Postal Letter

Can I turn a box inside out & mail it?

I was wondering if it was ok I turn a FLAT RATE Priority mailing box INSIDE OUT & use it to mail something. I have gotten packages like this a number of times though from sellers on Ebay, paperback trading sites & other swap sites. The thing that worries me though is written on the side of boxes and mailers is a note saying: THIS PACKAGING IS THE PROPERTY OF THE US POSTAL SERVICE AND IS PROVIDED SOLELY FOR THE USE IN SENDING PRIORITY MAIL. MISUSE MAY BE A VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW. So I am wondering if I turn it inside out and use it to mail Priority mail then that will be ok. The main reason I'm asking is I have a bunch of baby & toddler Halloween outfits that I want to sell on Ebay. I'm trying to figure out a way to package & mail them so the shipping will be low. My other thought was to just carefully wrap the outfits in a plastic bag (double bag) & then use plain Brown Wrapping paper to wrap it. Would that be tacky though? It would be lighter than a box and help keep shipping low. What do you think? I usually ship First Class or Media so I'm always at a loss when shipping some other way. lol Actually I have requested a bunch a boxes online. Even though I NEVER request the FLAT RATE box, just the normal box I keep getting sent the FLAT RATE which I can't use. Due to health issues I mail from home so getting to the post office is not that easy for me. It is easier to request the free boxes online, which as you see from above didn't work out well.

Public Comments

1. Get a new one at the post office. They don't charge for the container, just postage.
2. I have seen some eBay sellers who wrap the priority mail boxes with brown paper so the post office will not use it is priority mail. Kind of iffy, and the PO may not be too happy of the misuse of their boxes. Plastic double bag is not safe and the item may be damaged in the process. You've seen some boxes with holes or damage when sent through the post office, so how sure are you that a plastic double bag is going to last the shipping process? Try dumpster diving. There was a very active discussion on the eBay boards about tips on dumpster diving before. If you live near a strip mall, there are huge dumpster bins containing boxes. Those are free for the taking. Or talk to your grocery stores. I got a lot of free boxes before when the vendors were unloading their items from the boxes. Since the PO doesn't want labels on the boxes, either just wrap these boxes in brown paper or cover the labels
3. Hello, ..I sell on Ebay, and I re-use ALL kind of boxes. I figure this is a small way of recycling. Food boxes from the grocery store work really great too, like Cereal, Bisquick & Little Debbie. Just tear them apart, and invert them. When there is something that is printed on the boxes, I just use brown postal paper and wrap them in that. Simple, Easy & Cheap! Hope this helps. Have a great day!