You can't have a Post Card with tracking information. The USPS requirements for 1st Class Mail to have a tracking number states that it must have a minimum thickness of 3/4ths of an inch on all dimensions. If you don't want to ship via USPS FCM, then your next option would be a $5 Priority Flat Rate Envelope.
I sell paper-based items and have run into this problem several times over the years, I had about 1 out of every 200 items returned to me with a note from USPS saying I needed to upgrade to USPS Priority, which led to angry customers who didn't get their item in time. Or worse, the item would be delivered and the Post Office would charge the recipient an additional $3.92 for the additional shipping for a USPS Priority Flat Rate Env. This led to IRATE customers who were angry at me for improper shipping.
So the solution I came up with was:
1. Email the customer the item.
2. Ship the printed item in a 6x9 Kraft Envelope with FCM and tracking, and either fill the envelope with styrofoam peanuts or a ping-pong ball (or sometimes half of a ping pong ball).
Cost per item: ~$1.75
Edit:
Forgot to include that for the last 2 months I have simply not shipped any of my items with tracking at all. I have just thrown them into a paper envelope and shipped it with a $.44 stamp.
This allows me to affix my own return address (diff then my stealth accounts) so I don't need to worry about items being returned to the wrong place.
I have not yet run into any problems with PP, as long as I mark the items as shipped on eB@y. If they ever do give me issues, I'm just going to explain that it's a piece of paper and I shipped it with a stamp.
Last edited by Omgoozle; 05-18-2011 at 02:54 AM.
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