The Priority Mail Large Video Box (O-1096L) may be the U.S. Postal Service's best kept secret. It's not a very big box (9.25" x 6.25" x 2"), but it holds quite a bit more than the Small Flat-Rate Box, and if you're shipping internationally—or at least to Switzerland; I haven't had need to try any other countries recently—it's the same price.
You can get the boxes for free from the USPS, too. The trick is knowing what to order. The box is O-1096L, called "Priority Mail Large Video Box." You see, it's not flat rate domesticaly, only internationally. But the kind USPS lady on the phone—whom I called in desperation, being unable to find a "flat rate" version among their shipping supplies— assured me that this is the right box to use, though she admitted that some local post offices haven't gotten the word yet that it's flat rate for international shipments. I've used it successfully twice so far.
It's a real bargain over the regular Priority Mail or First Class International prices. If you print the postage online, the cost is even less, and you can fill out and print the Customs forms at the same time. (The form from the post office is a bit simpler, however.)
UPDATE: Apparently most post offices don't carry these boxes. You can get them free from USPS online, but it does take time.
UPDATE 2: I forgot to mention that in order to get the $13.25 price you must pay for the postage online and print it yourself; if you pay at the post office, the price is $13.95. We've found it well worthwhile to set up the ability to pay online, as the price is almost always better.
UPDATE 3: Did I mention that this is the Postal Services best-kept secret? Unfortunately, they're also keeping it from many of their employees. One person I know went to two different post offices, only to be told each time that the postage cost for her package would be over $30, because the box doesn't say "Flat Rate." What's more, they refused to call, or look it up online, although one branch said they'd look at a printout if she brought one.
Later, when she herself called the main USPS customer service, the representative confirmed the flat rate (after sighing, "Oh, the Video Box problem again"), but added, "Good luck convincing a local post office if they don't believe it. It's at their discretion whether to accept it or not."
WHAT??? The local post office can decide, willy-nilly, what to charge for the U.S. mail? This is carrying privatization a bit too far, don't you think? Actually, I don't believe it. She's going to try a third, larger, post office (after calling ahead, and bringing printouts with her just in case).
I think the wonderful folks at our own local post office deserve a large plate of Christmas cookies this year: they're always friendly, always helpful, and they've never given me any trouble.with the Large Video International Flat Rate Box!
UPDATE 4: I half take back my harsh words in Update 3. The post office that said they'd consider changing their minds if they saw proof apparently decided to look it up themselves, and today gave almost no trouble: The first clerk refused, but the one next to him overheard and said, "No, no, it's okay, she's right. We looked it up." It would have been nicer if they'd been willing to look it up the first time, but at least they're all educated now.
Hm, that looks for familiar. I have box just like that on my desk full of Halloween candy . . . Yummy yummy, thank you post office! ;)
Note the update above. So far, no one I've asked has been able to get the boxes at a local post office, only online.
I've added another update. "Best kept secret," indeed!
Once a week I delete all the comments caught by our spam filter. The volume has become so great that I was about to resort to clicking the "Purge Spam" button instead of checking out each post individually. After all, I've been using this system for years and it hasn't yet made a mistake.
Well, not until now, anyway. IrishOboe's latest comment was hiding there, amongst the ads for loans, fake passports, and fancy leather goods. No idea why. I don't think I accidentally marked it as spam during moderation, but neither can I think of a reason for the otherwise great spam filter to have tagged it. So I guess I'll continue my more labor-intensive deletion process a bit longer.
See Update 4 above. Educating the world, one post office at a time.
Sorry about that. It was too short and sweet, maybe?
I had a horrendous experience at the local post office involving this box. I ordered the boxes online and the USPS delivered them in just a couple of days. But when I tried to ship something using the box at the local post office, nobody there believed that it's a flat-rate box. They refused to look up the info in the manual, even after I showed them reprints of the usps web pages. They insisted the USPS made a mistake shipping me that box. I was quite angry when they said the only way to ship it at flat rate internationally was to wrap the stuff in bubble wrap and put it in a flat-rate envelope (but that wouldn't work for my purpose). The argument became heated and eventually they threatened to call the police so I would leave! That was so incredible. I drove to another post office and the clerk there had no trouble understanding me and let me ship in the large video box at flat rate. No hassles at all!
Well, I don't think it's worth getting arrested for, but I can understand the frustration. The postal service either needs to educate their employees, or print the boxes with "international flat rate" on them.
I am having trouble finding this size box. Neither of the two post offices I have gone to have them.
That seems to be typical. Everyone I know has had to order them from USPS online. They're free, and only take a few days to arrive. Our post office said that they've tried to get them from their own suppliers, and can't. It is so weird.
When you buy online (see link above), you'll note that it doesn't actually say "flat rate." And if you look under the flat-rate boxes you won't find it. The only reason I knew about it was that when I did a "calculate postage" it was one of the suggestions.
The last time I shipped this box, the table listing the shipipng options listed this as "unavailable" but I was still able to click the radio button and the postage label printed just fine. It was a couple of dollars higher, but I assume that is because of the rate changes from January.
And I can report that the package arrived just fine and was happily received. What a sweet note, too.
