Do you just go to the PO as necessary? Have you had any luck with scheduling carrier pick-up? I love my house but man I wish I had a normal mailbox at my front door.

I always just go to the PO. I can never catch my mailman. He comes at a different time everyday!...

Well, and once I did catch him and gave him a bunch of books to mail out, and he was all nervous because a couple of them were more than 13 oz. He took them anyway and they've been received, but I thought as long as you handed your package to a postal worker, it was ok if they were more than 13 oz. I don't know.

I just take mine to the PO. I'm on a walking route and I don't want to make the postal lady carry more weight.  If I was on a route where they drive around (my parents are--in town! I think its an insane waste of gas) I might leave more in the mailbox.

I think to schedule carrier pickup you need at least one that is priority. And if it's over 13oz it needs either printed postage or to be handed to the carrier. Double check this--I've never done it, just read up a while ago.  Might ask in the PO forum as well.

You're right about the carrier pickup and the 13 oz rule. I was just confused because the PO worker seemed wary of taking the books over 13 oz, when I thought since I was handing it him it was ok.

My mailman isn't very friendly and manages to box himself in with the truck, mailboxes, and door of the truck. If I wanted to talk to him, I'd have to crawl under the door, I think. I actually have never seen his (or her) face. It's a little creepy really.

Also, like Trisha, it's usually around 2ish but not always.

My mailbox is at the end of the driveway -- almost 1/4 mile. The PO is only about 1/2 mile further, so I go to the PO! I don't use printable postage, and the "suggested amount" is wrong often enough that I'd rather have every pkg. checked for exact postage anyway.

They changed the 13 ounce rule a bit not real long ago. Carriers are not allowed to take over 13 ounces with stamps. They can take them with PC postage. You can put those in any mail box to be picked up.

Kayote is right, for the carrier pick up, you need at least one priority of express piece.

Im lucky, I have a great carrier. If I have to much to fit in the box I just leave a note in the box for him to come to the house to pick up.

We have the cluster boxes.  I stick mine in my box with a post-it facing his side that says "outgoing" and shove them all the way to the back (his side) of the box.  Haven't had a problem yet--they're always gone and my mail is in there:)

Doris!  That is  a GREAT  idea!  I'm gonna try that!  I have a hard time getting to the post office and even then I have to go inside because I can't even fit one book in the blue boxes out front.  They changed them all to the little slit openings   =(

We have the cluster boxes and I just take it to the PO. I've caught the carrier at the boxesseveral times, but have never attempted to give him a package. He usually comes around the time school lets out and if I'm planning ot mail I want to do it during the day and not drag the kids in to the PO, so I do it before that.

I just drive by the blue box outside the p.o.  on the way to feed my horses every day.  It's only a block out of the way.  We have cluster mailboxes with a drop slot that I could drop them in, but I prefer to put them in the blue box.

I have a postal scale so I weigh each book after its been wrapped to get exact weight/postage. 

When I use the printable postage, I take the book packages to work and put them in the outgoing mail there.  We live in a townhouse with cluster mailboxes and the outgoing mail box there just has a letter slot.  Our letter carrier comes while we're at work so I never see him (or her).  I sincerely believe that the Saturday mail is delivered via osmosis because I never see the carrier then either but the mail is always in the box.

We have the cluster boxes. My impression of our mail carrier is more like Vanessa's. Definitely not there to do anything extra. 

I have a postal scale and a variety of stamps, so I usually mail in the neighborhood blue box, but I also use the automated machine at the PO after hours.

We get a lot of junk mail so I have to be very careful about not missing a day picking up the mail if I'm expecting books.  There have been 3 different times in the last year the mail wouldn't fit in our box because I got 2 or 3 PBS books in addition to the stack of mail. Instead of using the parcel boxes (which were available), he put our mailbox on hold forcing us to go the post office to pick it up.

Hours (and customer service) at that P.O. are pretty limited, so it's never a fun experience.

Plus one of those times, unkown to me, there was a signature requested piece that required pickup at the P.O. Rather than put the notice on top of the mail, he placed it between two magazines near the bottom.  I didn't sort though everything until I got home - only to discover another trip would be needed.

It just seemed very petty. If the books had been put in the parcel box, everything would have fit. If he had to put it on hold, why put the small postal notice on the bottom of the stack between two big pieces?? We also get mail really scrunched and folded when it's not necessary.

Maybe your carrier will be more flexible and  helpful.