post by: Jack N Hoff on May 15, 2013, 09:12 pm
1)  Documents.

2)  Thick as a stack of documents.


I've never had a domestic package of anything seized.  I've regularly shipped more than 10k cash express and I actually throw in random garbage and stuff to make it larger and change the shape of the package because large stacks of 20s are heavy and block sized.  I've never had a problem
Title: Re: USPS Express
Post by: blink-420 on May 15, 2013, 09:36 pm
ive never had a problem either sending or receiving express mail domestically.  ive done more sending.  i think as long as you stay domestic and limit the use of express somewhat, you should be fine

if im not mistaken, you cant use printed labels for express.  all of the envelopes ive sent require you to handwrite everything.  im not really sure which businesses use express, i always use a random name lol never had a problem tho

id say youre perfect on the thickness
Title: Re: USPS Express
Post by: dabdiego on May 21, 2013, 02:51 am
So it seems to me as long as it's in an envelope and doesn't feel like money it will be fine. Anyone else have experience mailing cash that can chime in?
Title: Re: USPS Express
Post by: Meerkovo on May 21, 2013, 03:05 am
@blink thats more likely because you get a bag to enclose your parcel/letter with, and they want that with hand :) right or wrong?

Title: Re: USPS Express
Post by: P2P on May 21, 2013, 06:01 am
dabdiego,

I'm not sure if I just read too much into your post, but it just seemed to me as if you were going to have the address of the office you sent it from as the return address? This is really not best practice. And I would hope you don't send the document with cameras around (which are certainly prevalent in office buildings); this would leave you wide open for a future indictment.
Title: Re: USPS Express
Post by: karensupreme on May 21, 2013, 06:21 am
I know that there is a huge concern over using anything that isn't USPS for shipping but I will say this, from my personal experience, my place of current employ has an eccentric owner that demands we send the week's cash, checks, money orders and the magazines he subscribes to (and strangely does not have delivered to his home even though they aren't anything to be embarrassed about?) via overnight UPS. I've been at that job for 10 years and we have never had money go missing, we've never had a lost package and we've never had an issue with the law. In fact, the only problem we've ever encountered was we will pay for the "guaranteed" before 10 am delivery and the package gets there at between noon and 2 pm.

These aren't piddle amounts either. I've personally packaged a shipment with $56,000 in cash, checks and money orders in a box about the size of a VCR box with absolutely no stealth to speak of. We've tried to talk to him about having two of us drive the money down ourselves (some of us have handgun licenses) instead of sending it through the mail via any carrier but he's weirdly adamant about UPS overnight. We pay like $50 or $60 bucks to send the damn thing two hours away. Oh well, it ain't my money!
Title: Re: USPS Express
Post by: dabdiego on May 21, 2013, 06:33 am
dabdiego,

I'm not sure if I just read too much into your post, but it just seemed to me as if you were going to have the address of the office you sent it from as the return address? This is really not best practice. And I would hope you don't send the document with cameras around (which are certainly prevalent in office buildings); this would leave you wide open for a future indictment.

Nope, you just read too much into my post :-) My anonymity is my primary concern and my method does nothing (at least not nearly that obvious) to compromise it.
Title: Re: USPS Express
Post by: dabdiego on May 21, 2013, 06:36 am
I know that there is a huge concern over using anything that isn't USPS for shipping but I will say this, from my personal experience, my place of current employ has an eccentric owner that demands we send the week's cash, checks, money orders and the magazines he subscribes to (and strangely does not have delivered to his home even though they aren't anything to be embarrassed about?) via overnight UPS. I've been at that job for 10 years and we have never had money go missing, we've never had a lost package and we've never had an issue with the law. In fact, the only problem we've ever encountered was we will pay for the "guaranteed" before 10 am delivery and the package gets there at between noon and 2 pm.

These aren't piddle amounts either. I've personally packaged a shipment with $56,000 in cash, checks and money orders in a box about the size of a VCR box with absolutely no stealth to speak of. We've tried to talk to him about having two of us drive the money down ourselves (some of us have handgun licenses) instead of sending it through the mail via any carrier but he's weirdly adamant about UPS overnight. We pay like $50 or $60 bucks to send the damn thing two hours away. Oh well, it ain't my money!

that's pretty crazy man, sounds like something was maybe up that you weren't aware of? If not that's great news. I still don't know that I would be able to get away with that. Did you have someone personally pick them up or did you drop them off in an office. How was the money packaged inside?
Title: Re: USPS Express
Post by: teqno on May 21, 2013, 10:52 pm
Express doesn't necessary need to be a envelope. A friend of mine gets a shipment every other week in a small box bought from staples, the box itself is 6x6x4 I think if I had to guess., it's a good enough size to fit a big tub of hair gel. The weight I won't really go into or how his order was stealth but very clever.

Envelope the biggest would have to be the size of a dvd case maybe can pass a little thicker....Express usually isn't just used for documents.. It can be a important dvd with files, a few usb thumb drives, or even a emergency late bday gift or just a pair of shoes you're wife needs in a emergency because of a wedding..Whatever it is Just as it looks clean and professional also don't go over board on bulges and weights per envelope or box you should be fine...Rule of thumb, think outside the box when it comes to stealth,  think of a 2-3 different stealth and packaged ways, lay em out and think to yourself "IF someone sent this to me, what would I think"
Title: Re: USPS Express
Post by: karensupreme on May 22, 2013, 06:34 am
Hey Dabdiego,

The handful of times I was involved in the packaging of these money boxes we would go out to the warehouse, find a box somewhere in size between a shoe box and like a VCR/DVD combo player box. Throughout the week the daily money would always be put in regular letter sized envelopes, the the envelope size that bills and junk mail come in. So by Friday we'd have six regular size envelopes total (we combined Saturday and Sunday money into one envelope because we generally do less business those two days, then your M-F envelopes), usually packed to the point they were bulging with cash, coins, checks and money orders. Those would be sealed with those adhesive glue sticks, then taped across the seal. From there we would put them in those larger 11x13 (or whatever size they are) bubble mailers, usually three envelopes to a mailer. We would then seal the bubble mailers and throw them in the box, then any mail the guy got sent to the office that he wanted sent home (like special offers, junk mail, his wine magazines) would be thrown in the box too. We would then tape the hell out of the box running four to five box length pieces over the top and over the bottom, then we would criss cross that by running five pieces of packing tape going width-wise across the top and the bottom. We basically violated every rule Janet Reno ever said would flag a postal inspector to a suspicious package...

We'd affix the UPS label and then, I shit you not, put that package along with any other outgoing UPS mail at the back door of our warehouse and just let it sit there until the guy came to do pick ups in the late afternoon. My manager that was immediately over me at the time would always express his concern about our mailing methods and that he had no faith in UPS. He also always feared that if the money ever went missing because of a UPS screw up that the owner would blame him. I always felt kind of bad for him because he took all of his responsibilities so seriously while at the same time trying to make sure us grunt workers actually enjoyed our job and wanted to give our best. He was one of those rare breed of manager that takes the weight of the business on himself while at the same time trying not to allow anyone else to be negatively effected by burdens outside the scope of their concern.

I got transferred out of that department about two years ago so I don't know how they handle the actual shipping of the money anymore but you can see from my description we basically just double sealed our envelopes, taped the hell out of a our box and then let it sit until UPS showed up to grab it.
Title: Re: USPS Express
Post by: dabdiego on May 22, 2013, 07:21 am
Hey Dabdiego,

The handful of times I was involved in the packaging of these money boxes we would go out to the warehouse, find a box somewhere in size between a shoe box and like a VCR/DVD combo player box. Throughout the week the daily money would always be put in regular letter sized envelopes, the the envelope size that bills and junk mail come in. So by Friday we'd have six regular size envelopes total (we combined Saturday and Sunday money into one envelope because we generally do less business those two days, then your M-F envelopes), usually packed to the point they were bulging with cash, coins, checks and money orders. Those would be sealed with those adhesive glue sticks, then taped across the seal. From there we would put them in those larger 11x13 (or whatever size they are) bubble mailers, usually three envelopes to a mailer. We would then seal the bubble mailers and throw them in the box, then any mail the guy got sent to the office that he wanted sent home (like special offers, junk mail, his wine magazines) would be thrown in the box too. We would then tape the hell out of the box running four to five box length pieces over the top and over the bottom, then we would criss cross that by running five pieces of packing tape going width-wise across the top and the bottom. We basically violated every rule Janet Reno ever said would flag a postal inspector to a suspicious package...

We'd affix the UPS label and then, I shit you not, put that package along with any other outgoing UPS mail at the back door of our warehouse and just let it sit there until the guy came to do pick ups in the late afternoon. My manager that was immediately over me at the time would always express his concern about our mailing methods and that he had no faith in UPS. He also always feared that if the money ever went missing because of a UPS screw up that the owner would blame him. I always felt kind of bad for him because he took all of his responsibilities so seriously while at the same time trying to make sure us grunt workers actually enjoyed our job and wanted to give our best. He was one of those rare breed of manager that takes the weight of the business on himself while at the same time trying not to allow anyone else to be negatively effected by burdens outside the scope of their concern.

I got transferred out of that department about two years ago so I don't know how they handle the actual shipping of the money anymore but you can see from my description we basically just double sealed our envelopes, taped the hell out of a our box and then let it sit until UPS showed up to grab it.


Very interesting, though I don't know if I'm confident enough to attempt to recreate that situation lol. Seems as if maybe the business was legit and had nothing to hide, and thus the sketchy procedure was overlooked? I suppose it is not illegal to mail money less than 10,000?