Postal Plus

First of all, I have to say I HATE USPS. I had not just one, but 3 horrible experiences with USPS. However, this one is totally different and because of this store I still use USPS to mail things sometimes…(otherwise I would rather pay more for UPS instead of USPS!)
I live nearby the store and there is always a nice and helpful Asian guy there to help check out and packaging. I’m originally from Hong Kong so I go there pretty often to mail my friends and family letters. (Yep I just don’t really like emailing. Letters are way more fun!) So one time I went there for an international flat mail but I didn’t know which form should I use, I haven’t even ask him yet, he already noticed me and tell me which form I should use! I was pretty surprised cause even there were only 3 people there stamping and packing, but he helped all of us and he noticed me that I needed help!
Today, I need to mail something pretty heavy for my friends as a gift. and guess what, he helped me again! I didn’t know that boxes are actually more expensive if it says priority mail on the box. He told me to get a box in a nearby store instead of here so I can save some money! Also helped me weight my package first, and asked me if I still want to mail it now or go home and do it online so it will be cheaper! :D Also, he told me the differences between regular mail and priority mail charges… I actually learned something! What a nice guy. It’s always expensive to ship things to other countries, but with his tips, I could actually save more than $ 10 each time! I love going there and mail my things cause customer service is a ¹⁰⁄₁₀!
Also, they have everything I needed there! I can simply just take things that I need to mail without any other tool! They have boxes, envelops, bubble rolls, duck tapes, pen and sharpies! You can use sharpies and the regular tapes for free! :O Some post offices don’t have it and you have to buy a roll of duck tape. What a difference!
They made mailing way easier and happier! Thanks to this store! Love it love it love it!
Even though I am still keeping an eye on USPS (I hate your system!!!) but if you simply want to mail things, this is where you should go! A few more blocks is worth it!!!

Avoid at all costs. They will try to charge you for dropping off pre-​paid postage. There are real UPS, FedEx, and USPS locations on Broadway, so don’t get swindled by these goons.

Convenient, fast and always helpful. Ed, the owner, is a great guy. They have everything here from greeting cards to packing tape.

My recent experience was from my friend dropping off a package.
My friend then had to retrieve the pack before it got shipped due to a recipient address problem she realized an hour after leaving the store. The first time she went in they said it couldn’t be found. She left and then came back with more urgency. They said they couldn’t find it but would keep an eye out for it. They did. Upon her return later they had found it.
Reasoning behind star rating:
There packaging is highly marked up just for having them tape the boxes for you. One could argue that they are saving you time. In my opinion I don’t believe it’s worth the price paid.
A regular USPS shop may not have been willing to or even been able to find a package after this was shipped. This was nice.
If they had not found the package the combination of high price with little customer service return would have merited 2-​stars in my opinion.
If they had taken the time straight away to find the package I would have given them 4-​stars. My friend paid a 4-​star price but received 3 star service
Bottom Line:
This is small couple-​owned shop that is probably struggling to make it as more people ship from home and cut out the middle man. They seemed swamped. While I understand their predicament this is a review of the service that was received for the payment which was garnered.
You’ll pay extra for location and convenience. For the price you’ll pay you might have to be a little demanding to get what you’d expect.

If you have an 8 – 5 job, this place is dead to you. They open at 9:30 AM, close at 5:30 PM, and aren’t open weekends at all. Then to top it off, the guy at the desk is an extortionist.
I was finally able to bring in a prepaid UPS parcel during their operating hours and figured I’d help out a local business.
Me, handing him the package: «Here you go!»
Him: «There’s a charge.»
Me: «It’s prepaid.»
Him: «We’re not a UPS outlet. I’m doing you a favor by taking this.»
Me: «But, uh, what about that sign that says ‘Authorized UPS Service Provider?»
Him: «They just gave us that. We’re not with UPS.»
Me, looking at the other official UPS placemat and sign in the front of the building: «You have got. To be kidding. Me.»
Him, yelling at my back as I walk out: «I’m doing you a favor!!!»
For the record, after this exchange, I searched UPS service centers online and yep, there’s Postal Plus!

My wife brought them a package, requested and paid for 2^nd day delivery. 4 (business) days later the package has not arrived. I tried contacting them during their business hours but apparently they do not answer their phone. I paid them a follow-​up visit and asked for helping tracking or locating the package. They explained that they had no tracking information, keep no records and cannot help locate the package. I explained that we requested and paid for 2^nd day delivery (acknowledged by the attendant). She explained that ‘nothing is guaranteed’ and that they provide tracking ‘only by request.’ Fortunately I kept my receipt, though it only says ‘stamps.’ The attendee explained that this is how they charge shipping.
My package appears to be lost. No second day shipping (even though I paid for it), no tracking (also paid for), and no help from the shipper. I can’t help but wonder if they simply stuck a bunch of stamps on the box and sent it on its way, though even regular mail would have arrived within 4 days (delivery from WA to California).
Use them at your own risk.

as many others have said the only positive attribute of this place is its location, I was shocked when waiting in line to overhear them charge $ 1 to drop off a UPS package what a ripoff. My last transaction there was with a debit card after ringing everything up and adding postage the lady told me that they don’t take cards only cash or check, I pointed to the sign on the counter 12 inches from us that said they take cards but charge a fee she then mumbled something indiscernible and begrudgingly accepted my payment. This place is my absolute LAST option for mailing anything as I would rather stand in line at USPS at 23^rd or on broadway than endure the ripoff artists at this place.

Really the only good thing about this place is the location. It’s much more expensive than getting the same things done at a legitimate post office, and the attitude is a million times worse. I have waited a very long time while the counterwoman flat out ignored me, and they have never been anything but rude to me. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

This place is good for one thing — dropping off already-​prepaid USPS packages. Anything else, prepare to get ripped off.
Is the the owner/​proprietor seriously charging me $ 1 to drop off prepaid UPS packages? Or how about the fact that he charged me $ 1-​something on top of my parcel select package for tracking when it clearly says on USPS website that tracking should be included? Or how about his unwillingness to even ring up options cheaper than Priority?
Normally I print my shipping labels at home, so I know very well what options are available and how much they cost. When one day my printer wasn’t working I made sure to calculate the shipping before going to the store — lo and behold I’m being told that ‘priority is the cheapest’. When I insisted that I wanted Parcel Select — surprise, surprise — it was $ 2 cheaper than priority.
The best thing about this «post office» is when a different guy took over while the owner was on vacation. It was nice to have an honest person running this joint, at least for a while.

A package just got returned to me, after ten days, because Postal Plus forgot to put postage on it. They were apologetic and all and re-​posted the parcel, now with postage neatly affixed to it, but really, I don’t think that I’ll be coming back.

It gets two stars only for convenience. They advertise that they take credit cards, but DO NOT take credit cards to ship via US Mail. After standing in a long line, I didn’t have time to get cash and return so I left with my packages and now they will surely be late once I find another place to ship. Over several years and many visits, the owner has never been friendly. After saying over and over I will never return, not even the convenience factor will override it this time. Go to Post Options Business Center on Pike for much better service.

While I really wanted to like this place, I simply cannot.
It is SO convenient for those who live far from Broadway and want to avoid the hell that is the US Postal Service, but every time I leave this place my formerly good mood has turned sour, solely due to rude and unpleasant service. Ed, the proprietor, seems to go out of his way to be unfriendly, and it always feels like I am being slightly overcharged.
Today I went in wanting to send something to Northern California with four days to spare. Priority always gets it there in two days, but for some reason he immediately tried to set me up with overnight, which would have cost $ 18.95. He was very snobby about my decision to go priority, saying that nothing was guaranteed.
This store is useful in the sense that it is convenient and functional, but I feel unmotivated to return after having this kind of experience every time I’ve been in. It’s a shame to have a local business in the incredibly friendly 15^th neighborhood that is the polar opposite of friendly!

Ed, the proprietor/​owner/​employee is very knowledgeable and very friendly. He’s also always able to help with post office concerns, and on top of that gives you free packing material to use for packages. If you bring in a pile of stuff that you want to ship, he’ll likely have an idea of what size package to use, using which service that both gets the stuff there on time and in good condition.
I only knock off stars because he’s a fair bit more expensive than the regular post office down on 19^th, and has made a few honest mistakes when I’ve used postal plus. He told me on the last two packages that I could not get insurance/​tracking unless I upgraded to the more expensive Express mail, but upon further investigation, I found that priority can have both of those features for a slight fee.
The second star is a little nit-​picky, but he never seems to answer his posted phone number, so you’ll have to go into the shop if you need information.
So the bottom line is, if you have a question or want high end customer service go to postal plus, if you want the cheapest option, try the post office (or UPS.)

The location is definitely a plus, but that may be the only good thing about it. I got a free box, but the attitude was not very friendly. Not rude, but certainly not polite. The box was heavy and cost more than I expected, so I asked if he had any flat rate boxes. He said that would only save me $ 2, so it wasn’t worth it. He was right, but as a customer, I’d like to be the one to make that choice. Finally, when I tried to pay by credit card, he informed me it was an extra 50 cents so just to pay cash. All in all, not a friendly experience.

I had a pre-​paid UPS package that I just needed to drop off. Guy tried to charge me $ 1 for what should be a free service and then when I balked he told me I should just go to the UPS store. I asked him about the «authorized UPS service center» sign in his window and he mumbled something and then told me that he doesn’t have to explain himself to me before disappearing into the backroom.

This is one of those neighborhood shops that I’d be completely lost without. Since the closest post office is down on Broadway (and always a total zoo of people, disgruntled employees, junkies, and garbage), Postal Plus has become my default shipping destination.
Ed, the proprietor, seems to never EVER have a day off. While this means sometimes he can seem a little exhausted, it also means that you have a sense of being a regular when you go to Postal Plus. Once, I dropped off a stack of pre-​stamped large envelopes, and forgot that one of them was going to Vancouver, BC (meaning I hadn’t put nearly enough postage on it). Ed simply added the extra postage and made a note of it, knowing he’d see me in a week or so for reimbursement. When’s the last time the Post Office covered your butt on postage? NEVER, THAT’S WHEN.
I still miss the sewing and craft supplies that used to be upstairs when the store was known as That Shop … but along with the shoe repair place next door and the cheap everything store across the street, this spot is a neighborhood godsend.

This is one of Capitol Hill’s wonderful little secrets. Ed, the proprietor, knows what he’s doing and can always recommend the best way to get my package to its destination. He also has post office boxes, copying and faxing, and all the supplies one could need. Postal Plus feels like the modern-​day version of an old-​time, small-​town post office, hidden away in the middle of the city.

Postal Plus, I love you, I love you.
This is such a great alternative to the post office, and there’s never a line. You can buy envelopes of any size, boxes, mail things, make copies, get your documents notarized, etc. The guy who works there is friendly and efficient, and there’s even a pretty fish to look at while you’re waiting at the counter.
No more waiting in line at the post office for me! I’m almost sad to clue people into this place.