Postal Madness

I have been doing really well selling items from my home on ebay. I haven't had hardly any problems worth mentioning at all. I have had really good experiences with purchasing through ebay as well. Most of Lulee's clothes are from ebay. After working retail for years and knowing the mark ups I just can't bring myself to pay full price for anything anymore.

Anyway, to get to the main reason for this post. We proudly sold an item to a gentleman in North Carolina for a whopping $11.00 plus $8.99 shipping. I had sold 6 other items as well and took them all to the post office to be mailed out. Unfortunately, the post office didn't have a box big enough for this particular item. They however were nice enough to point me in the direction of a UPS store located only a little over 12 miles from my home. Happy as a lark, I went to the UPS store thinking that I am about to complete a transaction smoothly and travel back to my humble abode. I walked in and it apparently wasn't for customers with small (big to me) items. More for commercial type stuff. They did not have a box that my item would fit in. I had even called the 1-800 number to check before going to this UPS. I went there and not only did they have a box, but they offered to pack it up for me (not mentioning that it would be a $17 and some odd change charge). After she boxed it and rang it up she said that it did not include shipping (shipping would be around $30 dollars). I was like "You've got to be kidding me!!!" (or did I say that right after she told me the charge for her simply putting it in the box and taping it with no packing materials inside???

So I couldn't very well make her take it out of the box at this point (although Hubby said he would have). I asked her if it would be cheaper to take my now big enough box back to the post office and send it. She said yes, but most of them are closing. I found one, with the help of Hubby, that stayed open later in yet a different city a few miles away. I took it there and it costs $19 and some change to ship (that was the cheapest way possible).

Also, while I was going to all these places with this awkward shaped box, my little Lulee, age 2, was trying to sleep. Somehow I managed to carry her, trying not to wake her, and carry the box around to and from these places to get it mailed. Believe it or not she stayed asleep and I was even able to take her in and out of her car seat without really disturbing her nap!!!

So, lesson learned. I will definitely be prepared next time and search for a box at grocery stores before paying to have someone lift my item and tape it up in a box.

I hope you all find the humor in this post. After feeling like one of my ovaries were going to fall out carrying both the box and sleeping child, I am now able to laugh as well. :)