# Postal Connections #101 Bend, OR 97701 > Welcome to Postal Connections #101 ### Posts #### 15 Things to Consider when Selecting a Retail Product or Service to Sell in Bend Have you ever thought about why stores in your neighborhood sell what they sell? For example, a Postal Connections in Islandia, New York, is an agent for U-Haul and a store in Redmond, Oregon, sells greeting cards and locally made gifts and crafts. How did they and how do other local stores decide what would sell best in their niche markets? Here are 15 points to consider when making the decision of what retail products to sell in Bend Pennsylvania: Do you like the product you’re considering selling to the point that you would buy it yourself? Would you champion it to a friend or family member? Does it look like the product or service has staying power…will it still be moving over the next five to ten years? Can the product be advertised and sold for a reasonable COGS (Cost of Goods Sold)? Can you make money selling it? Is there a demand for the product in your local area? What problem does the product resolve for your customers… how does it improve their life? Who will you be selling it to…what are the demographics? Do you like the customers who will be using this product or service? How will the product or service by promoted and sold? Does the need exist for the product? What is the guarantee, service process or replacement procedure? Name three ways the product is superior to its competition in the area. Is the product priced lower and/or of better quality than similar products? How is the product or service manufactured or produced? To sell a product or service in your Bend retail store, everything has to be right: price, timing, demand, supply and especially your contentment in selling it. #### 2018 Holiday Shipping Dates Of the three major shipping companies, The United States Postal Service (USPS) alone should deliver 900 million packages+ along with about 15 billion pieces of mail this 2018 holiday season! USPS, FedEx, and UPS strive to make sure customer packages will arrive at their destinations on time for the holidays. However, it’s a good idea to check with your Postal Connections staff regarding shipping date deadlines to ensure on time arrival. Here are the latest holiday schedules to ensure Christmas domestic delivery for USPS, FedEx and UPS. The bottom line though, is that this is not guaranteed because estimated delivery dates and times will depend on the package’s origin and destination, as well as possible unforeseen weather conditions but it’s still a good bet these holiday shipping dates will be accurate under normal circumstances. USPS: (Shipping service cutoff dates to ensure Christmas delivery) Retail Ground - Friday, Dec. 14 First Class Mail - Thursday, Dec. 20 Priority Mail - Thursday, Dec. 20 Priority Mail - Express Saturday, Dec. 22 FedEx: (Shipping service cutoff dates to ensure Christmas delivery) SmartPost Services - Monday, Dec. 10 Ground - Friday, Dec. 14 Home Delivery - Monday, Dec. 17 Express Saver - Wednesday, Dec. 19 2 Day Services Thursday, Dec. 20 Overnight Services Friday, Dec. 21 UPS: (Shipping service cutoff dates to ensure Christmas delivery) Ground - Friday, Dec. 14 3 Day Select - Tuesday, Dec. 18 2nd Day Air Services - Thursday, Dec. 20 Next Day Air Services - Saturday, Dec. 22 For detailed carrier-specific holiday shipping information and updates, ask your Postal Connections employee about which service is right for you. Postal Connections also offers expert packaging services, even for those oddly shaped items, and we can ship anywhere in the world! #### A Suite of Services Postal Connections helps people and businesses needing to complete everyday business tasks as well as larger projects. We are a one stop shop with deep roots in packing and shipping. However, we are much more than just a pack and ship store. Our services include mailbox rental, notary services, faxing, b/w and color copying, custom print and design services, retail office and shipping supplies, stamps, laminating, shredding, and computer rental with internet access. Many stores also do passport photos, fingerprinting and more. We offer 20+ different services and products for all your business needs! Winter is coming and so are the holidays! Yes, it’s almost that time again. Autumn is here and right on its heels will be the holidays! Please keep us in mind for all your holiday shipping. We also do profession packing and custom box creation for those hard to fit items. And we have shipping options to get your package there safe and on time! Notary Public Services You’ve heard the term “Notary Public” …but what exactly is a notary public? By whatever name, a notary, public notary or a notary public, the term refers to a public officer serving the public in non-contentious matters including real estate transactions, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and some foreign and international business. The main functions are to administer affirmations and oaths, to witness and authenticate signatures on certain documents and to take statutory declarations, affidavits and perform other common-law type duties. You may have used them in real estate transactions, wills and other documents requiring authentication of signatures. Notaries use an official state issued stamp that they receive after being certified by that state. To become a notary you need to meet the age, residence and domicile requirements and in some states you must take a state mandated education notary class and pass the notary exam. You must also be bonded so will need to undergo fingerprinting and pass a background check. Most Postal Connections locations have a Public Notary on staff but please call ahead for availability. Please note, not all services are offered at all locations. #### A Typical PCA Store At Postal Connections, our specialty is packing and shipping to anywhere in the world, printing and copying and providing services for small businesses or anyone else that is always on the go with little time to spare. We are here to make your life easier. Packing and Shipping Expert packaging and shipping alternatives for all types of items is how we started. You can be assured that your items will be securely packed and will arrive safely to their destination. That includes gifts for Christmas, birthday and any other special gifts you need to send to loved ones throughout the year. Color Copies and Printing We offer state-of-the-art copiers for customer use to ensure clean, crisp b/w or color copies. We can also do the copying for you and can offer assistance on how to make your message really stand out. If you need professional Print and Design services we can help you with that too! We offer professional one on one design service with easy ordering and fast turnaround on most print items including flyers, menus, brochures, yard signs, business cards, EDDM cards and many other items. Postal Connections is here for all your business needs! Other services may include: Packing and Shipping Services Mail Box Services Mail Forwarding Certified Mail/Return Receipt Overnight Document & Package Delivery FedEx USPS, Priority Mail Packing and Moving Services Packing and Moving Boxes Gift Boxes Computer Rental Internet Access Resume Services Notary Digital Printing Secure Shredding Keys Secretarial/ Administrative Services Boxes of all Sizes Digital Imaging Copy and Print Services Full Service Black & White Copies Self Service Black & White Copies Color Printing and Copies Printing Services: Business Cards Brochures, Posters, Flyers Envelopes and Letterhead Binding Laminating Collating Full Range of Finishing Services Padding Presentation Materials and Supplies Commercial Accounts Available Fax Services, Send and Receive Business Forms Desktop Publishing Custom Rubber Stamps Note, not all services are offered by all stores. Please call ahead to make sure. #### All About Binder Clips Although it may have never crossed your mind, the handiest of little office gizmos - the binder clip - has a lengthy history and some creative uses. Prior to its invention in 1910 by Washington DC resident Louis Baltzley, sheets of paper were bound together by punching holes in them and sewing them together, making the removal of one sheet very difficult. The binder clip changed all that. Large stacks of paper that are nearly impossible to secure with a paper clip can be easily bound with a binder clip. And undone again whenever needed. More than Just an Office Gadget A simple strip of spring steel with two loop handles, the binder clip now comes in dozens of colors and sizes. When you pick up a package of these handy items, you are getting more than a way to hold paper together, you are getting a teeny-weeny multi-purpose tool. Can't finish that sack of cookies or chips? Close it up with a binder clip. Falling asleep reading your book? Don't dog-ear the pages...mark your place with a binder clip. Need a quick bill fold? Binder clip! The binder clip has inventive uses outside the office too. For instance, in 1966, USAF test pilot Joseph F. Cotton used the shiny metal portion of a binder clip to short-circuit an electrical circuit panel to force the landing of an XB-70 bomber during a flight. Then, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers in at least one medical center used extra-large binder clips to secure plastic curtains between workers and patients infected with the airborne virus. Binder Clips and You Are your long bangs flopping over your face as you read this little article? Binder clips make great emergency barrettes! Come on in to your nearest Postal Connections Service Center for binder clips in every size and color as well as all the paper you need to clip those clips on to. #### Businesses Appreciate Good Service Postal Connections of America stores are built on good service. A recent survey suggests that purchasers appreciate the value of strong service-oriented businesses. In fact, 60% of Americans would try a new product or service if they felt they would receive a good customer experience and 70% are willing to spend an average of 13% more with companies they feel deliver good customer service. For the past three decades, America has been re-organizing how work is done resulting in a significant number of entrepreneurs and freelancers that offer products and services to the B2B or B2C markets. The unprecedented growth of web communications, home offices, portable work, service businesses, and world trade is driving American companies to look at work in a different way, driving workers from traditional employee status to become home-office representatives, contractors, vendors and consultants. There has been a significant growth of these kinds of small business people. They are always striving to be more productive by seeking the most convenient and reliable products / services. The U.S. Census indicates that small office / home office businesses have been increasing at a 49% rate over the last decade. It is estimated small businesses now number over 50 million U.S. entities and they need administrative support to serve their customers /clients / employers. Efficiency is critical and they use Postal Connections for their back office support in lieu of purchasing printers, fax machines, copiers which are all office mainstays. We help them compete locally and worldwide by providing a basket of essential services like mailbox rentals, computer rentals, printing, copying, faxing, shipping, packing, office supplies and much more, serving as the office for many small businesses. #### But Wait, Can I Ship This? Before you buy the gift, be sure you can ship it. While some differences exist, in what cannot be shipped from one carrier to another, here are the most commonly prohibited items. USPS Prohibited Items: air bags fire arms & ammunition explosives gasoline marijuana (medical or otherwise) aerosols alcoholic beverages tobacco products cremated remains dry ice glues lithium batteries perfumes (may be shipped in US via ground transportation if it contains alcohol) perishable items (live animals, food, and plants) medicines and prescription drugs - See here for guidelines on how to ship controlled substances). - See here for toxic substances. UPS Prohibited Items: aerosol aftershaves air bag alcoholic beverages ammunition animals of any form (alive or dead) gas/fumes/liquid containing petroleum batteries biological samples car doors/bonnets/bumpers cash/credit/debit cards chainsaw checks dangerous goods driving license drugs (including prescription) engines fire extinguisher fish (dead or alive) knives oil paint passport nail varnish plants tobacco/tobacco products weapons and more. FedEx Prohibited Items: alcohol beverages animals (dead or alive) articles of unusual value such as priceless art, jewelry, collectibles and antiques cash coins currency stamps negotiable stocks bonds bank drafts cash letters and other negotiable instruments equivalent to cash common fireworks cut flowers dangerous goods such as: explosives, corrosives, flares, matches, flammable goods, furs hazardous materials such as: hypodermic needles, syringes, or other medical wastes. - Here's the complete list of prohibited items. In short, before you ask: "Can I ship this?" Do your due diligence first. You'll save yourself time and maintain peace of mind during the hectic holiday shipping season. Go to your local Postal Connections Store for knowledgeable and professional help, where they'll help guide you to the best service for your holiday shipping needs. Postal Connections also offers expert packaging services, even for those irregularly-shaped packages, and we can ship anywhere in the world! While not all stores offer all services, most do offer more than 30 different products and services, which will make your holiday shipping needs much easier to bear. Postal Connections Stores are committed to serving all of your holiday shipping needs with superior customer service! #### Cargo Containers and Shipping Costs Ever since the discovery of commerce, people have been loading an assortment of barrels, sacks, and crates onto pack animals, wagons, and boats, to be traded with other folks at the end of the journey. All that loading, unloading, and reloading onto the local delivery carts was time-consuming and expensive. Finally, in 1956 - after thousands of years of repetitive labor - American entrepreneur Malcolm McLean revolutionized the whole process by inventing the standard-sized cargo container. Cargo containers are the big 'boxes' you see on tractor-trailers hauling virtually everything we purchase for our homes and offices. Are you reading this article on your computer or smart phone? Wearing clothing manufactured in another country? Snacking on a banana? It was all delivered by ship in a cargo container. Cargo Container Shortage Like everything else in the post-pandemic world, shipping - and therefore the cost of shipping things - has been influenced by a number of factors, including the shortage of cargo containers. The Pandemic Created a Bottleneck An estimated 90% of the world's consumer goods are transported by sea, and 60% of those items are packed into cargo containers. Most goods come from Asia. As the pandemic spread, many Asian factories closed, halting production temporarily. Lack of dock workers caused cargo containers to pile up at the ports. To stabilize costs and mitigate the erosion of shipping rates, carriers reduced the number of vessels at sea. Lack of vessels meant that empty cargo containers were not picked up and returned to Asia. That means a shortage of containers to load goods onto, which means your New Year's Eve party dress and your child's Christmas toys may be sitting on a dock somewhere waiting to be loaded. More Demand During the pandemic people became accustomed to ordering goods online and even now with the pandemic subsiding people continue to take advantage of the ease of ordering just about everything online. Orders are up, but the means to deliver the products is down. Although Asian factories are beginning to re-open as the pandemic subsides, it will take a while for production of large steel cargo containers to catch up. What Does This Mean at Postal Connections? It means that even though the cost of shipping with the major carriers may have increased we are still here to help you choose the best service for your needs. We also have professional packing service to ensure your holiday items arrive safely. Best Wishes From Your Friends at Postal Connections. Hope to See You Real Soon! #### Challenges SOLVED With Office Supplies Not so long ago, you went to your office, sat down at your desk and glanced fondly at photographs of your Significant Other, your kids and your pet before buckling down to work. Today, the kitchen table is your desk, your Significant Other slouches around all day in a bathrobe, the kids are clamoring for attention and the cat keeps walking on your key board. Postal Connections can help The Cat – Paper clips and binder clips. You need these things anyway. Put several of these little clanky items into a glass jar or empty soda-pop can. When Kitty approaches your keyboard, it’s shake, rattle, and roll. You shake the can, the clips make a rattling noise, and Kitty ‘rolls’ away. Visit PCA for paper clips, jumbo paper clips, and binder clips in every size and color. The Clamoring – Solve today’s clamor with reams of copy paper, colored paper and colored markers. Get them to draw pictures of the cat. As for future clamoring…are the kids going back to school in the fall or are they not? Either way, they need supplies and Postal Connections has everything you need without the long lines at the ‘big box’ stores. Come see us for… Folders Paper Pens & pencils Markers Staples And much, much more The Bathrobe – Believe it or not, we can solve this one too. Just have your Significant Other get dressed and come to PCA to pick up all of the items to combat the cat and quiet the kids. You can feel confident about sending your Significant Other to visit PCA because… Our staff is following health advisory recommendations: wearing protective face masks, washing hands, social distancing, and avoidance of handshaking and other cultural greetings. We have advised our staff to stay home if they show any symptoms or have come in contact with those who have symptoms. To protect our staff and customers, we require protective facemask or face covering to be worn while in the store. We will continue to monitor the situation going forward to ensure customer safety. These measures will remain in place at Postal Connections® until further notice. Thanks for all of your support – we look forward to serving you soon. #### Copy Those Income Tax Records In 2014, nearly 84% or 122 million people filed their income taxes via efile, exceeding their goal of 80%. Especially, if you’re receiving a refund, it’s the fastest way to complete the April chore. But don’t forget about your records! Keep the following record retention guidelines in mind: The IRS recommends all returns and any supporting information (W2s, 1099s, etc.) be kept for three years after the filing date (That’s when the statute of limitations for an IRS audit expires.). For this year, you would keep the documentation through 2018. If your income is underreported by 25%, the IRS can go six years back, seven if you claim a bad debt or worthless securities loss so you should keep records in these cases at least that long. If you do not file a return or a return is fraudulent, keep your records indefinitely. Do not forget about your state record retention requirements. While most states follow the federal guidelines, some state statute of limitations are different. For example, in Michigan, it’s four years after a return is filed or required to be filed. You might not have the copier it takes to effectively run copies of your records, but your Postal Connections store does. Come on in and copy all that you need to stay compliant with the IRS. It prevents the aggravation of having to retrieve everything in the event of an audit or some other need for the records. #### Customized Boxes Sometimes the item you are shipping just won’t fit in any available box! With its weird angles, funky corners or curves, it seems an impossible task to pack it correctly for that 1,300 mile trip to your mother for her birthday. Packing Odd Shaped Items How do you pack that special item so it arrives at its destination in one piece? You’ve checked for the right box size but it doesn’t exist which means you may have to try to create a custom box yourself. There is an actual art to making one of those and it is rarely an easy process for the untrained. It might require putting 2 or more boxes together to approximate the fit you need. Then, it’s time to select the appropriate bubble-wrap, packing peanuts, or other inside padding to shield the item against mayhem along the 1,300-mile route. This is all very time consuming, confusing, expensive and a major inconvenience with no guarantee that the item will reach its destination intact! At Postal Connections we have the training and experience to create that custom box and save you the hassle. Our packing experts will professionally pack and ship your oddly shaped, fragile, special and valuable items to ensure their safe arrival. Packing Guarantee The Postal Connections guarantee provides peace of mind because your items are packed to meet or exceed any and all carrier requirements. If any damage or loss occurs during transit, your Postal Connections store stands behind the packaging, guaranteeing it for insurability. All Your Business Needs! At Postal Connections our specialty is packing and shipping, printing and copying, mailbox rental, custom print/design and more! We’re here for all your business needs! Postal Connections stores are independently owned and operated. Many are family owned with active ties to the community as well as having membership with local Chamber of Commerce. Note, not all services are offered by all stores. Please contact your local store for more information on offered services. #### Dad Likes Gifts, too! Father’s Day Shipping You found the perfect gift for Dad. However, you are not enthusiastic about packing it because that’s not your thing and you haven’t a clue about what it will cost to ship it or even the best place to do so. But you do know where your local Postal Connections store is. Make sure you bring that Father’s Day gift to Postal Connections. We ship anywhere in the world and will carefully pack your item so it arrives safely. And we have many shipping options to choose from to ensure it arrives by Father’s Day, June 17th. Dad will appreciate your thoughtfulness! PCA Services You already know we ship anywhere and pack your items with TLC. You might even know that we copy, print, and scan and sell office supplies. Here are some of the more specialized services that some of our stores provide for their customers: Freight: Ship large, heavy and awkward items with crating services where available. Stamps: Buy your stamps. iSold It eBay Consignment Sales Service: Some Postal Connection stores now offer eBay sales assistance services. Bring in your unused or unwanted items and we will assist with selling them on eBay. We take care of all listing tasks including correspondence with the buyer and shipping. Once the item is sold we send you a check! It’s the easy way to sell on eBay! Public Computer Access: Access the internet, ecommerce, or email via a public computer for a reasonable fee. Passport Photos: Updating your passport? Come see us for a professional passport photo. Notary Services: Come in to get those important document signatures officially notarized. Gift Shop: Need a gift? Many PCA stores stock gifts and greeting cards unique to the area for that special touch. Make sure you call your local store for availability but if you’re looking for something special, your Postal Connections store may have just what you’re looking for! #### Decorative Mailers, Document Finishing, Custom Design Postcards How about a Decorative Mailer? Everyone loves to receive packages from their loved ones on any occasion. When you want to send a gift or special letter and need an awesome look but not quite gift wrapping, your local Postal Connections store can help. We stock multiple decorative mailers with different themes around birthdays and holidays along with non-holiday versions. The brightly colored, merry mailers add a touch of panache to your gifts. We’ll pack and ship your nicely decorated item and get it there on time to delight your loved one! What is Document Finishing? Postal Connections has a reputation as the superior document finishing services center for businesses and residents in your area. But what exactly does document finishing services mean? It means using special paper types, sorting, collating, binding and more to turn that ordinary copy job into a finished professional presentation. Good finishing is the difference between mediocre work and a professional look. Specialty paper, lamination, stapling, presentation covers, labeling, and much more can be used to finish your document! Postcards for Marketing? Postcards can be a great way to get your message to an audience, quickly, affordably, and concisely. Use Postal Connections to help you professionally design and print postcards for any special mailing campaign. If you need custom postcards see the Postal Connections print, mail, and shipping experts! Postal Connections Customer Service For these valuable services as well as a slew of others, we always demonstrate a strong commitment to service our valuable customers by working with Service You Want, Technology We Know. Our staff is dependable, trustworthy, dedicated and most of all capable. We wear our unparalleled customer service on our sleeves at all times! Please remember, not all stores offer all services so please call ahead. #### Fun and Functional - Bubble Wrap Kids love to pop it. Secretly, so do grownups. Your Postal Connections Service Center loves to pack your delicate items in bubble wrap to make sure they get to their destinations safely. But where did this magical stuff come from? The Beginning of Bubble Wrap When your grandpa was a kid, there was no Bubble Wrap. People just balled up old newspapers or even used actual peanut shells to protect items and fill up the empty spaces in shipping boxes. They just hoped for the best. It was better than nothing, but not ideal. Then in 1957, an accidental invention revolutionized the packing and shipping industry and became a fun, new 'toy' for millions of children. Not Wallpaper Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes were attempting to create a sort of textured wallpaper by laminating two layers of plastic shower curtains together with a heat-sealing machine. Instead of making a nice, bumpy-textured wall covering, they made a plastic sheet full of air-filled pockets. It was squeezy! The inventors initially dismissed their creation as a failure, but then began thinking of ways to use it - more than 400, in fact! Fielding and Chavannes founded their own company - Sealed Air Corp in 1960 to market their products and in 1961 got their first real break. IBM had recently introduced the first consumer computer and needed a way to protect it during shipment. Electronics and bubble wrap - a perfect pairing. Get Your Bubble Wrap Come on in to the Postal Connections Service Center nearest you to ship your delicate items or pick up shipping supplies – like bubble wrap - to pack the item yourself. Because, admit it, Dear Reader... not only is Bubble Wrap the ideal packing material, but adults like to pop the bubbles too! #### Get Organized in 2021 with Hanging File Folders Are you the person who throws all financial records into one giant box - your W-2s, the 1099s, insurance policies, property taxes, a zillion utility bills, bank and credit card statements, mortgage payments, every other kind of receipt - and then rummages around in there looking for the stuff your CPA wants at tax time? Can’t find it, huh? So you just give the accountant your entire box and say, "Here, you do it." Hanging Files Save You Time and Money When your records are so disorganized that it’s impossible to find anything, you (or your accountant) may not be filing your taxes correctly because you may be overlooking important sources of income or deductions. Here’s good news - a humble office product can fix all that in a flash. Your desk probably has a drawer with side rails for the hanging files. Take your lunch and box of tissues out of there and install the file folders. Use the little tabs that come with them to label them from A to Z, or by individual companies or topics - whatever works for you. You’ll save time because you can drop your receipts and important papers in the correct file today thus saving you hours of rummaging around looking for things later. You’ll save money because... Your CPA is probably charging you for extra time spent looking through your records. Not every piece of paper in your giant box is of interest to your accountant. With file folders, you can easily extract the needed docs yourself, thus saving you the additional hourly charges. Since every document your CPA wants (W-2, 1099, insurance dec pages, property taxes, savings account interest, etc) has already been filed with the government, if you fail to file these things yourself because your records are in disarray, you will get a letter from Uncle Sam saying you owe more money. And, if you don’t pay the extra amount due right away, there’s interest and penalties. Here’s more good news... Postal Connections Has Hanging Files in Stock Inexpensive and plentiful, hanging files are the workhorse of office organization. Get them in basic Army-green or a variety of bright colors to spruce up that file drawer. So, c’mon in and stock up on this crucial supply. We thank you for your continued support and look forward to supplying you with all the hanging file folders you need. You Can Feel Confident About Visiting Postal Connections Because... Our staff is following health advisory recommendations: wearing protective face masks, washing hands, social distancing, and avoidance of handshaking and other cultural greetings. We have advised our staff to stay home if they show any symptoms or have come in contact with those who have symptoms. To protect our staff and customers, we require protective face mask or face covering to be worn while in the store. We will continue to monitor the situation going forward to ensure customer safety. These measures will remain in place at Postal Connections® until further notice. Find the Postal Connections store nearest you, and get organized in 2021 with hanging file folders. #### Have it Your Way – You Choose the Carrier We Do the Rest! So, let us ask you a question. Do you enjoy standing 6 feet behind the person in front of you at the Post Office? How about at FedEx? Is it any better at UPS? Didn’t think so. We know you have a choice of carriers and sometimes you want to send a package to one recipient by one carrier and another package to another recipient by another carrier. But you don't want to traipse around town to several different shipping services and wait in line every single time. Postal Connections overcomes that problem. We know which service does what, goes where, and how much it costs. Our knowledgeable associates will help you select the most expedient and cost-effective way (or ways) to get your goods where they're supposed to go. PCA is convenient - we utilize ALL the major shipping and delivery carriers so you get the best service. Really BIG Packing & Shipping Challenges Sure, we can help you with all the regular stuff, like postage stamps and packing tape, but when you have a big, bulky, fragile, or otherwise problematic package to ship, Postal Connections & iSOLD It can arrange professional packing and shipping of everything. For instance... Your college student is spending a year abroad. He forgot his laptop. How are you going to pack his electronics and get it to a European country, through customs, and safely? Who can help? Postal Connections & iSOLD It can! You’re moving across country. Your one-of-a-kind, artist-made sculpture needs an enormous, custom-built packing crate and must be shipped via a freight company. Do you know who to call? Call Postal Connections & iSOLD It! You inherited Grandma's antique Royal Doulton bone china. A service for 12! Your daughter wants it and she lives in another city. Who can you trust to carefully pad, pack, and ship these incredibly thin dishes and get them there unbroken? Postal Connections & iSOLD It, that's who. Postal Connections & iSOLD It are here when you need us. In fact, Federal standards designate postal stores as essential business and vital to the US Postal Service. Bring all your packing & postal needs to Postal Connections. We’re your one-stop-shipping shop. We get things done! Find a store and come see us today! #### High Points in Postal History There's a first time for everything, including sending things by mail. Before the invention of writing, there was no mail. Postal history was born when the Mesopotamians invented writing about 9500 years ago as a way to keep track of bushels of grain and jars of olive oil they shipped by pack animal or boat. Their writing was on clay tablets delivered with the goods. You might call these things early bills of lading. Fast forward several thousand years in postal history to 2400 BC. The ancient Egyptians had state-appointed mail couriers who delivered messages throughout the kingdom. The earliest surviving piece of mail is an Egyptian papyrus from 255 BC. Other ancient cultures followed suit. There were mail couriers in Persia, Arabia, India, and Peru. An ancient postal invention still in use today is the envelope. The first envelopes were made of cloth, animal skins, or vegetable peels. In the second century BC, the Chinese invented paper and the paper envelope was born. You can carry on the age-old tradition of mailing things in envelopes when you shop at your nearest Postal Connections Service Center. We stock all kinds of envelopes. Sorry, no animal skins! Postal History and Mice in Mailboxes The modern postal system as we know it was developed in Paris by Frenchman Jean-Jacques Renouard de Villayer in 1653. He set up mailboxes and delivered any letters placed in them if folks used the postage-paid envelopes that he sold. His business took a turn for the worse when a jealous competitor put live mice in people's mailboxes to scare his customers. There are no mice in mailboxes at Postal Connections. Every Postal Connections Service Center offers dedicated mailbox rental service with an individual physical address for each business or private user. You'll never have to worry about 'porch pirates' or your mail getting rained on. We receive your packages, notify you when you have mail, and offer electronic scanning of your mail at some locations, if desired. Virtual mail service saves you from the clutter of junk mail festooning your desk. We transform your paper mail into electronic mail that is delivered to your email inbox the following day. No mice either. Check your local service center for availability and details. Make your own postal history when you get your mail the modern way, with Mailbox Rental Services at Postal Connections. #### Holiday Season Packing and Shipping Planning for the holiday season starts now! The Post Office will ship more than 600 million packages during the holiday season, about 15% of their yearly total. And that’s just the Post Office and doesn’t include FedEx, UPS or DHL. Your local Postal Connections stores are ready to serve you this season with one simple goal- to make sure your package arrives at the right destination intact and ready to go. Delivery Options At Postal Connections our focus is getting your packages shipped to their destination safely. And we ship anywhere in the world with our many shipping alternatives! Just bring in your prepacked or unpacked items and we will help you select the best carrier and method to get your package to its destination safe and on time for the holidays. We have many shipping choices including USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, Priority, and Express Mail. We also accept drop offs from all carriers. Insurance and package tracking is also available and you can buy stamps, too. Packing Attentive service, special care and quality packaging materials are the mainstay of your local Postal Connections expert packaging service. You will work with a staff trained on the best ways to protect fragile items, electronic equipment, antiques and other special items. During the busy holiday shipping season, our store staff takes the extra care to prepare and pack your items to ensure they make it through carrier handling. We use strong carton packaging and all the bubble wrap, packing peanuts and support braces needed. Some of our stores also offer crate and freight services in the event you need to ship large items. Check your local store for availability. And remember, when we pack an item, we guarantee it! Packing & Business Supplies You can also purchase packaging materials including a complete line of strong shipping boxes and cartons, sealing tape, bubble wrap, Styrofoam™ peanuts, padded envelopes, shipping tubes, and more. In addition, Postal Connections stores offer an inventory of quality office supplies. This includes pencils, writing tablets, envelopes, folders, labels, markers, paper clips and staples. Visit your local Postal Connections for all your business needs and especially for holiday shipping. We will expertly pack and ship your items to ensure safe and on time arrival this holiday season. #### Holiday Shipping 2015 630 million, 600 million and 317 million. Those are the number of packages UPS, USPS and FedEx respectively will be shipping this holiday season. These numbers all represent increases over last year. For UPS, it’s a 10.3% increase, for the US Post Office, it’s 10.5% and for FedEx, the uptick is 12.4%. The increase is primarily due to tremendous growth of E-commerce. Consumer Shippers For those planning to ship gifts to loved ones, in order for cards, letters and packages to arrive within the United States by Dec. 25, FedEx, UPS and USPS recommend the following ship by dates: E-commerce will boost UPS holiday package shipments by 10.3%, to 630 million from 572 million, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. FedEx Dec. 12: Last day to ship via FedEx SmartPost Dec. 17: Last day to ship via FedEx Home Delivery and FedEx Ground Dec. 20: Last day to ship via FedEx Express Saver Dec. 22: Last day to ship via FedEx 2Day and FedEx 2Day A.M. Dec. 23: Last day to ship via FedEx Standard Overnight, FedEx Priority Overnight, and FedEx First Overnight Dec. 25: Last day to ship via FedEx SameDay UPS Shipping Deadlines Dec. 22: Last day to ship via UPS 2nd Day Air Dec. 23: Last day to ship via UPS Next Day Air  U.S. Postal Service Deadlines Dec. 15: Last day to send packages via standard parcel post Dec. 20: Last day to send packages via First Class Mail & Priority Mail Dec. 23: Last day to send packages via Priority Express Mail Shipping deadlines for packages headed to Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and other international destinations vary for all the carriers. You're Postal Connections store ships anywhere in the US and around the world using these and other carriers. Bring your items into your local PCA to ensure packaging that will protect your gift and provide the best choice of low cost shipping options. #### Holiday Shipping Deadlines to Remember In case you haven't noticed, the winter holiday season has arrived. Don't get lost in the hustle-and-bustle of tis' the season. While stress can wreak havoc on your holiday shipping there's no need to worry, too much, because Postal Connections is here to help. Now is the time to pay attention to holiday shipping deadlines. This year, Thanksgiving lands on November 28, which leaves you with only 26 days between Black Friday and Christmas Eve, to get your gifts there on time. Don't forget, shipment guarantees are impacted dramatically by peak season, particularly by a shorter one. Keep in mind these holiday shipping deadlines: FedEx: SmartPost Services: Monday, Dec. 9 Ground: Friday, Dec. 13 Home Delivery: Monday, Dec. 16 Express Saver: Wednesday, Dec. 18 2 Day Services: Thursday, Dec. 19 Overnight Services: Friday, Dec. 20 UPS: Ground: Friday, Dec. 13 (longest shipments) 3-Day Select: Thursday, Dec. 19 2nd Day Air: Friday, Dec. 20 Next Day Air: Monday, Dec. 23 USPS: Retail Ground: Monday, Dec. 16 First Class Mail: Friday, Dec. 20 Priority Mail: Friday, Dec. 20 Priority Mail-Express: Monday, Dec. 23 Postal Connections Stores Go to your local Postal Connections Store for knowledgeable and professional help, where they'll help guide you to the best service for your holiday shipping needs. Postal Connections also offers expert packaging services, even for those irregularly-shaped packages, and they can ship anywhere in the world! While not all stores offer all services, most do offer more than 30 different products and services, which will make your holiday shipping needs much easier to bear. Postal Connections Stores are committed to serving all of your holiday shipping needs with superior customer service! #### If You Have to Ship Something This Summer. . . As you bask in the glow that your child being away at summer camp brings or consider how your sister, who lives 500 miles away and who celebrates a July birthday and who, all of her life, has loved the chocolate cookies you make, you realize you might just have to ship something this summer. If you’re shipping food care packages and/or baked treats, keep the following in mind: Place the food in a container close in size to the box you will use for shipping. Tape the cold pack underneath the container so it keeps the food fresh. Slap perishable and fragile stickers on the box. Tape all of the seams (the four edges and the two center seams) of the box. This helps keep cool air in and hot air out. Use Mylar covered bubble wrap to line the box. (If you will be placing a gel pack in the box, wrap the item in the bubble wrap. It provides an extra layer of insulation.) Keep the product at the center of the container, if possible. Make sure the product is shipped cool. For example, if it’s shipped at 56°, it will take a lot longer to get to its melting point. Place perishable and fragile stickers on the package. There’s no need to cram the box because dead air is a great insulator and Styrofoam peanuts can also be used to maintain separation within the box. Finally, make sure that the recipient has a place out of the sun where the item can be delivered. Of course, you don’t have to go through all of this and still be worried that the food might not be edible when it gets there. Bring your container of food to your local Bend, PA Postal Connections store along with the address and we’ll make sure it gets shipped properly. We ship everywhere! #### Important Shipping Guidelines, Especially For the Holidays The holidays are fast-approaching and that means you need to know what you can ship, and how and where you can ship those items. The hustle-and-bustle of getting it there in time can be stressful. But that's where Postal Connections comes in. However, it would behoove you to know what you can, and cannot, ship. For example, did you know that certain dangerous items, like firearms/ammunition, knives, fire extinguishers, alcohol & cigarettes, paint, human remains, and infectious materials are prohibited to ship with most carriers...but not with FedEx? Here’s what you need to know about important shipping guidelines, especially for the holidays: FedEx is very shipping-friendly. Read more here to learn about what cannot be shipped. UPS appears to be more selective. Read more here for a complete list of what cannot be shipped. USPS is a lot like UPS with their shipping restrictions. Read more about it, here. All questions are welcome, and your local Postal Connections store's well-trained staffers, will help guide you toward the shipping option that best suits your needs. Our 100% satisfaction guarantee means that if something goes wrong, we'll make it right. We can ship, we can receive, and we can ensure safe delivery of items both large and small to anywhere in the world. All carriers boast similar time-sensitive shipping benefits. But there are the usual subtle differences that can make-or-break your holiday shipping needs. Follow our important holiday shipping guidelines and you will not be disappointed. At Postal Connections, we are the antidote to an all-too-common phenomenon in commerce: shrinking, and often, near non-existent customer service. Our Postal Connections stores, operated by local business owners, serve their neighbors with a personal touch, convenience, and reliability. Get to know us to learn more about how we can help you, today. #### Is This a Good Time to Start a Business Now is an excellent time to start a business and the many Postal Connections Service Centers can help. If the long haul of the pandemic has taught us all something, it is this... we can all reinvent ourselves in any way we choose. And if you are like millions of other folks - sick of your former 9 to 5 office grind - you might just be ready to be your own boss. Even though there are now plenty of empty office spaces you could occupy, you might even be able to work your new idea from home. No matter what sort of business model appeals to you, every business needs the services that Postal Connections provides. Start a Business Inexpensively Not every new business requires a college degree, lots of experience, or pricey equipment. But they all need business cards, stamps, and office supplies. Let us supply your business with an actual business mailbox. We can print your business cards, send your faxes, and even provide you with computer access. If you are still mulling over various ideas to start a business, here are a few to think about in 2022... House cleaning - If you are a neatnik, you will be pleasantly surprised at how lucrative the cleaning business can be. Busy people need help! Put a notice on Facebook and you will be booked up quickly. Vehicle detailing - No need to open a brick & mortar establishment, just go to the vehicle owner's home or business and do the work there. Pet walking and pet sitting - Go to the 'fur-baby's' home. The busy pet-parent will be overjoyed to see you. Home tutoring - Remote learning has left many students more confused than ever. If you are good at math, reading, science, playing the piano, English, or any other subject, consider tutoring students in your own home. Own your own Postal Connections store - Postal Connections has a flexible, proven system to offer superior service in shopping malls, high-rise commercial spaces and smaller community free-standing stores. We deliver better value at a lower cost than other franchises. And we help you find the financing too! Take advantage of a rare opportunity to be part of a nationwide, trusted service. Find out how you can become the owner of your own Postal Connections store. Be your own boss - control your own future. Join our family! Get Customers with Business Cards Good old-fashioned business basics still work. When you are having lunch at your favorite neighborhood restaurant or chatting with the clerk at the grocery store, work your new business into the conversation and give them your new business card. But first, come to your nearest Postal Connections Service Center and have us print them for you. Now you're all ready to go! #### Military Moments At Postal Connections, we recognize the service and sacrifice of the men and women serving in the United States military. In honor of May being Military Appreciation Month, we are excited to announce our Military Moments campaign designed to give back to those who work diligently to protect our country. From Monday, May 1 through Wednesday, May 31, Our Postal Connections store will be accepting donations of goods from local residents and businesses. These donations will be sent to veterans and active duty military personnel serving here and overseas. Suggested items for donation include: Healthy snacks Drink mix packets Microwavable food Non-perishable food items Toiletries In addition to local community donation drives, Postal Connections has also launched a nationwide social media sweepstakes with a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card! The winner will be selected from all national entries received as of May 31, 2017. To enter customers are asked to share a photo of a friend or family member in the military along with a note of appreciation for that person using hashtag #MilitaryMoments. Please visit our this link for more information and official sweepstakes rules. #### More Postal Connection Services in Bend OR Are you a business owner or do you manage a business? Do you run a department or operate out of your home or local office space? Then Postal Connections may just be the perfect business partner for you. We offer a full suite of products and support that include everything from packaging and shipping to professional-quality printing and copies. Following are some services some of our stores offer. Advertise in our Store Some stores will advertise your business in their store so that when patrons come in they can directly view your message. Contact us today to discuss the details. Remanufactured Ink and Toner Ink is expensive. No matter how much of it you use each day, consider our remanufactured (or reman) ink and toner option. These are not refilled ink cartridges. With remanufactured ink, the cartridge is thoroughly cleaned with parts being replaced if needed. Only then is the cartridge filled up. It does not leak. This is quality ink and toner that can be used for your brand of printer and purchased at a great price. Mailbox Rental For your business and/or your personal mail, renting a mailbox from us is inexpensive and convenient. We provide you with an address and the privacy you desire in handling your mail. Local Card and Gift Store Several PCA stores stock locally produced items and other brands that you don’t see in a department store. Something different is certainly interesting and can be a stand out gift for a loved one here in Bend, PA or anywhere else in the world. Notary Service Usually documents that need notarization are needed in a hurry. PCA Notary services are reliable, quick and affordable and will render your documents bonafide. Convenient Internet and Computer Rental Need to get on the internet for a minute? Did your computer crash right in the middle of reading important emails? Only use a computer once in a while? Our affordable, flexible computer rental options will help you out in a pinch or on a regular basis. Note: all stores do not provide all services. Contact the store in your area to inquire about a particular service. #### Notary Publics in Your Postal Connection of America Store Going back through time, through a distinguished lineage, a public notary is in reality a public office that originated in ancient Rome. Those civilizations (like ours) needed impartial recorders of facts that included public proceedings, state papers, legal forms, and to register the decrees of judges. In England, the profession came in later in the 13th and 14th centuries. Many notaries in those days were members of the clergy. When they stopped participating, secular folks and business people started assuming the post working like the current common law notary function. Private transactions and events were recorded along with documents of judicial importance. In fact, anytime an officially authenticated record was needed, you could find a notary. Like today… Officially, a state government appointee, a notary public serves the public as an impartial witness when important documents are signed. A notary public’s job is to verify that the person named on the document is indeed the person signing the document. Access a Convenient On-Site Notary Public Monday-Saturday Postal Connections on-site notary professionals will handle your legal documents quickly, accurately, and according to legal requirements. Contact your local Postal Connections store when you need notary service for: Contracts Legal Documents Real Estate Documents (Requires special training) School Permission Slips Medical Release Forms Car Title Transfers Power of Attorney (Requires special training) Child ID Kits Call ahead to make sure your Postal Connections store provides notary services along with all the other useful services to make your life easier. We offer packing, shipping, printing, office supply, and MORE! Questions About Our Notary Public Service? Call us with any questions about what a notarized document means and to make sure we provide the required notary service needed for your documents! (Note: Not all services are available at all stores.) #### Office Supplies Are Hot Too Is it hot where you are? Well, of course it's hot - it's summer time! Nobody has to tell you not to leave your pets or children in a closed car. A car parked in direct sunlight on a 72˚ day can reach a temperature of 119˚ in an hour! So leave the pets at home and bring the kids into the Postal Connections store with you when you shop for office supplies. And when you get back to your home office, unload the children and the office supplies quickly. Here's why... Heat Is Bad For Everything You Just Bought Office Supplies Bottled Water - Did you replenish your supply of bottled water when you picked up more printer paper? Sure, the water keeps you cool, but if you leave it in the car, the plastic degrades in extreme heat and can leach potentially dangerous chemicals like BPA into your refreshing drink. Take the water indoors and put it in the fridge. Phones, Tablets, and Laptops - Did you come in here to check for batteries, cords, or other 'tech' stuff? Thank you - we're glad you're here! Now go back to the parking lot and bring that IT stuff in here with you. Read the manual - leaving your device in direct sunlight can have damaging consequences to the battery, especially if it has a lithium-ion battery. According to Apple, temperatures higher than 95˚ can irreversibly damage the battery capacity of your iPhone, iPad, or MacBook. Chocolate - That chocolate bar you plan to snack on while typing your reports? A word to the wise - chocolate has a melting point of 79˚. Unload the car quickly! Crayons - Yes, we have crayons. No, they are not heat-proof. According to Crayola, crayons begin to soften at 105˚ and will liquefy at temperatures above 120˚. So take the new crayons indoors immediately with the kiddos. Reading Glasses and Sunglasses - Whether you bought a pair of 'cheaters' here at Postal Connections or have an expensive pair of prescription glasses or sunglasses, it's not a good idea to leave a spare pair in your car. Excessive heat can distort the frames, damaging the fit and function, and can even warp the acrylic lenses. Anyway, it's cool inside at Postal Connections. Every store has air-conditioning. Find the store nearest you, c'mon in to find all the office supplies you need! It's Cool Inside! Come see us real soon at Postal Connections! #### Office Supplies at Home A year and a half ago, you were probably working in an office - the kind where you had to wear office clothes and drive to. Today - if you are lucky - you work from your home office. No gasoline to buy, you can even work in your bathrobe if you want. One thing remains constant, though. You need for office supplies. At Postal Connections, we have everything you need and a whole lot more. Brew another cup of coffee and check off the items you want to stock up on... Printer ink Printer paper (it comes in lots of colors and sizes) Pens (fine points, wide points, many colors, markers – we have all kinds of pens) Pencils (why is #2 so popular when there are many more?) Staples Paper clips Rubber bands Manila envelopes Mailing envelopes File folders Photo paper Stickers Packing supplies Cute greeting cards Multitask! Get Business Supplies Where You Get Your Business Mail At Postal Connections, we offer the security and privacy of mailbox rental services with dedicated physical addresses. Just right for business use! If you run a business from your home, your residential address may not give the impression you want to achieve. When you rent your own Postal Connections mailbox, you fool identity thieves who can find a treasure trove of information by stealing letters directly from your home mailbox. You thwart 'porch pirates' who steal packages left by USPS or the delivery services. Postal Connections is secure. No worries about wet mail that is delivered during a rainstorm. Postal Connections is dry! What if your package or letter needs a signature when you are not at home? With a Postal Connections mailbox we can sign for and accept packages from all carriers and store them safely for you to pick up at your leisure. So, come on in to the Postal Connections store nearest you to pick up your office supplies and postage stamps when you check you mail. Postal Connections is your one-stop office headquarters. We love our customers! Thank you for your support. Come see us real soon at Postal Connections! #### On Time Packing and Shipping Come to your local Postal Connections Store to be sure your holiday packages are delivered safe and on time this holiday season! Make sure you shop early so you can ship early to beat the holiday crunch. To help ensure that packages are delivered in time for Christmas, here are some dates to remember: Post Office (mail by dates for delivery by Christmas) Dec 15: Deadline for standard parcel post shipments. Dec. 20: First-class and priority mail shipments. Dec 23: Deadline for priority express mail shipments. FedEx (mail by dates for delivery by Christmas) Dec 11 – Deadline for FedEx SmartPost shipments. Dec 15 – Deadline for FedEx Ground shipments. Dec 18 – Deadline for FedEx Home Delivery shipments. Dec 19 – Deadline for FedEx Express Saver shipments. Dec 20 – Deadline for FedEx 2-Day and 2-Day A.M. shipments. Dec 21 – Deadline for FedEx Standard Overnight, Priority Overnight, First Overnight shipments. Dec 25 – Deadline for all FedEx SameDay shipments. UPS Dec 18 – Deadline for UPS 3 Day Select shipments (delivery on Dec 22). Dec 20 – Deadline for UPS 2nd Day Air shipments (delivery on Dec 22). Dec 22 – Deadline for UPS Next Day Air shipments. (delivery on Dec 23). Note that these packages must be processed and labeled for Saturday delivery, which is not available in all ZIP codes. Your local Postal Connections store will help you choose the best carrier and service to ensure your packages arrive on time. We also provide expert packing service to ensure safe arrival and can ship anywhere in the world! A Suite of Services Postal Connections is here for all your business needs whether for a last minute office emergency or just an everyday administrative task. We are your one stop shop with expertise in packing and shipping. However, we are much more than just a pack and ship store. Our services include mailbox rental, freight, critical document mailing, packing materials, notary services, faxing, printing and copying, office supplies, stamps, laminating, shredding and computer rental with internet access. Many stores also do passport photos, finger printing and much more. Not all stores offer all services, but most stores offer 20+ different services and products that will make your life easier. #### Overnight Shipping for the Holidays Well, another trip around the sun means the Holiday season is upon us once again. Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year. You want to attend all of the amazing holiday events, but what if you just can't make to all of them. Overnight Shipping to the Rescue You may not have the time or ability to attend events in distant cities, but you can still show your family and friends how much you care by sending your beloved home-made cookies or candies to add to the festivities. Just bring your delicacies - no matter how fragile - to the nearest Postal Connections Service Center - and our friendly experts will carefully pack them so they arrive intact and ready to enjoy. And overnight shipping with UPS, FedEx, DHL, or USPS means that your gift will arrive fresh and ready to eat at any address anywhere. Ship Early-Don't wait until the Last Minute Everyone knows how time gets away during the Holiday Rush but don't wait until the last minute to ship your gifts, otherwise they may not make it in time. Due to the high volume of packages expected to be shipped during the holiday season and possible unforeseen delays due to inclement weather, there is no guarantee your package will arrive on time. So, we encourage shipping early whenever possible. Add a Greeting Card Select a cute Holiday card, add a special message, and sign your name with a colorful pen. You can track your package too. Or shoot a quick email to the gift recipients with our public computer access - let them know their package is on the way. These are just some of the many products and services we offer at every Postal Connections service center. So, whether you need overnight shipping, office products, passport photos, or packing boxes and stamps, your local Postal Connections service center is the place to go for friendly, dependable, efficient service. Happy Holidays! #### Package Shipping, Paper Shredding, and More! Mother’s Day is Sunday May 13th , so it’s time to think about how you want to honor your mother, stepmother, grandmother or even your sister. Bring your special gifts into Postal Connection for expert packing and shipping alternatives for safe and on time arrival! Paper Shredding While you might just have shredded some old tax docs, remember all the other important financial information on paper that needs shredding as well, such as credit card statements, used checks and who knows what else? Postal Connections provides secure shredding for sensitive and personal old documents that are no longer needed.. Post Office Box Rentals Run a business from your home? Sign up for a Mail Box at your Postal Connections. You’ll have a street address that allows package delivery from all carriers, protect your privacy and get automatic notifications when you have mail…how great is that! Students are Back Home Do you really want your son or daughter travelling on the nation’s highways towing a trailer or driving a vehicle filled to the hilt with all that stuff from the dorm? Or even worse, do you want to drive all that stuff back yourself for the summer? Probably not! Ship your student’s things home. Your Local Postal Connections store has experience in packing and shipping any item domestically and internationally (for those semesters spent in a foreign country). One of our great advantages is that we have many shipping options and can get you the most affordable rate all of the time. It’s convenient and affordable to ship college items back home or abroad for your student through your local Postal Connections. Not all stores offer all services, but most stores offer 30+ different services and products that will make your business and / or personal life easier. Postal Connections of America, we’re more than a pack and ship store! #### Packing & Shipping for Your Home-Based Business Are you an artist who creates prints or paintings? Perhaps you design and manufacture clever masks or baby clothes from home. Or maybe you scour the yard sales for unique items for your online Etsy store. You need packing and shipping to get your products to your customer. Packing & Shipping for Order Fulfillment People have embraced online shopping whole-heartedly. In fact, online spending in June of 2020 was 76% HIGHER than it was in June of 2019. And it continues to go up. That's good news for you the seller, but a dilemma for you the shipper. Thanks to Amazon and other giant internet retailers, many shoppers have become accustomed to free shipping. They want free shipping and will abandon their online shopping carts if the vendor does not offer free shipping. Only you can determine if your prices are set at a level that will enable you to make a profit and absorb the cost of this 'free' service. Un-Boxing & Ways to Offer 'Free' Shipping 'Free' shipping isn't really free, of course. The shipper still pays for it. Yet, your customer always wants to know how to save money. Here's how to offer the buyer more 'bang' for his buck... What if you offered FREE shipping when the customer met a certain dollar amount? This would encourage them to buy more of your items in order to meet the minimum. Un-boxing videos! Crazy as this sounds, people now post videos of themselves un-boxing their purchases. You can enhance their un-boxing experience by wrapping their goods in decorative paper, adding a hand-written note, or mingling packs of colorful Post-Its or pens into their package. On your website, show a sample video of a thrilled customer unwrapping a package from you. It will seal the deal. And social-media videos are a plus for you, because the happy customer is talking about your great service. Postal Connections Can Help You with All Your Shipping and Packing Needs Bring those packages to conveniently-located Postal Connections Service Center to be professionally packed and shipped. Every Postal Connections Service Center is an approved shipper for FedEx, UPS, USPS and DHL plus some territory specific shippers. We also offer First Class stamps, Priority Mail, Express Mail, package tracking, and private mailbox services too. And, to create the ultimate un-boxing experience, we offer colorful note cards, festive papers, pens, sticky-notes, and all kinds of fun gift items. Send it with confidence and ship it with safety when you make Postal Connections the preferred packing & shipping service for your home-based business. #### Packing Experts Prevent Damaged Goods When you are shipping something, make sure you package it right. If you're uncertain on how to do that, leave it to the professional packing experts at your Postal Connection Store in Bend, PA. You don't want anything like this to happen to you: A TV producer sent 200 DVDs to California but only six made the conference attendees that were waiting for all 200. The recipient said the first of the two packages with the DVDs arrived damaged. It appeared that along the way, it burst open. It ended up full of assorted junk (possibly from another package?) and got resealed with the six DVDs inside and a generic note from the postal service saying the package had been damaged! A purchaser of more than 45 name-brand baby clothes from eBay found a large hole in one corner of the package and 41 pieces removed. In their place, sat an empty can of chewing tobacco. An artist shipped a painting to New York for a show about pollinators where the artistry was limited to bees, birds and butterflies. No one bought the piece so it got shipped back to her. Disaster! The box was crushed and so was the artwork. The painting frame cracked and could not be repaired. The total loss was over $400. If you purchase insurance on shipping you can recoup losses, but this is not the point, is it? In most cases, the purchaser is looking forward to receiving the item being shipped and the sender wants it to arrive intact, not be reimbursed because it didn't. A couple of things to know about the art of packaging is that scotch tape is inappropriate as a packaging tape and newspapers are not the best cushioning material. Also, make sure that the package contents are not too heavy for the box thickness. Better yet, let Postal Connections Bend, PA handle the packing and shipping! #### Packing Glass? Leave it to the Pros You want to avoid a situation that happened to a young man who bought a beautiful glass wishing well figurine for his away-at-college girlfriend. Despite the beautiful (and quite romantic) gesture, and the fact that he thought he packed the glass well, the figurine arrived at his girlfriend’s dorm room shattered into little shards. No amount of insurance will cover you for a poor packing job should the shipping company find it sub-par. The Three Basic Rules For Packing Glass Are: Use padding that will withstand breaking before it is boxed. Liberally tape so that the padding material does not slip off of the glass. Also, use tape to bind items together so they don’t shift. Snugly pack the box leaving 3-inches of shock absorbing material around the inner package, especially at the corners. Instead of going through all of this work and facing the possibility of still not getting it right, come to your local Postal Connections and let the pros pack that precious glass for you. Valentine’s Day More than one billion Valentine’s Day cards will be sent for Valentine’s Day, 2018. Add that to the special gifts conceptualized and delivered and this is one unique day in the heart of winter. When sending those heartfelt gifts to loved ones, come to your local Postal Connections store for superior packaging and shipping alternatives to meet every need. And why not keep your calendar marked for all the gift-giving days in 2018: Easter, Thanksgiving, Mother and Father’s days, Christmas and of course your own special birthdays and anniversaries. Postal Connections provides an oasis of competence in the maze of gift packaging and shipping. Postal Connections of America: Reliable. Knowledgeable. Enduring. #### Post-it® Notes - Sticky Stuff Saves the Day Back in the day, if you wanted to leave a note on a document for a co-worker or supervisor, you could... Take an ink pen and write something directly on the doc. Bad idea! You shouldn't deface the doc. Write a note on a little piece of paper and staple it to the doc. A really bad idea! Staples put holes in the doc. Write a note on a little piece of paper and paper-clip it to the doc. Yet another bad idea - paper clips are thicker than paper and make a big lump in file folders. Science Rescues the Office Worker by Accident In 1968, Dr. Spencer Silver, a research chemist with 3M Company, was trying to develop a super-strong adhesive. He accidentally invented a super-weak one instead. His new glue had the unusual characteristic of being able to be peeled up and repositioned without leaving a residue on the document below. But nobody knew what to do with it. By sheer coincidence, a colleague of Dr. Silver's at 3M was a fellow named Art Fry who was a singer in a church choir. Mr. Fry kept losing his place in his hymnal when the bookmarks fell out. In 1974, he remembered Dr. Silver's glue and tried some on his bookmarks. It worked like a charm! The bookmarks stayed put until he removed them and the glue didn't hurt the pages. The sticky notes were originally released in 1977 as 'Press 'n Peel' to marginal success. They were renamed Post-it® Notes and promoted nationwide in 1980. Office workers everywhere LOVED them. Oh, the yellow color? That was an accident too. The 3M team first developed the product using scrap paper left over at a nearby laboratory. Post-it® Notes now come in all the colors of the rainbow and in zillions of shapes and sizes. And guess what... Postal Connections Has Post-it® Notes in Stock! Not just for making your office life easier - which they do - Post-it® Notes have been used to make works of art like mosaics and even costumes. So, c'mon in and stock up on this crucial supply. We thank you for your continued support and look forward to supplying you with all the Post-it® Notes you need. You can feel confident about visiting Postal Connections because... Our staff is following health advisory recommendations: wearing protective face masks, washing hands, social distancing, and avoidance of handshaking and other cultural greetings. We have advised our staff to stay home if they show any symptoms or have come in contact with those who have symptoms. To protect our staff and customers, we require protective face mask or face covering to be worn while in the store. We will continue to monitor the situation going forward to ensure customer safety. These measures will remain in place at Postal Connections® until further notice. Find the Postal Connections store nearest you, and pick up lots of Post-it® Notes. #### Postage Stamps - Useful and Fun Postage stamps are just as convenient to send things today as when they were first issued on July 1, 1847. Prior to that date, folks would take their letters and packages to the Post Office where the items would be measured, weighed, and the delivery distance calculated. The Post Master would note the cost in the upper right corner (same place we put a stamp today) and the senders could pay the postage themselves or it would be collected from the recipient. Buying Postage Stamps Because postage stamps have been around so long, they have been issued in many sizes, shapes, and denominations. Some commemorate people - George Washington is the most popular - others feature musicians, like the 1993 29-cent Elvis Presley stamp. Martha Washington had her own stamp, so did Admiral David Farragut, Pocahontas, Booker T Washington and many others. Some really old stamps are collectors' items, especially if they have unusual printing errors. If you enjoy collecting stamps, or wish to purchase stamps with a particular look, the United States Post office is the place where you will find the biggest selection of denominations, shapes, and themes. On the other hand, if you want to send a letter or package by US Mail, come to your nearest Postal Connections Service Center where you'll find booklets of 'Forever Stamps' as well as cute greeting cards with envelopes to stick the stamps on and the ink pens to sign the card with. We offer personalized, fast service too. Other Postal Services at Your Nearby Postal Connections Service Center Every Postal Connections Service Center is a USPS-approved shipper. We offer stamps, Priority Mail, Express Mail, package tracking, and your own private mailbox services. Come see us for postage stamps, greeting cards, pens, and every kind of shipping service you need. Send it with confidence, ship it with safety at Postal Connections. #### Postal Connection Services in Bend Two things stand out about Postal Connections of America (PCA) stores, we are localized and a reflection of the business and consumer community and we provide as much as 35 postal and business products & services for our patrons including mailbox rentals, notary services and computer rentals. Other services include: Color Copies and Printing You can use our state-of-the-art printer & copier machines for clean, crisp black & white or color documents or we can do it for you. Our color printing & copying will be produced in beautiful, distinctive color, designed to make presentations or flyers really stand out. Your business cards, letterhead, envelopes, labels, forms, menus, flyers, and invitations will be collated, stapled, bound or hole-punched for you and stacked or inserted in a binder of your choice. All of your printing and copying needs can be taken care of by our business supply and services stores. International Shipping Shipping abroad can be a tricky process. Even if you have done it before, regulations change. Why take any chances? You can rely on us to take care of all of the form completion, special postage, insurance and routing instructions to make sure your package arrives safely at its destination. Secure Shredding Keep the knowledge of the contents of your documents between you and our shredder. We offer secure shredding by the pound. Bring it in for an easy way to quickly dispose of any documents that may be taking up precious storage space in your home, office or garage. Mass Mailing Use our convenient, stress-free mass-mailing service for your bulk mail projects. No matter how many pieces need to be sent or whenever they need to be delivered, our experts will take care of it for you at an affordable price. This is a white-glove, total, turnkey service. We will do some or all of the processes including: collating, stapling, folding, stuffing, sealing and stamping. You give us a file and the quantity and we’ll do the rest. Contact us today to discuss your business and postal needs. Note: all stores do not provide all services. Contact your local Postal Connections store to inquire about a particular service. #### Postal Connections and Customer Service Customer service is everything. Here are a couple of examples: The Unfriendly “Recently, I was in a retail store purchasing a large ticket item. The order taker gave the impression she was being put upon when the order was taken. However, it took 20 minutes to fill and no other customer was in the store. The color ended up wrong, the original service person was not available, and the one that was there said she could not wait on me. The store manager walked by when I was waiting and did not pause or even cast a glance my way. I realized that this was the reason for the unfriendly service people.” Anna W. The Unresponsive A grocery delivery startup had impressed at least one customer. Not only did he patronize the service, he wanted to help the fledgling enterprise. So, he sent in suggestions on ways to fix operational snafus he noticed. Unfortunately, the responses the well-intentioned customer received were promotional emails trying to get him to order more frequently! The customer felt the company wanted to avoid a real relationship with him and severely reduced his orders from the e-service. The Good Customer Service In a store not unlike a Postal Connections of America, a customer came in with an urgent request to notarize some documents for a house sale taking place the very next day in a place 1,200 miles away. Not only was the employee courteous and empathetic, she jumped right into action and notarized the documents and assisted with choosing the best way to ship the docs so they arrived on time to their destination the next day. You might think the last example was an employee just doing her job. True, but it was the way she did it, professionally and with empathy for the customer’s situation that resonated. It’s what builds customer loyalty. Happy customers come back again and again…and that patron did too. She returned anytime she needed notary or any of the other business services offered at this location. Postal Connections of America Stores We are built on good customer service, all the time. We strive to exceed customer expectations always. Reach out to the staff at your local Postal Connections store for any type of assistance. Not all stores offer all services, but most stores offer 30+ different services and products that will make your business and / or personal life easier. Postal Connections is your neighborhood one-stop business shop! Come see us today! #### Postal Connections and iSOLD It Rally Communities to “Share Your Story” for Veterans Day Brands Launch Second Annual Book Donation Drive For Active Duty Military and Veterans FRISCO, Texas – In honor of Veterans Day, Postal Connections and iSOLD It are rallying communities across the country for the second consecutive year to “Share Your Story” in a month-long, nation-wide book donation drive. From Wednesday, October 11 through Saturday, November 11 (Veterans Day), the brands are partnering with Operation Paperback to gather gently used paperback books to donate to active troops, veterans and VA hospitals in need. Postal Connections and iSOLD It stores across the country will be accepting donations from local residents, businesses and community members to send to troops serving overseas and on U.S. soil. Books must be gently used paperbacks that are in good condition (i.e., no books that are old, musty, yellow with bent spines or ripped covers). Suggested book genres include action, bestsellers, biographies and memoirs, fantasy, history, horror, mysteries, science fiction, true crime and children’s books for military families. Educational and homeschool materials are also welcome. “The response to last year’s donation drives was overwhelming – we received more than 5,000 book donations from communities across the country,” said Fred Morache, CEO of Postal Connections and iSOLD It. “It really was inspiring to see the communities rally together in support of the nation’s veterans and active duty troops. We’re proud to again be working with Operation Paperback to help get these books from communities around the nation to our service men and women abroad and at home – it’s a small token of ‘thanks’ for the sacrifices they have made to serve and protect our country.” In addition to overseas locations, Operation Paperback provides books to wounded warrior programs and veterans hospitals located across the U.S., as well as USO centers at U.S. airport transit points. The organization has more than 19,000 volunteers from all 50 states, forming a network of shippers that send upwards of 15,000 books every month to troops. About Postal Connections Founded in 1995, Postal Connections is a growing franchise chain of postal, shipping and business service stores, with 40 locations nationwide aimed at providing convenience for its customers. Standard Postal Connections stores operate by offering consumers and small businesses needed services and products that include shipping alternatives, packaging, freight, offset printing, creative services, copying, mail receiving, inkjet, toner and laser cartridges, notary, passport photos, fax, office and shipping supplies, iSold It online sales assistance services and much more. To learn more about Postal Connections’ services, visit www.postalconnections.com or call (619) 294-7550. For more information on Postal Connections franchise opportunities, visit www.postalconnections.com/franchise-opportunities/ or call 1-800-POSTALS (767-8257). About iSOLD It Established in 2001, iSOLD It is the premier service for selling merchandise on eBay, Amazon and Craigslist. As the largest chain of online sales assistance retailers, iSOLD It is designed for customers who lack the time or are uncomfortable with selling goods online. To learn more about ISOLD It’s services, visit www.i-soldit.com. For more information on iSOLD It’s franchise opportunities, visit www.i-soldit.com/franchise-opportunities/ or call (619) 334-2749. #### Postal Connections and your Income Taxes Documents abound! Federal, state, and local taxes must, as the IRS says, be paid on or around April 15th each year. This year Tax Day is Monday, April 15th. That means important financial records will need to be compiled and maintained. If you save your info on your computer, that might not be enough. Computer drives are not as reliable as we might think. These important financial records should be hard copied and stored in a safe place. In fact, the IRS recommends that taxpayers keep individual returns and records for three years because this is the statute of limitations for most individual tax returns unless all taxable income is not reported, then the statute of limitations goes up to six years. Your local Postal Connections store can be a big help to you during the tax season. Our copiers and printers will give you clean crisp copies of those tax records. If you are ever subject to an audit, you will want paper copies. Because of this possibility, it is best to retain some records and forms indefinitely. Your Postal Connections store can also assist with packing your income tax docs and getting them mailed out on time to meet that tax filing deadline. Your local Postal Connections staff can assist with giving you suggestions on the best ways to copy, organize, and store these important documents. And remember, if you need to shred any outdated documents, Postal Connections offers Secure Shredding services at select locations. (Call your local store to for availability.) Not all stores offer all services, but most stores offer 30+ different services and products to make your business and personal life easier. Postal Connections is a part of your community and we are here to serve you. Come see us today! #### Postal Connections Assists with Tax Season How Postal Connections can help with your Income Taxes Your local Postal Connections store can be a big help to you this tax season. We provide clean crisp copies to ensure legal docs are legible. We have self-serve copiers for do-it-yourself jobs as well as full- service copy service for those bigger jobs. It’s a good idea to make copies of all tax documents even if you are e-filing in the event you get audited by the IRS. Keep in mind that it’s best to retain some records and forms indefinitely. Here are some common tax filing events and the recommended time frames to retain records and tax related documents and forms (from the IRS website): 1. You owe additional tax and situations (2), (3), and (4), below, do not apply to you; keep records for 3 years. 2. You do not report income that you should report, and it is more than 25% of the gross income shown on your return; keep records for 6 years. 3. You file a fraudulent return; keep records indefinitely. 4. You do not file a return; keep records indefinitely. 5. You file a claim for credit or refund* after you file your return; keep records for 3 years from the date you filed your original return or 2 years from the date you paid the tax, whichever is later. 6. You file a claim for a loss from worthless securities or bad debt deduction; keep records for 7 years. 7. Keep all employment tax records for at least 4 years after the date that the tax becomes due or is paid, whichever is later. When you’re ready to mail those tax docs off to the IRS bring them into Postal Connections for fast service and choice of mailing/shipping options. Remember to ship or mail your taxes by Tuesday April 17th to ensure your tax package is postmarked on time. **Not all stores offer all services, but most stores offer 30+ different services and products that will make your business and / or personal life easier. Postal Connections of America, for all your business needs! #### Postal Connections Computer Rentals, Notary Service and Stamps Computer Rentals Did your computer suddenly stop running? Need to get on the internet fast? When you absolutely need to get on the internet using a high speed, secure service your Postal Connections store offers quick computer rental and internet access services. Browse the web, create documents and check out what is stored on your cloud. Use our high-speed computer and internet connection to: Access Internet news Shop online Check social media Access emails Notary Public Finding a notary public whenever you need one can be difficult. Postal Connection’s on-site notary professionals (call for availability) will handle your urgent documents quickly, accurately and according to legal requirements, making the document good anywhere. Contact your store when you need a notary service for: Contracts Legal Documents School Permission Slips Medical Release Forms Car Title Transfers Child ID Kits Postage Stamps Everyone still needs regular postage stamps and giving them as a gift usually comes as a delightful surprise to the recipient! Have you ever visited your local post office to buy a book of stamps? The lines can be long and take a while to navigate through to get to the desk. Who needs that? Buy stamps at your local Postal Connections Store. Not only will we save you time, we will be glad to see you and show you all we have to offer! If you need a special picture stamp, a commemorative stamp or a large quantity of postage, give us a call or send a message and we may be able to special order the stamps you need. Note: Not all Postal Connections Stores offer all services. Please call ahead and we will do everything possible to accommodate your needs or provide convenient options. #### Postal Connections Featured on KTVZ News Channel 21 URL: https://www.postalconnections101.com/postal-connections-featured-on-ktvz-news-channel-21/ #### Postal Connections for Home Businesses Services for Small Office and Home Office Businesses When you visit our Postal Connections store you can: Take advantage of multiple small business and administrative services. Get them all in one convenient place. Expect hi-touch, friendly, exceptional customer service. Support a vibrant, local, family owned business with your patronage. Postal Connections stores across the country offer many in demand products/services for SOHO (Small Office, Home Office) businesses. We are a convenient, problem-solving, go-to resource for many local businesses as well as business professionals in our area. In addition to packing and shipping any item anywhere in the world, most stores provide a wide range of business services including notary services and passport photos, fingerprinting and legal document finishing, copy and print services, business and office supplies, as well as having computer rental in case you need to connect in a hurry because of a computer or hard drive breakdown. We also offer private mailbox rental with street address to enable receipt of packages from all carriers including UPS and FedEx. Postal Connections Stores are here for you It's good business to get to know your local Postal Connections store. If you are looking for a specific product or service reach out to the staff at Postal Connections, even if we are unable to provide the service, we may know someone who can. We are here to help with all your business needs and we strive to exceed your expectations with superior customer service. Please note not all stores offer all services, but most offer 30+ different services and products that will make your business life easier. Please call your local store for product and service availability. We're your one stop business shop. Come see us for all your business needs! #### Postal Connections Loves Spring! This first day of spring, St. Patrick’s Day, and Easter (April 1st, 2018) not to mention spring break, provide us with many occasions to send our loved ones at college or living away from home a special gift via Postal Connections, a name you can trust for all your shipping and packing needs. Clean Crisp Copies And of course with the start of spring most people are well into the tax season. No need to fumble with pages and pages of copies on your home printer. We provide clean crisp copies of all your legal documents. And when you need to ship those tax documents off to the IRS we have many shipping alternatives including last minute overnight delivery. Come see us and let us take some of the stress out of tax season. Mailbox Rentals Spring is the perfect time to look into renting a mailbox. Why do people rent mailboxes with Postal Connections? Some of the reasons include: Postal Connections offers mailboxes with a street address (not just a PO Box number) and can accept mail and packages from all carriers. That’s a plus because UPS and FedEx do not deliver to PO boxes. You travel often and need mail forwarded. PCA will forward your mail anywhere you need. You do not want others in your household opening your mail. Home based business owners wanting their home address to remain private. Renting a mailbox can help prevent identity theft because it’s more secure than a street side mailbox. You do not want packages to be left on your front porch where they may be susceptible to theft. Remember, Postal Connection services and products include: mailbox rental, packing materials, notary services, faxing, printing, and copying, office supplies, stamps, laminating, shredding, computer rental including internet access, passport photos and much more. Not all stores offer all services, but most stores offer 30+ different services and products that will make your business and / or personal life easier. Postal Connections of America, for all your business needs! #### Postal Connections News and Community Give Backs Postal Connections of America is a thriving operation of 40 stores in 16 states with two more to open before years end. In addition to a real commitment to customer-centricity, Postal Connections remains dedicated to the following: Improving operations by expanding products and services Being a true partner in the communities where stores are located Improving Operations For example, Postal Connections has had much success with the addition of iSoldIt online sales assistance service to its stores. iSold It is a way for customers and local businesses to sell unwanted/ unused or overstock merchandise on eBay, Amazon or Craigslist without having to go through the hassle of listing those items themselves. The Postal Connections staff takes care of everything, the item description, photos, correspondence with bidders/buyers and all other aspects of the sale. After the item is sold, you receive a check minus the sales and listing fees. Postal Connections also has plans to make it even easier for customers to use our services by opening convenient one stop PC Express outlets within Wal-Mart Super centers across the country. The recently opened Redmond, OR PC Express has had an overwhelming response from customers. This location features packing & shipping, copies & print, faxing, notary service, iSoldit online sales assistance and more. Community Involvement If you are fortunate enough to be near a Postal Connections store, you might have noticed the community involvement, particularly for US military personnel. For example, in 2017: Locations across the country held the second annual Military Moments donation drive, shipping more than 600 pounds of care packages to military staff. Food requested was: Healthy snacks (jerky, trail mixes, granola bars and fruit snacks) Drink mix packets (Gatorade, lemonade, iced tea and Crystal Light packets) Microwavable food (Easy Mac, popcorn, Cup O’Noodles, Chef Boyardee and oatmeal) Non-perishable food (tuna cans/packets, fruit cups, peanut butter, Nutella, soups and other canned foods) Toiletries (travel-size shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, body wash, wet wipes and hand sanitizer) Stores also participated in the Send Your Love campaign around Valentine’s Day. Blank cards were supplied for customers to jot down a quick note to the service men and women, eventually adding up to more than 700 notes sent to service members! Visiting your local Postal Connections store will not only help with your home or business administrative tasks but will show you Postal Connections commitment to community betterment! #### Postal Connections of America - Back to School Headquarters Come to your Postal Connections store before school begins to stock up on back to school supplies for your children. For example, most Postal Connections stores stock essential supplies including staples, printing paper, notebooks, binders, paper clips, writing pads, pens, markers, and other items that may save you a complicated trip to a big box office supply store. If you are sending care packages to your students away at college, below are some important tips on how to properly package items to ensure they get to your student intact. Back to School Shipping Tips Place packing peanuts or bubble wrap in the top and bottom of the box. Wrap the heaviest items in additional bubble wrap and place them at the bottom of the box. Don’t use newspaper for packing, the material tends to tear during shipping. Protect all glass items with at least two inches of cushion. If packing perishable items, be sure to include cool packs and ship using the fastest delivery option to avoid spoilage. Of course, if you lack the time or inclination to take on packing items for shipment, we have expert packing services available to ensure all of your items arrive safe and sound. Most stores also offer cold packs for perishable items to ensure they arrive intact and ready to be enjoyed. Postal Connections Stores Reach out to the staff at your local Postal Connections store for assistance with any business needs. Not all stores offer all services, but most offer 30+ different services and products that will make your business and / or personal life easier. Visit your local Postal Connections Store today! We are here for all your business and back to school needs! Superior customer service is our number 1 goal! #### Postal Connections of America - Ten Customer Service Commandments Superior Customer Service Postal Connections Stores are dedicated to superior customer service. By providing satisfying and memorable service on every transaction, we feel we create a positive differentiator for our stores. The basics of good customer service include good communication, the patience to actively listen to and understand customer requests, an understanding of business services, and high levels of professionalism along with “yes we can” problem solving attitude. Visit your local Postal Connections Store to experience exceptional customer service and superior know how. We are here for all your business and shipping needs! Ten Customer Commandments List A good way to really grasp the importance of customers is to review the Ten Customer Commandments list. These can be traced back to Mahatma Gandhi who allegedly taught them to his law clerks. Customers are not an interruption of work – they are our work! Customers do us a favor when they call – we do not do them a favor by serving them Customers are part of our business – they are not outsiders Customers are the most important people in our business Customers are not dependent on us – we are dependent on them Customers are not to argue or match wits with Customers bring us their needs – it is our job to fill those needs Customers are the individuals who make it possible for our business to thrive Customers are the lifeblood of this and every other business Customers deserve the most courteous and attentive treatment we can give them Postal Connections Stores Reach out to the staff at your local Postal Connections store for any type of assistance. Not all stores offer all services, but most stores offer 30+ different services and products that will make your business and / or personal life easier. Postal Connections Stores are here for all your business needs. We serve the community… we ship anywhere…we are committed to superior customer service! #### Postal Connections of America Helps with Photos and Finishes Facebook, Instagram, smartphones, texts, tweets, selfies and email can digitally capture and /or display photos to view. But there is nothing like high-quality full color or black and white prints. Postal Connections stores are your local spot for professional photo printing. Share Your Most Cherished Moments in a Nostalgic Picture Print We use the best software, equipment and expertise to produce clear, crisp, full-color or black and white photos of your favorite family moments, marketing materials or special business needs. For fast, convenient, and professionally printed photos, get your photos on any electronic media and come see the experts at Postal Connections for on-demand photo printing: Available in 4x6, 5x7 and 8x10 Glossy or Matte Finish Enlargement services Same Day Pickup (Check your local store for availability) Print and Ship options Document Finishing You think you might be done when you produce the documents. But, you’re just getting warmed up! Your next step for that professional look is document finishing! Document finishing services refer to what happens to the documents right after printing. A good finish is important and in fact, can mean the difference between mediocre work and a professional look. If you think about it, you can create the best content but if it is showcased poorly to the reader, it can easily lose all the impact you were hoping for. Your Postal Connections expert can put those special finishing touches on the documents you’ve worked hard to design and produce content for. Here are some of the services you can request: Document Finishing Services Collating Binding Laminating Stapling Presentation covers Folding / Inserting in envelopes Specialty papers Preparation for shipping Labeling Postal Connections of America stores enjoys a strong reputation as an exceptional document finishing services center for businesses and residents in their communities. Note: All stores do not provide all services. Contact the store in your area to inquire about a particular product or service. #### Postal Connections of America Shippers UPS Postal Connections offers UPS services including: UPS Next Day Air® UPS 2-Day Air® UPS 3-Day Select® UPS Ground®UPS Canada® UPS Worldwide Express® UPS Worldwide Saver® UPS Puerto Rico® We are experts on all UPS options and services. UPS picks up from our stores daily, so you can be sure your shipments receive the fast and dependable service the UPS brand is noted for. FedEx Postal Connections provides superior access to FedEx Ground®, FedEx Express® and FedEx International services and products including: FedEx Priority Overnight® FedEx Standard Overnight® FedEx Express Saver® FedEx 2 Day® FedEx Ground® FedEx Ground-Home Delivery® FedEx Priority International® FedEx Priority Canada® FedEx Ground Canada® FedEx Priority Puerto Rico® FedEx Economy Puerto Rico® DHL DHL Express focuses on international shipping. As a DHL Authorized Shipping Center, we are officially recognized by DHL Express as the international shipping experts. Our staff knows the rules, regulations, restrictions, customs, documentation and delivery options to all countries served by DHL Express. As a DHL Authorized Shipping Center, Postal Connections offers easy and convenient access to the world’s largest international shipping network at very competitive rates including: International packaging standards and materials International shipping documents like airway bills, commercial and pro forma invoices, customs docs and proof of value International declared value protection International package insurance Electronic export information Remember, Postal Connections started as packaging and shipping experts domestically and internationally. We’ll take your delicate, valuable, time-sensitive and sentimental items and pack it with TLC to ensure it arrives in perfect shape. Then, we will select the perfect shipping option for your situation. Note: Not all Postal Connections Stores offer DHL services. Please call your local store for product and service availability. #### Postal Connections of America Shipping Tips When preparing items for shipping please keep these important tips in mind: Package Sealing Tips Tape the box opening and sturdy all seams with two inch wide tape. It is best to use brown or clear reinforced packing or paper tape. Avoid the use of cord, string, or twine because they can easily get ensnared in mail processing equipment. Make sure you work with pressure-sensitive plastic tape, minimum 60 lb. grade water-activated paper tape, or water-activated reinforced tape. Put a minimum of three strips of pressure-sensitive adhesive plastic tape to the top and bottom of the box. Apply the H taping method to distribute the tape evenly across flaps and seams. Never be stingy on tape because more is usually better. When in doubt, add another piece. You would rather have your package be tough to open by the recipient than have it get ripped apart while in transit. Common Sense in Shipping Stay aware, especially with temp sensitive items, that packages, at any point along the way, will probably get exposed to heat and / or cold so pack accordingly. Sunday or holidays are not counted by shippers as a delivery day. Only the US Post Service counts Saturday as a delivery day if Saturday delivery is requested. This may sound crazy to say, but never ship live animals or dangerous items. When in doubt check the shipping carrier website for list of prohibited items or check with your local Postal Connections store. Buy insurance for any valuable item you are shipping. UPS, DHL, and FedEx automatically insures each package for up to $100 and supplemental insurance is available from all carriers. Postal Connections of America Stores To avoid the hassle of packing items for shipping, bring those items into your local Postal Connections store and we will do the packing for you! We are experts in packing and we carry all the packing materials needed to ensure safe arrival of your items. Postal Connections stores offer 30+ different services and products that will make your business and /or personal life easier. Postal Connections is your neighborhood one stop business shop! #### Postal Connections of America- Packing and International Shipping Your Postal Connections of America, Bend store offers: Packing Services Ever try to figure how to pack that special item so it arrives at its destination in one piece? You need to find the right box size and pick the appropriate bubble-wrap, packing peanuts, tape, etc. It is time consuming, confusing, expensive and a major inconvenience with no guarantee that the item will even be packed right! Proper packing is both a science and an art. The packing pros at PCA professionally pack and ship your fragile, special and valuable items. As certified retail packing specialists, we treat your items as if we were packing our own We stock more than 100 box sizes and keep plenty of Styrofoam peanuts, bubble-wrap, tape, specialty boxes and other packing materials on hand. We will even custom-make a box for that moose head or special collectible. International Shipping Services Shipping a collectible to your aunt in Los Angeles is pretty easy. Sending a piece of jewelry to a friend in in France is a different story. International shipping is much more complicated than shipping domestically because each country applies different laws and rules regarding commodities entering their country. Then there are the import taxes, international duties, brokerage fees and other additional costs that could be assessed on your shipment. And if you forget to complete and include the specialized international document requirements, your shipment may never arrive. No worries! The international shipping experts at PCA know precisely how to pack, document and ship your items to arrive safely and on time to just about anywhere in the world. As International Shipping Professionals, we provide the following: Shipping to more than 200 countries on seven continents International packing service Multi-carrier shipping options International documentation including commercial invoice, pro forma invoice, E. E. I. forms and automated airway bills For more information on Postal Connections of America, go to www.postalconnections.com. #### Postal Connections Personalized Service Postal Connection stores succeed because loyal customers like the personalized service we provide and new customers develop confidence from our customized attention. We are better than do-it-yourself solutions and easier to do business with than the less friendly competitors. We win your business at the point of sale with our friendly knowledgeable staff. Service You Want, Technology We Know, it’s much more than a slogan. It is a theme for customer care, the ongoing development of business skills and a bringing together of the two ideas- customer service and technology. The Postal Connection advantage can be defined as trustworthy, friendly service, delivered by a technically savvy staff using leading edge technology. Our customer service is an enthusiastic response to a growing level of frustration with the lack of friendly, personalized attention and competent performance experienced in other stores. At Postal Connections we employ a well-organized system with customer service behavior simply defined. It is used for training, as a performance measuring tool for employees and as a customer feedback survey to monitor progress. But most of all, it builds the most powerful competitive advantage—superior customer service. About Postal Connections Postal Connections of America is a long-established franchise operation. In addition to packing and shipping, we provide many business products and services including office supplies, mailbox rentals, computer rentals, copying and custom printing, notary public, and passport photos. We also stock greeting cards, gift items and novelty items. Postal Connections is there for all your business needs. Come see us today! For more information on Postal Connections of America, go to www.postalconnections.com. #### Postal Connections Ships Everything! Electronics and Computer Shipping Postal Connections specializes in shipping fragile electronics. Right now, this might come in handy with your college student returning home. Shipping the electronics used on campus might be the best way to make sure they arrive home safely! Satellite dish controllers, laptops, smart phones, blue-ray players, cable boxes, tablets, audio systems, medical instruments, TVs, etc. These and other electronics will need extra-special shipping and handling. Your Postal Connections staff is expertly trained in all aspects of packaging, especially electronics. We dip into our wide variety of box sizes, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, tape and similar materials that allow us to pack and ship your electronics so they arrive at the destination intact. For packing and shipping electronics, visit the experts at Postal Connections. Antique Shipping The knowledgeable staff at your Postal Connections store are experts in all aspects of packing your antiques because we specialize in packing and shipping these precious and valuable items. It’s a tricky business, often calling for creative thinking and packing as well as selecting the right shipper for the items. We stock many box sizes, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, tape and other materials so that your antique can withstand any abuse while in-route to its destination. Trust your next antique shipment to the pros! Your great grandmother’s sewing table, a 200-year-old grandfather clock, an original Gutenberg bible, a rare vase, whatever, can be expertly packed and shipped by your local Postal Connections. If you don’t know the tricks behind antique shipping, it can be a disaster. If we pack it for you, you can rest assured it will arrive safe and sound. Note: Not all Postal Connections Stores offer all services. Please call ahead and we will do everything possible to accommodate your needs or provide convenient options. #### Postal Connections Ships Freight! Postal Connections of America Freight Service We have always shipped anywhere and now Postal Connections can ship ANYTHING, Anywhere and Everywhere! Postal Connections stores now offer... Freight Shipping Services for Consumers and Businesses! A thoroughbred? We Ship. Boxes of toys? Same. A Piano? Ditto. Your dog Boots, cat Sheba and rabbit, Magic? We’ll transport them. Dad’s favorite recliner? We ship that, too… How do we move your load? You ask for a quote on your less than truckload (LTL), full truckload (FTL) or don’t know the load (DNL) freight, no matter what the goods are. We scour our shippers for the most economical shipping available at the time. We match your load to the perfect shipper. You receive a quick quote. We ship! Freight shipping benefits Sea container, truck, air, and rail are used to move this type of freight. Whether a full or less than full load regulations, guidelines, requirements and expense for freight transport differ from those used for mailing small or medium sized packages. That’s where your Postal Connections store representative takes over. We use our industry knowledge, extensive network of contacts and regulation savvy to navigate through the freight maze to engineer a reliable, cost-efficient and safe transport of your goods. Call us for a quote today! Bring us your household stuff, cars and boats, office / house moves, livestock / pets, construction and farm machinery, heirlooms, art and anything else we will get it there. If you have a question about an item, remember, most likely We Ship That, Too! Note: Not all Postal Connections Stores offer all services. Please call ahead and we will do everything possible to accommodate your needs or provide convenient options #### Postal Connections- Copying and Printing Below are some of the copying and printing services offered by your Postal Connections Store: Copies Black-and-white and color copy services (self and full-serve) are available using the latest high-speed machines to ensure quick turnarounds, crisp reproduction and competitive pricing. If you would like to do it yourself, we will help you navigate the equipment. Make single, multiple, black and white, color, letter / legal / ledger size copies. Convenient Scanning Change paper into text-searchable digital images by scanning and then file digitally to a flash drive or DVD. Printing Our stores offer high quality printing services from business cards to banners with several size ink and stock options for small to large jobs, all turned around quickly. Select from color or black and white ink printing. Document Finishing Document finishing spruces up your presentation after completing the printing or copying. If appearance matters, then make your documents look sharp. We offer booklet binding with choice of presentation cover and back for that professional look. We also offer laminating, hole-punching and stapling. Flyers and Brochures Use our creative design and print services for business or leisure projects that need that profession touch. We design quality business cards, brochures, direct mail pieces, flyers, brochure, party invitations, and more! You name it, we can do it. Remember, if you need copies or printed items, we can deliver! Come see us for all your business needs. For more information on Postal Connections of America, go to www.postalconnections.com. #### Postal Services and Business Supplies You know Postal Connections of America (or PCA) stores like ours because they sell a virtual cornucopia of goods and services. The basic suite of postal and business services includes: Pack and ship anywhere in America or overseas Copy and print services either in black and white or color, any quantity Complete document presentation including sorting, stapling and collating Mailbox rentals Office supplies Shredding Notary public Scanning and Faxing However, because many of the PCA stores are so tied to their communities, they sell items and provide services based on community need or interest. For example, other products or services you might find at a Postal Connection store include greeting cards, key duplication, gift cards, local crafts and gifts, gift wrapping, prepaid credit cards, U-Haul rentals, passport photos, direct mailing, fingerprinting and many more. Postal Connections and iSold It Some PCA stores are also beginning to offer the iSold It service in their establishments. The iSold It stores have been around for a long time. They sell items on eBay for people looking to obtain some quick cash. The interesting thing about the iSold It stores is that they do all the work for the sellers. That means they write the description of the item, take photos of it, post it on eBay, monitor the auction, accept the money and ship the item. The store then sends the proceeds to the seller. Typically, a $75 minimum item is what iSold It will sell. Teaming up with PCA gives each operation synergies as well as customer convenience. About Postal Connections Postal Connections of America is a long-established franchise operation. Stores are located many parts of the US. Make sure you contact us for postal services in Bend, Pennsylvania and other business items you might need. We just might have it for you! For more information on Postal Connections of American, go to www.postalconnections.com. #### Printer Ink More costly than gold, more valuable than Russian caviar, ounce for ounce, the most expensive stuff on Earth is...is...is...printer ink? Yup! Printer ink. What's in Printer Ink, Anyway? The basic ingredients of printer ink are things that are inexpensive and easy to pronounce - water, oil, and food dye. The real cost is in the delivery system. Microscopically small amounts of precisely blended inks to match photographs and your computer's color grid must be sprayed out at the touch of a button onto a diverse array of paper surfaces, and dry immediately. Let's Go Back in Time Back in the last glacier age, people could not make color prints at home or in their offices. The only 'printing' they did was one-sheet-at-a-time typing on the typewriter. Unless they owned a printing press, they could get fancy with a red-to-black typewriter ribbon or carbon paper, but that was it. The concept of inkjet printing was first developed in the early 1950s. By the late 1970s inkjet printers could reproduce digital images generated by computer. But not well. At first, engineers had a hard time creating a controlled flow of ink from the print head onto the page, and preventing the print head from becoming clogged with dried ink. They finally came up with thermal technology to instantly warm the ink to make it sprayable and push the fine mist of ink out of the print head. All of this technology happens in teeny little containers no bigger than a match box. After more than 20 years of development, inkjet printers finally came on the market in the 1980s. Hewlett Packard's DeskJet printer, which was among the first available to the public, was priced at $1,000 in 1988! What About the Ink? Today's printers are inexpensive compared to that 1988 HP. If you have purchased ink for your printer a couple of times, you have probably noticed that the cost of ink builds up to more than the cost of the printer. Just as the price of popcorn at the movie theater often exceeds the price of the ticket, you are paying for the highly-engineered delivery system that took years to develop and maintain. Postal Connections Has Inkjet Cartridges in Stock! No need to stand in long lines at the big-box store. Postal Connections offers competitive pricing on the most popular inkjet cartridges and printer paper, as well as friendly personalized service. Please check your local service center for availability as not all stores offer all products and services. You Can Feel Confident About Visiting Postal Connections Because... Our staff is following health advisory recommendations: wearing protective face masks, washing hands, social distancing, and avoidance of handshaking and other cultural greetings. We have advised our staff to stay home if they show any symptoms or have come in contact with those who have symptoms. To protect our staff and customers, we require protective face mask or face covering to be worn while in the store. We will continue to monitor the situation going forward to ensure customer safety. These measures will remain in place at Postal Connections® until further notice. Find the Postal Connections store nearest you for all your business needs! #### Refresh Your Business Print Needs for 2020 Do you even remember the last time you updated your customer and public-facing print assets? If you're like most people then probably not, except to say that I guess it's been awhile. It's often dismissed as an afterthought...much to your business's peril. Before you say that business cards no longer matter in today's digital era, consider this...how do you share your business's offerings with a potential prospect? After all you can't email your information (to them) unless you have their email. By handing them your business card you are granting them access to all of your wonderful service and product offerings. Customized business card printing and upgrading your small business services demonstrates professionalism, which when done right, often leads to new clients. Hindsight Is 2020 When It Comes to Self-Inflicted Missed Business Opportunities It's the dawn of a new decade and your small business services are an easy fix. Your competition is fierce, so doesn't it make sense to refresh your business identity for 2020? Consider the following benefits of creating custom-designed professional stationery and business cards: 1. Upgraded business stationery projects your company's image It's all about establishing trust. The main goal of highlighting your small business services is to depict your business in a professional and trustworthy manner. Tell your clients and prospective clients that your business is professional and trustworthy by upgrading your business identity for 2020. 2. Your specialized marketing tool You're constantly sending out communications, handing out business cards, and other office-related forms of small business services. This includes business cards, brochures, contract proposals, envelopes, customized letterheads, quotes & estimates, and many more. 3. Updated business stationery helps with networking Your business cards along with other public-facing print assets, are the first thing that your clients and other businesses notice during meetings, events, trade-shows and such. Does your business card convey who you are and what you do? You need to guarantee that your small business services descriptions are easy to understand. Updating your business card printing with Postal Connections is not only prudent; it's essential to the success of your business. Postal Connections Stores Are Here For You At your local Postal Connections store, we strive to meet, and exceed, all of your business needs. We’re your one stop business shop. Come see us for all of your small business needs; including printing business cards, brochures, and so much more! Please note: not all Postal Connections stores offer all services. Please give us a call or check our services tab to see what we offer. #### Rent-a-Mailbox Our Postal Connection store offers mailbox rentals in the Bend OR area. In fact, it's one of the most popular of services we offer. Why is that? Some of the advantages of this service include: If you have a second home or move around to different places in the area, it might be a good idea to just use one permanent mail address. One of the advantages of this is that you can be notified if there is anything in the box so you do not have to make unnecessary trips to retrieve your mail. For small business owners or SOHOs (small office, home office) your home address can remain private. This is especially beneficial to those businesses that mainly operate out of their home and prefer not to advertise their home address. Someone will always be there to receive mail or packages even if you're not. No more mail and packages piling up at your home. A private PO Box can receive items from any shipping service including UPS and FedEx. Instead of an impersonal PO Box, which can decrease the credibility of a home business, the street address you use increases the credibility of a home business. Ask your local Postal Connection Store if they offer a digital mailbox service. This is a protected inbox where you can receive business mail via the internet in one-spam free location. #### Sending Packages Overnight Need to Send with Overnight Shipping? In this world of the fast pace, sometimes you need to get a package to a destination quickly, maybe even overnight. If so, contact your Postal Connections of America store for all your shipping needs! We offer many shipping options and pricing options to fit your budget and schedule. Did you know you can choose overnight shipping options for morning, noon or afternoon delivery? You can! For example, FedEx offers the following Overnight Delivery options in the US: FedEx First Overnight: Next Business Day as early as 8:00 am FedEx Priority Overnight: Next Business Day typically by 10:30 am FedEx Standard Overnight: Next Business Day typically by 3:00 pm The above list shows delivery times to business addresses. If sending to a residential address or rural location, delivery time may be later than stated above. In any case we will help you choose the best option to get your package there on time! Postal Connections Store Products and Services At your local Postal Connections store, you can choose from a complete suite of office and administrative services including: Packing and Shipping Expert packaging and shipping options are our specialties. You can be assured that your items will be securely packed and we’ll help you choose the right shipping option to fit your needs to get that package there on time. That includes Christmas, birthday, and any other special occasions you need to send gifts to loved ones throughout the year. Color Copies and Printing Postal Connections offers self-serve and full-serve copy services with state-of-the-art copier/print machines for clean, crisp black and white or color copies. Come see us, we’ll help you make that project really stand out! Our available copy and print services include business cards, letterhead, envelopes, labels, forms, menus, flyers, invitations and more. Your copy/print order can also be collated, stapled, bound or hole-punched for you and stacked or inserted in a binder or made into a booklet. All your printing and copying needs can be taken care of at Postal Connections. Secure Shredding Shredding documents is done for two reasons: To prevent identity theft To safely dispose of confidential information It’s too easy for identities to be compromised whether they belong to you personally, or to your business clients. Our shredders will take care of this crucial activity for your household or business. We offer secure shredding by the pound. Contact your local store for available products and services. #### Shipping for the Holidays: 2019 Dates & Tips to Remember In just the blink of an eye the holiday season will have arrived. Black Friday and Cyber Monday will give way to Christmas and New Year’s. With it comes the looming dread of package delays. This year, Thanksgiving lands on November 28, which leaves you with just 26 days between Black Friday and Christmas Eve, to get your shipments there on time. Keep in mind that shipment guarantees are impacted significantly by peak season, especially a shorter one. Here are a couple of pro tips for shipping for the holidays, as well as the latest holiday schedules to ensure prompt Christmas domestic delivery for USPS, UPS and FedEx. Pro Tips for Shipping for the Holidays Bundle multiple gifts to one family or community into one package (individually wrapped) to cut costs. You probably budget holiday gift-shopping, but do NOT forget to factor in shipping costs of those gifts. Shipping Service Cut-off Dates to Ensure Christmas Delivery USPS: Retail Ground: Monday, Dec. 16 First Class Mail: Friday, Dec. 20 Priority Mail: Friday, Dec. 20 Priority Mail-Express: Monday, Dec. 23 UPS: Ground: Friday, Dec. 13 (for longest shipments) 3-Day Select: Thursday, Dec. 19 2nd Day Air: Friday, Dec. 20 Next Day Air: Monday, Dec. 23 FedEx: SmartPost Services: Monday, Dec. 9 Ground: Friday, Dec. 13 Home Delivery: Monday, Dec. 16 Express Saver: Wednesday, Dec. 18 2 Day Services: Thursday, Dec. 19 Overnight Services: Friday, Dec. 20 Postal Connections Stores Reach out to the knowledgeable professionals at your local Postal Connections Store for carrier-specific holiday shipping information and to ask about which service is right for you. Postal Connections also offers expert packaging services, even for those oddly-shaped parcels, and we can ship anywhere in the world! While not all stores offer all services, most do offer more than 30 different products and services, which will make your business and personal affairs easier. Postal Connections Stores are here for all your business needs. We are committed to serving you with superior customer service! #### Shipping Thanksgiving Goodies When your friend or family member is far away, but you want them to be able to experience Thanksgiving just like always, nothing beats home-baked goodies to say, "I love you." Here's how we can help... Wrap baked goods to create an airtight seal Seal in that just-baked freshness with plastic wrap. Use shrink wrap for sturdy goodies like Bundt cakes and pies, and wrap plastic around more delicate cakes by hand. Freezing cupcakes and intricate iced cakes can also help them to hold up in transit. Place cupcakes in a holder with individual spaces and press a candy stick into each cupcake to prevent a potential impact from the lid. Wrap cookies individually in shrink bags or heat-sealed plastic for professional-looking presentation. Pack them snugly in a tin or other sturdy container. Wrap cupcake holders, tins and other containers in plastic to make them airtight, or seal all edges with sturdy tape. Packing refrigerated items Use something insulated, like a Styrofoam cooler, to reduce heat transfer and maximize the amount of time your perishable food will remain cold. Line the cooler with gel or ice packs. Make sure to use a sufficient amount so the box stays cool for the entire trip. Label your package "Perishable Food - Keep Refrigerated." If your items only need to remain refrigerated, gel or ice packs will be more than adequate. This is good to know, as there are certain restrictions around shipping dry ice. Shipping frozen food You can ship frozen food to another state, but not internationally. Frozen food requires the use of dry ice which is not allowed on international shipments. Make sure the food item is thoroughly frozen. Use a Styrofoam cooler or a cold-shipping box from PCA. Handle dry ice with thick gloves or oven mitts. Dry ice is made from frozen carbon dioxide and is -109.3 degrees F. This makes it a hazardous shipping material, as there is the possibility it will explode if not packaged properly. Write down how many pounds of dry ice you are using, because you will have to give that info to the shipping company. Wrap the dry ice in newspaper and line the box with the ice. For the best results, place your frozen food in between the blocks of dry ice. If the whole concept of shipping perishable items - particularly using dry ice - seems too much of a challenge, c'mon in to Postal Connections. We know how to do these things and we will send your perishable goods by the best service for optimum fresh delivery. At Postal Connections we work hard to earn your trust every day. We thank you for your continued support and look forward to getting your fresh-baked cookies or frozen foods to the recipient right on time. You can feel confident about visiting Postal Connections because... Our staff is following health advisory recommendations: wearing protective face masks, washing hands, social distancing, and avoidance of handshaking and other cultural greetings. We have advised our staff to stay home if they show any symptoms or have come in contact with those who have symptoms. To protect our staff and customers, we require protective face mask or face covering to be worn while in the store. We will continue to monitor the situation going forward to ensure customer safety. These measures will remain in place at Postal Connections® until further notice. Find the Postal Connections store nearest you to pack and ship your home-baked holiday treats with loving care. #### Sign Like a Celebrity – With a Sharpie In 1964, the Sanford Company introduced the first permanent marker that would write on anything - paper, stone, plastic, leather, even glass. Little did they know that Sharpies would catch the attention of celebrities who would use them to sign hats, T-shirts, jackets, coffee cups - anything! In fact, when Terrell Owens, a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers, caught a 37-yard pass for what was the game-winning touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks in October 2002, the receiver pulled a Sharpie out of his sock, autographed the ball, and presented the ball to his business agent. The Sharpie itself later sold at a sports memorabilia auction for $3,654.32. The Sharpie business boomed! President George W Bush preferred Sharpies over any other writing instrument and had special Sharpies made up with his signature and the words 'The White House' embossed on the marker barrel. Sharpies now come in all the colors of the rainbow with every type of tip you can imagine - from the original Fine Point Tip to the sculptured Chisel Tip. And guess what... Postal Connections Has Sharpies in Stock! Sign like a celebrity and give Sharpies as Holiday gifts to artists, writers, craftsmen, or anybody who needs to write on anything. That means everybody. Stock up on Sharpies yourself to sign your Christmas cards with flair and pizazz. Pro tip! Postal Connections has a great selection of Holiday cards too... Ready for you to sign them with a Sharpie. So, c'mon in. We thank you for your continued support and look forward to supplying you with all the Sharpies you need. You can feel confident about visiting Postal Connections because... Our staff is following health advisory recommendations: wearing protective face masks, washing hands, social distancing, and avoidance of handshaking and other cultural greetings. We have advised our staff to stay home if they show any symptoms or have come in contact with those who have symptoms. To protect our staff and customers, we require protective face mask or face covering to be worn while in the store. We will continue to monitor the situation going forward to ensure customer safety. These measures will remain in place at Postal Connections® until further notice. Find the Postal Connections store nearest you, and pick up lots of Sharpies. #### Start Thinking about Holiday Shipping You do not have to search for the right box or worry yourself about how your package will get to its destination on time. When you have something to pack and ship, take it to the professionals at your local Postal Connections of America store. Visit our store and ask a staffer to pack that precious gift for you. We pack anything from food to jewelry and offer many convenient and affordable holiday shipping options. And while your head tells you it’s a long time until Christmas, it really isn’t. Especially if the loved one you’re sending a gift to lives overseas or in another part of the country. You don’t want to be the one that sent a Christmas package that arrived after the big day. Better late than never but better early than late. Take the time now, in this calm period, to think about how and when you want to ship your holiday packages for timely delivery. Holiday Shipping United States Postal Service (USPS) says its busiest time is two weeks before Christmas. Beginning the week of December 10th, USPS expects to deliver nearly 200 million packages per week during these two weeks. During the week of December 17 to 23, the Postal Service expects to process and deliver nearly 3 billion pieces of first-class mail, including greeting cards! So, bring your holiday packages into Postal Connections early to ensure safe and on time delivery. We offer expert packing services to ensure your package arrives safe, even those fragile, oddly shaped or hard to handle items. And to ensure on time delivery we have many shipping options with all major carriers including FedEx, UPS, USPS, DHL. We will assist you in choosing the best option for your needs and we can also assist with International shipping customs forms. Postal Connections is your one stop shop for packing and shipping this holiday season. We ship anywhere in the world! (Note: Not all services are performed at all stores.) #### Starting a New In-Home Business You've been furloughed from your pre-pandemic job. Your unemployment benefits will run out soon, but you need to stay home to look after your children. You need a job, a business, a profitable source of income that you can operate out of your own home. There are dozens, maybe hundreds, of types of businesses you can build from home with little or no cash outlay, especially if you have a computer and internet access. A Few Ideas from Your Home Support Experts Masks – People need masks. They can be fun and fashionable. You have a sewing machine. You can advertise your service on your own Facebook page or get an Etsy store. Take the finished goods to Postal Connections for shipping anywhere in the world. Blogging – People make money by writing about their passions or favorite topics. For instance, you like to drink coffee and know a lot about it. You write interesting stuff about your favorite beverage, get lots of followers, and mention coffee roasting companies, coffee cups, and coffee machines. Those manufacturers pay you every time someone clicks on their products from your blog. Read up on affiliate marketing on the internet. Get followers by mentioning your blog on Facebook and Instagram. Contract Customer Service - Many organizations cut down their costs by outsourcing customer service to freelancers. If you are good at communicating and have sufficient management skills, you can easily take customer service jobs. Make a LinkedIn profile and choose the 'Open for Work' profile pic. You'll get lots of offers. Bookkeeping – If you are a numbers person, bookkeeping and accounting are skills that are always in demand and can be accomplished at home. Check out the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers and start number crunching. Real Estate Agent – Despite the current national emergency, the real estate market is booming. In most states, it can take 4 - 6 months to become a real estate agent, depending on your state's licensing requirements and when you take the real estate exam. Look up 'How to be a real estate agent' on the internet. You can give virtual tours of the listed homes by email or on social media. No matter what path you choose, you will always need office supplies. Postal Connections is your home business support expert. Come on in for... Printer paper Printer ink cartridges Pens Envelopes Folders Tape Staples Paper clips Thumb tacks and so much more! You can feel confident about shopping for office supplies at Postal Connections because... Our staff is following health advisory recommendations: wearing protective face masks, washing hands, social distancing, and avoidance of handshaking and other cultural greetings. We have advised our staff to stay home if they show any symptoms or have come in contact with those who have symptoms. To protect our staff and customers, we require protective face mask or face covering to be worn while in the store. We will continue to monitor the situation going forward to ensure customer safety. These measures will remain in place at Postal Connections until further notice. Find the Postal Connections store nearest you to stock up on office supplies for your new home-based business. #### Stellar Home Office Support Services Your home office now has a back office! We can handle mail, copying, parcel sending and receiving, all with hi-touch, friendly and exceptional customer service. Postal Connections is your home office support provider. Postal Connections stores throughout the country offer many in-demand products and services. We are your convenient, resource-laden, and solutions-focused expert for all of your back-office business needs. In addition to packing and shipping your items anywhere across the globe, we also provide an extensive range of small business services that may include: Copy and print services Notary services and passport photos Legal document finishing Fingerprinting Postcard, flyer and brochure printing Key duplication and mailbox rental Rubber stamp and shredding services We're much more than your friendly neighborhood pack and ship store. We're the go-to small business services provider for good reason, we go the extra step to meet and exceed all of your home office support needs, especially when the unexpected occurs. It's just good business to get to know Postal Connections, your friendly local home office support team. If you need a specific product or service feel free to contact the staff at your local Postal Connections, even if we are unable to provide the service, we may know someone who can. We are here to provide exceptional customer service that will help make your small business a success. We're your one stop business shop. Come see us for all of your small business needs! Please note not all stores offer all services, but most offer 30+ different services and products that will make your business run smoother. Please contact your local store for product and service availability. #### The Case for Convenience, Immediacy, and Expertise If you look at the advances in most things in life that touch consumers, convenience stands out. Think about the dishwasher, microwave, and especially music being packaged from vinyl to eight tracks to cassettes, to CDs and to digital where you can download a song from iTunes for 99 cents or so and be playing it on your iPod on your patio in about five minutes! The advances in products have made our life easier. Sometimes, when you want to purchase something it’s best to go to a specialty store. Mailing a package falls into this category. Enjoying the immediacy of a Postal Connections Store makes it an easier task. We’re right in your neighborhood, serving your community, every day. As for expertise, you probably wouldn’t try to install a dishwasher, reroof your house, or repair your own car engine. You want experts for these tasks. For example, one of our customers needed to ship a laptop computer. She did not try to pack and ship it herself. She brought it into Postal Connections knowing that she could rely on our expertise to provide the best way to pack and ship electronics. Postal Connections stores meet the convenience, immediacy, and expertise demands of today’s small business owners and households! Stores with Gifts In many stores, we are authorized FedEx, UPS, DHL and USPS shippers, offer same day shipping, and free drop off services. Our five-star printing services include full color brochures, business cards, magnets, posters, banners, and much more. In addition to our shipping and business service offerings, some stores also sell unique and locally made items perfect for that last minute Valentine’s Day gift. For example, some of our stores offer: PDX Carpet Merchandise including sunglasses and hats Natural no preservatives Lotions and Lip Balm Local photographer laser cut cedar puzzles Local Team Sports Apparel and fan items Candles – Melting Tarts Local authors Books Check out Postal Connections for all your business and shipping needs plus a few surprises! Remember, Postal Connections are experts at packing just about anything and we ship anywhere in the world! #### The Future Starts Now As many states are easing restrictions, business owners like yourself are thinking hard about what reopening a business after Covid-19 will look like. You want to keep your employees and customers safe. And of course, you still want to stay afloat. Here at Postal Connections, we have been thinking hard about how to help. Restaurant Folks You have probably been hit harder than almost anybody and now, everything in your establishment must be single-use only or constantly sanitized. Let Postal Connections reorganize your menu into disposable ‘sushi list-type tickets’. We can print these long, skinny disposable menus for you. The customer reads the menu-list, marks what he wants with his own ink pen or a teeny-weeny bowling alley scorecard pencil. Customers like the interactive quality and are glad the waiter doesn’t stay long. The waiter enters the info in your POS machine and throws the sushi-list and little pencil away. No one gets germs by handling regular menus. Or, if your establishment is willing to clean every menu after every guest handles it, we can laminate your menus into easy to wipe-clean plastic. Bar Owners Remove your bar stools and place big Xs on the floor every 6 feet so people know where to stand. We have the colorful tape to do it with! Retailers Let the world know you are now open for business. You need signs for your windows and a big banner for the outside of your building. You probably need Xs on the floor too. Maybe even arrows so all the customers walk in the same direction. Get your colorful tape here. Will your business model change to encourage online ordering? You need order forms and stickers for your shipping boxes. We can pack and ship your new wave of online orders too. Bright Ideas Cheerfully Accepted If you come up with a great idea that can be solved by printing, laminating, packaging, or office supplies, let us know. If it can be done, we will be happy to do it. #### The History of Postage Stamps Seems like postage stamps have been around forever, doesn't it? Actually, they are kind of new, in the grand scheme of things. Although there have always been delivery services for letters and packages, it was the recipient who paid to receive them. If the recipient was unwilling or unable to pay, the delivery service lost money. Because of this, the British postal system was in shambles. In 1837, Rowland Hill - an English social reformer - submitted his idea for postal reform to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Unlike modern writers who like to get right to the point, it took Mr Hill 28000 words (!) to describe his idea - a small, inexpensive pre-paid slip of paper with a gummed backing that could be fastened to any letter or package. A postage stamp. Postage Stamps, Then and Now The world's first adhesive postage stamp was the Penny Black in 1840. Published by the United Kingdom, it featured a picture of Queen Victoria. In fact, of all the postage stamps printed by every country since then, only the UK doesn't show the name of their country on their stamps. They don't need to - all stamps have pictures of the Monarch. Sheets of stamps were originally cut apart at the post office with scissors until perforations were invented. Now that we have peel 'n stick stamps, even the perforations are outdated. Stamps no longer have to be rectangular to accommodate the perforations. In 2000, the United States issued a round hologram stamp of Earth and both Sierra Leone and Tonga have published stamps shaped like fruits. Current US Stamps Presently, the United States Post Office offers postage stamps in a variety of denominations and designs, including flags, flowers, Santa Claus, and stamps that commemorate holidays. You'll find plenty of postage stamps here at Postal Connections. We have regular stamps - and probably 'forever' stamps too. So when you want to stick a stamp on a holiday greeting card, your convenient neighborhood Postal Connections Service Center is the place to pick up postage stamps. And, we have lots of cute greeting cards too! #### The Importance of Packaging Package Interactions After you bring your package to your Postal Connection of America store, what happens to it? If you used a tracking device, the places might look something like this for this package that went from Memphis Tennessee to Madison Heights, Michigan in three days, from May 20 to May 23. Along the way to all these destinations, your package interacts with humans, machines, and transport vehicles. 05/23/ 23:10:00 IN TRANSIT TO[I] MADISON HEIGHTS, MI, US 05/23/ 23:09:00 DEPARTURE SCAN[I] MAUMEE, OH, US 05/23/ 19:21:00 LOCATION SCAN[I] MAUMEE, OH, US 05/23/ 19:14:00 UNLOAD SCAN[I] MAUMEE, OH, US 05/23/ 17:31:00 ARRIVAL SCAN[I] MAUMEE, OH, US 05/23/ 14:21:00 DEPARTURE SCAN[I] CINCINNATI, OH, US 05/23/ 09:19:00 ARRIVAL SCAN[I] CINCINNATI, OH, US 05/23/ 03:41:00 DEPARTURE SCAN[I] NASHVILLE, TN, US 05/21/ 03:35:00 ARRIVAL SCAN[I] NASHVILLE, TN, US 05/20/23:34:00 DEPARTURE SCAN[I] MEMPHIS, TN, US 05/20/ 22:48:00 ARRIVAL SCAN[I] MEMPHIS, TN, US 05/20/ 22:39:00 DEPARTURE SCAN[I] MEMPHIS, TN, US Packaging If you do not pack your box to these exact specs (This example is for UPS.) and something happens to it, the carrier can and most likely will deny your claim. Sorters The sorter looks at the zip codes and routes the package down a conveyor to where the truck going to that destination is waiting. As the box moves along the conveyer, it will be snatched up by workers along the line that scan the package by zip code and slide it onto another conveyor type mechanism going into an open truck headed to that zip code. Loaders Loaders might be placing 1,000+ packages per four-hour shift into a trailer! It’s dark and either too cold or hot in there. They usually load left to right, packed tight, going up to the ceiling of the truck. The idea is to build a continual, tight wall of boxes until the trailer is filled. Trucks The trailers the boxes are in might be leaky or the parcels may be packed poorly possibly causing your package to get damaged while travelling to its destination because of these or other factors! Why take a chance with all steps on the journey of a package? That’s why it’s best to let the packaging pros in Bend, at Postal Connections, securely package your item before it goes on its bustling journey. #### The Mail Carriers Motto The phrase "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" has long been believed to be the mail carriers motto. There is no official mail carrier's motto, but the words are carved into the New York City General Post Office Building, which opened in 1914, so people are sure it's true. This slogan is not a formal commitment, and in fact the USPS routinely delays mail during bad weather. USPS and Other Delivery Services The United States Post Office has a monopoly on the delivery of letters, but competing services like UPS and FedEx also are able to deliver letters. Your nearest Postal Connections Service Center will help you choose the best carrier and service to ensure swift delivery of your letters and/or packages. We offer many shipping options with all major carriers carriers. Back to the Mail Carriers Motto Owing to the popular belief in the Mail Carriers Motto, there have been several movies about what happens when the delivery is really late. Here are a couple of good ones you can find on Amazon or Netflix. Cast Away (2000) - Tom Hanks stars as a FedEx troubleshooter whose cargo plane goes down over the Pacific Ocean. FedEx packages wash up on his uninhabited island and our hero opens them in order to survive. Both Tom Hanks and the basketball he rescues from the wreckage won 2002 Critics Choice Golden Globe Awards. The Postman (1997) - Kevin Costner stars as a drifter in a post-apocalyptic world who finds an abandoned Post Office truck and a sack of mail. He tries to deliver it even though it's years later. People are so eager to believe the mail carriers motto that they think the United States Government is back in business. Folks believe so strongly in the mail carriers motto that they call their local post offices about any delay, real or perceived. Here at Postal Connections we always strive to do our part to make sure your letters and packages arrive on time. #### The Postal Connections of America Story Today, you know your Postal Connections of America (PCA) store as a one-stop shop for many useful items and services for businesses and consumers. The stores offer anywhere pack and ship, printing, copying, shredding, mailbox rentals, office supplies, computer rentals, notary services and much more. In addition, to maintain the local flavor of the stores and because so many are community driven, several stores offer other items. These have included stocking greeting cards, gifts, local craft merchandise and selling media like games and DVDs. The History of Postal Connections of America Postal Connections of America started in 1995, 21 years in business in 2016, an enduring accomplishment by any standards. The company originally built and furnished postal, packing and shipping stores for independent operators. The very next year, 1996, PCA started franchising by providing franchisees a support system for daily operations, marketing and preferred vendors. In 2000, a holding company bought the franchisor as an adjunct to a collection of businesses, operating Postal Connections as a subsidiary. In 2002, the current owners, C. “Andy” Thompson and Fred Morache, joined Postal Connections as experienced managers to develop the franchise business. New Franchisors Andy and Fred ended up buying the franchise in 2007 and made it a privately held company dedicated to expanding franchise stores across the US. Their concept was to update the version of the original postal, shipping and business services concept they helped create at Mail Boxes Etc. which was based on providing community-oriented products and services, stellar customer service and competitive pricing. Franchisees are encouraged to add new services and hard-to-find products unique to the community. The Postal Connections staff and area franchisees dedicate themselves to assisting and guiding franchisees to grow their shops. We love this business! Note: All stores do not provide all services. Contact the store in your area to inquire about a particular product or service. #### Three Spring Cleaning Tips You may be wondering what Postal Connections knows about Spring cleaning. Of course, every Postal Connections Service Center is neat as a pin. But what about your house? You've mostly been home for the last two years...working from home, attending Zoom meetings, and setting up remote learning for your children. Paper has piled up. We can help. Spring Cleaning Tips: Shredding Old Docs If you thought the computer age was going to make paper files obsolete, think again. There seems to be more and more of it! Paper files that contain your social security number, bank account numbers, and other sensitive information should be shredded if you don't want to store them. Get a box - we have boxes here at Postal Connections - and toss all those papers in there until the box is full. Your Spring cleaning will be complete when you shred those documents. And, by the way, many Postal Connections Service Centers offer shredding. Call the Postal Connections Store nearest you to find out. Storing Docs You Can't Throw Away Don't toss your old tax returns. Pack them up in a big box, or better yet, bring them to Postal Connections to be scanned for electronic storage. Get rid of those bulky file cabinets once and for all. We'll help you eliminate your hard-copy clutter, as well as transmit file attachments, via our printing/scanning and digital storage equipment. Storing Winter Items With Spring turning into summer, there are many items like hats and coats that can go into storage so they don't take up space inside the house. Storing winter items for Spring cleaning can help you declutter your home. Postal Connections has packing peanuts, bubble wrap, and packing paper to help keep any fragile items from breaking. Stocking up on the de-cluttering supplies you need for Spring cleaning is easy at Postal Connections. Come on in to the Postal Connections Service Center nearest you and walk out with everything you need to tidy up for Spring. Thank you for your continued support. #### Timely Work From Home Tips Working from home is a blessing and a curse, for many. If it’s new for you, working from home can be equal parts refreshing...and frustrating. Many thrive on the inter-office chatter and energy that was the business norm, but times may be a little different right now. The upside of working from home: no daily commute, idling in highway traffic no ironing no hard start and stop schedules, for the most part power naps! The downside: new distractions immediate access to fridge/pantry limited resources We’ve been supporting work from home (WFH) business professionals, like solopreneurs and remote workers with their shipping, copying, mailing, graphic design, and many other back office support needs for over 20 years. In short, we are here to help you navigate a uniquely difficult time. Here are 10 work from home tips to help maximize your productivity and help to maintain peace of mind: 1. Maintain Regular Hours - Set a consistent schedule and stick to it...as much as possible. Having clear guidelines for when to work and when to call it a day will help you to maintain your focus and sanity. Automatic time-tracking apps, such as RescueTime, let you check in on whether you’re sticking to your schedule. 2. Set the Rules - Set the ground rules, via a clearly written plan, especially if others (namely children or partner) share the same space. They need clear rules for what they can and cannot do during working hours. If you fail to set clear rules chaos will ensue and you’ll suffer, as will your productivity. 3. Schedule Breaks - This seems like common sense yet too many people fail to implement scheduled breaks. At the very least schedule, and honor, a lunch break and two additional 15 minute breaks for each work day. 4. Ask for What You Need - If you work for a company that supports your work-from-home setup, ask that the equipment you need is shipped as soon as you begin working from home. You can also find most everything you may need right at your local Postal Connections store. 5. Keep a Separate Phone Number - Set up a phone number that you only use for calls with colleagues and clients. Try a free VoIP service, like Google Voice or a Skype number. 6. Socialize With Colleagues - Loneliness, disconnect and isolation are all too common in WFH life, particularly for extroverts. It’s important to figure out just how much interaction you’ll need. Then schedule it regularly. 7. Take Sick Days - Just because you’re home it doesn’t mean that you can’t get sick. Sometimes you just need to rest. Take a day off, or two, if needed. So that you can get back to being productive. 8. End Your Day With a Routine - Mark the end of your work day, every day. It might be the simple act of turning off your computer, tuning in to a favorite podcast, taking a shower or a quick walk around the neighborhood. 9. Overcommunicate - Tell everyone who needs to know about your schedule and availability, often. When you complete a project or an important task, say it. Working from home requires it. 10. Get Face Time - For those working from home who are also trying to reduce face-to-face contact, set up a video call with your colleagues or manager once a week to check in. We hope these WFH helps and tips will help to alleviate the stress that can come from a new work environment. Whether for shipping, receiving, copying, printing, office supplies, notary services or any other back office support service, we’re here for you. #### Tips For Working From Home, Part 2 Are you a new Stay-at-Home Office Worker, like many of us? Then this is for you. Last month we concentrated on mental, physical, and organizational strategies to improve your ‘new normal’ life with a work-from-home job. If you want to refresh your memory, here it is again. This month we’re going to focus on these work at home apps and programs that will really make it happen. Ring Central If you previously worked in an office with lots of people doing lots of jobs and you had to interact with all of them, persuade the boss to get Ring Central for everybody. Be reached anywhere. It’s everything you need to get work done in one app. All-in-one phone, team messaging, and video conferencing. Fast, easy set-up. Unlimited calling. Here’s the part the boss will really like... Free 15-Day Trial. Plus, it’s cloud-based and there are no contracts. Calendly Helps you schedule meetings without the back-and-forth emails. Here’s how it works... Create simple rules - Setup is easy. Let Calendly know your availability preferences and it’ll do the work for you. Share your link - Share your Calendly links via email or embed it on your website. Schedule - They pick a time and the event is added to your calendar. The bosses will like this one too, because they can get started for free. No credit card required. Pipedrive Be a super-salesperson even while you’re sitting round in your bathrobe. Pipedrive manages leads & deals, tracks communications, automates repetitive tasks, and dives deep into your metrics for customized reports. All this while offering privacy, security, and access from your mobile device. Pipedrive users report an average close-rate increase of 28% after the first year. And guess what else? You and the boss can try it FREE! Dropbox The workhorse of cloud storage, Dropbox lets anyone upload and transfer files to the cloud, and share them with anyone. Back up photos, videos, docs, and other files to cloud storage, and access files synced with any of your computers or mobile devices—from anywhere. And with advanced sharing features, it’s easy to send files—large or small—to friends, family, and co-workers. And if your computer should crash, fear not. All your stuff is safe in the cloud in Dropbox. Here’s that favorite word again...try it FREE for thirty days! Now that you’ve saved your company oodles of time and lots of money, this might be a good time to ask for a raise! #### Turn Your Administrative Life Around Sometimes you say, this administrative stuff, who needs it? However, we all need to deal with the administrative vagaries of life either in business and definitely in our personal life. How can Postal Connections help with these administrative needs? Let us count the ways: Office supplies like staplers, notebooks, paper, envelopes, and writing utensils. Mailing paraphernalia such as stamps, packing material, boxes, and big envelopes. Printing services including color and black and white, printing of computer docs, and preparing printed material for distribution. Shipping services means we ship just about anything. One offs and crate shipping as well as package shipping via the nations largest shipping services. Packing know how targeting the best way to ship a computer or other electronics, fragile items, a uniquely shaped piece, and high-volume shipping. Miscellaneous services and products encompassing shredding, business cards, small unique gifts, notary publics, and much more. This part of your life is much easier with some help from your friends! Organize Your Administrative Life This is the year to resolve to organize your administrative life. If you have a business, secure a street address mailbox for your business mail. Shred those documents that have aged another year especially those financial docs you no longer need. Partner with a reliable supplier of office items needed to help your business function. Use reliable pack and ship skills for anything you want to mail, anywhere in the US. Prepare important docs like presentations or whimsical notices like flyers so they look professionally done. You can do all this and more at your Postal Connections store! Contact us today and forge a trusted partnership for life. (Note: Not all stores offer the same services, so please call ahead.) Remember, Postal Connections packs anything you have and ships anywhere in the world! #### Two Hearts, Two Businesses A local couple talks about being in business together BY RICHARD SITTS The married couple who works together thrives together. OK, this might not prove true for everyone, but it's worked out well for Pete and Sue Pierce, owners of Postal Connections of America in the Forum Shopping Center in Bend, and Postal Connections Express inside the Walmart in Redmond. The latter store was opened about a year ago. May will mark 20 years for the Bend store. So, how does a couple get along working side by side to run a business? "She's the boss," Pete says. Sue chimes in, "No, I'm behind the scenes." Sue also offers this: "I've had friends say, 'I could never work with my husband.'" But Pete and Sue have managed it just fine over the years. And how does that workload spread out? "It's hard to take vacations. It's putting all your eggs in one basket, but that's just part of owning your own business." —Sue Pierce click to tweet "I do mostly operations," Pete says. "She's the one who makes sure I stay grounded." As far as job titles are concerned, Pete says, "We're all co-workers, we don't do titles. It was a team effort to get it going." Pete and Sue have been married for 27 years and will celebrate 28 years May 19. Pete threw out the date with no hesitation, and Sue quickly added, "Good job! Brownie points!" Pete then revealed that he easily remembers the date because it's the birthday of Pete Townshend, of The Who. So, what are the payoffs to working as a couple? "The collaborative part is important, bouncing ideas off one another, using the partnership to implement ideas," Pete says. Sue adds, "We can capitalize on each other's strengths and weaknesses, and it's pretty well balanced." Pete says, "She's the voice of reason." "And we like each other," Sue responds. "She gets me," Pete says. "And we're compatible," Sue counters. "Growing your dream together is pretty exciting," Sue adds. Do they have any advice for other couples considering going into business together? "Just play to your strengths," Pete says, and Sue immediately blurts, "And communicate!" "If you do that, you'll do great. And have a sense of humor," Pete continues. One more thing: "Don't take work home with you," he says. And Sue offers, "Don't get too high on the ups, and don't get too low on the downs." Speaking of which, are there any downsides to working as a couple? "It's hard to take vacations," Sue says. "It's putting all your eggs in one basket, but that's just part of owning your own business." The couple did work closely together for quite a while—about 17 years—before Sue took another job a couple years ago at Central Oregon Community College, mostly helping veterans tap their education benefits. These days, her time at Postal Connections is limited. Pete says shipping, personal mail boxes and copying services combine to make up about 80 percent of their business. One of the more esoteric services they offer: electronic fingerprinting for background checks. "A lot of those have to be done these days," Pete says. Of all the independently-owned Postal Connections franchises (37 in 18 states) their store has been number one in sales for the past 12 years. They opened the very first Postal Connections franchise with just one part-time employee and carried on that way for many years, Pete says. Pete and Sue say their workers are like a family. "We're really invested in them and they're invested in us. A lot of them have been here for quite a while," Sue adds. The couple both spent time working at Kinko's, with Pete having about 10 years' experience before they started Postal Connections. Pete originally is from Portland, while Sue was raised in Bend. "We're Ducks," Pete claims, explaining that they met as students at the University of Oregon, and then had separate careers in Portland and Bend before joining forces. Pete smiles and shakes his head, admitting that two of their sons are now attending Oregon State University, while a third son is finishing high school. And it can't be all work and no play. "It's important to have outside activities," Sue says. Together, they hike and camp, and Pete also enjoys hunting. "Our goal is to do a lot more kayaking this year," she adds. #### Unique Packaging and Items that Cannot Be Shipped Different Packaging If you want to surprise a recipient with a unique package, try a different kind of packaging! For example, did you know you can mail a frisbee, plastic bottles (filled with art supplies, candy and other trinkets) candy boxes, flip flops, a piñata, and more. As long as you put the proper labeling and postage on it, it’s good to go! Come see us at Postal Connections when you want to get creative with your unique packaging, we’ll help you with the best way to send your package and make sure it meets shipping regulation standards. And remember, we ship anywhere! Can you ship it? USPS, UPS and FedEx all have specific lists for prohibited and restricted items. Below is the USPS restricted and prohibited items list. Although prohibited by USPS, FedEx and UPS may allow some of these items to be shipped. Please check with your local Postal Connections before shipping if you aren’t sure. USPS Prohibited and Restricted Items Lists Prohibited Domestic Items: Air bags Ammunition Explosives Gasoline Marijuana (medical or otherwise) Prohibited International Items: Aerosols Air Bags Alcoholic Beverages Ammunition Cigarettes Dry Ice Explosives Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Gasoline Marijuana (medical or otherwise) Nail Polish Perfumes (containing alcohol) Poison All prohibited domestic items are also prohibited from being shipped internationally. However, some items that are prohibited from being shipped internationally can be shipped domestically, with some restrictions. Restricted Domestic Items: Aerosols Cigarettes & Tobacco Dry Ice Glues Live Animals Nail Polish Perfumes Paint Poisons Prescription Drugs Alcoholic Beverages Cremated Remains Firearms Lithium Batteries Matches Perishable items: Perishable items are materials that can deteriorate in the mail, such as live animals, food, and plants. Permissible perishable items are sent at the mailer’s own risk. These items must be specially packaged and mailed so that they arrive before they begin to deteriorate. Fragile Items: Ordinary items that are breakable or fragile do not need special handling if they are packed with the right cushioning and marked clearly with the word fragile. Restricted International Items: Medical Devices Lithium Batteries Medicine or Drugs Cigars: Cigars may be mailed internationally unless the country you are shipping to prohibits it. Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco: Sometimes individuals may ship cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. If you have any questions about whether the contents of your package can be shipped, ask your Postal Connections staff member. #### Verify Your Identity A handshake used to be all that was necessary to show your word was good and you were who you said you were. Nowadays, you need all kinds of things to prove what Popeye the Sailor Man already knew..."I am what I am." Many of the Postal Connections Service Centers nationwide offer some or all of these services to verify your identity. Come on in and let us help you prove yourself to the world. Services to Verify Your Identity Fingerprinting Your fingerprints belong to you and you alone. If you need to verify your identity for a job application, background check, health record, or even a child identity kit, you need an accurate fingerprint taken. Postal Connections fingerprint technicians are experts. You can count on us to do this work quickly, correctly, and in the pleasant surroundings of your favorite Postal Connections Store. Passport Photos There's plenty to see and do right here in the United States, but if you want to travel to another country - even Canada or Mexico - you need a passport. And every passport needs a photo. Postal Connections uses digital cameras specifically designed to take passport photos that meet or exceed government requirements. Notary Public A Notary Public is the person you want when you must sign a document and verify your identity. Visit your nearest Postal Connections store for on-site notary services for... Contracts Wills Gun permits Auto title transfers Real estate sales Medical release forms School permission slips Power of Attorney Child ID kits Document Shredding To insure that no one else can verify your identity as their own, bring all of your sensitive documents – those that contain your social security or bank account numbers – into your nearest Postal Connections Service Center to be shredded. Don't let identity theft happen to you. By the pallet or by the pound, we will make sure those sensitive docs turn into a million teeny pieces. #### What is a SOHO? SOHO means small office/home office and it encompasses the small or home office business environment and the culture surrounding it. It’s tough to get a read on how many SOHOs are out there. You can get stats that place between 19 and 40 million people working this way so it’s a moving, but many say expanding, target. Future attempts at defining this market suggest that a SOHO is any firm with less than 10 employees. Recently, however, this has been further refined to a SOHO being a company with 1 to 4 employees. Local landscapers, accountants, pet sitters, writers, graphic designers, small tradesmen, real estate and many other businesses and freelancers go SOHO. In many cases, the workplace is setup in a designated space in the business owner’s residence but you can see these self-employed individuals having meetings at Starbucks, plugging in wherever there’s wireless and coming to PCA for office essentials. PCA Supports SOHOs Postal Connections of America Stores are perfect places for SOHOs to go to perform those tasks where the equipment needed to complete them is not worth purchasing but is needed to get business done such as: Printing any size job in color or black and white and in any quantity. Mailing documents and/or packages anywhere in the world. Faxing and obtaining a notary public signatory. Purchasing essential office supplies. Other services/products unique to the community. One of the best features of the PCA store is that the proprietors are also small business people, know the community and can really help SOHOs get things done! #### What is iPostal? Want to completely access and control your mail from anywhere? A new technology called digital mailbox services has made that possible. The digital mail software and technology allows anyone including businesses, to track and manage mail and parcels online or from mobile devices 24/7, from anywhere, at any time. Users Expats, students on the go, frequent travelers, RVers, boaters, second or multiple home owners or those managing mail for others like an elderly parent often find that this option fits right into their lifestyle and accommodates their need for control. If you rent a Postal Box, you will love not visiting it to know if mail is received. iPostal customers receive automated email alerts when new mail comes in. Documents can be scanned to PDF files for immediate viewing or printing, can digitally store scanned documents such as bills or discard unwanted items effortlessly. Services In addition to the above, customers can forward mail to several addresses, schedule shipments, choose a carrier and a level of service. Checks can even be deposited into bank accounts! After scanning, physical mail and packages get locked in a secure storage onsite until a decision is made on what to do with them. Many Postal Connections of America (PCA) offer the iPostal service, making their business even more accommodating to the community residents and small businesses PCA stores serve. Just contact the PCA store closest to your location for more information on how iPostal can help you manage your life. About Postal Connections Postal Connections of America is a long-established franchise operation. Stores are located in many parts of the US. Make sure you contact your local PCA store about what you need. They just might have it for you! For more information on Postal Connections of American, go to www.postalconnections.com. #### What Postal Connections Knows about Damaged Packages We learned some interesting statistics about packages damaged in shipping. For example, UPS handles and ships an average of 15.6 million packages and documents daily. And around the holidays, it is closer to 20 million. Even with a .001 percent damage rate, a rate that may be acceptable in the industry, that’s more than 15,000 damaged packages daily. And that’s just from UPS! Add in FedEx and the Post Office and the potential exists for a lot of items to be damaged while being shipped even operating at a miniscule .001 damage rate. The primary cause of damage is improperly packed items. This means that incorrect materials such as used cartons and newspaper may have been used as packing material. Proper Packaging is Key! Improper packaging is one of the top reasons insurance claims are denied on damaged packages. For example, you think you packed the box correctly, stuffing tons of bubble wrap in there and taping it so not even a sliver of air could get in. But while the box sat on the floor a fork lift dropped a 200-pound piece of machinery on it. You submit a claim and guess what? It could get denied solely because the tape you used was not wide enough! Save some anxiety and let Postal Connections expertly pack your items. The packaging will properly cushion whatever item you are sending and the shipping box will be perfect. And if your package does get damaged in shipment your claim will not be denied for improper packaging! Postal Connections is your one stop shop for all your business needs! At Postal Connections we specialize in a full array of business services including packing and shipping, copies, creative design and print, fingerprinting and passport photos, ink stamps, send and receive fax, mailbox rental and more. Postal Connections stores are independently owned and operated. Many are family owned with active ties to the community as well as having membership with local Chamber of Commerce. Note, not all services are offered by all stores. Please call your local store for available services. #### Where is my Package Delivery? All over the United States, people are waiting for their packages and asking "where is my package delivery". Packages from the Post Office, packages from FedEx, packages from UPS. Shoot...people are even waiting for the pizza delivery guy too. The Supply Chain, Explained Casual chit-chat at the barber shop or deli tells us that something has happened to the 'supply chain' during COVID. Well, that's true, but what does it mean? Everything you purchase - at the grocery store, the shopping mall, or an internet vendor - comes from somewhere. It is often manufactured overseas, then shipped to a warehouse and ultimately, to you. And all those people involved in the manufacturing, sorting, packing, shipping, flying, driving, and delivering goods are regular people just like us. Regular people all over the world have been clobbered by the pandemic. There are fewer workers now. Some companies have had to quarantine workers. Other employees have quit because of health issues. So there are not nearly as many people involved in all the aspects of producing and shipping as there were prior to COVID. Because of the shortage of workers, ships are delayed. There are not enough people to load and unload the vessels. Scarcity of shipping availability drives prices up. A container of merchandise from China that formerly cost $2000 - $5000 to ship, now is priced at $30,000 to have package delivery on a predictable schedule. All of the other goods simply languish in port. Up, Up, UP! Goods that do get through are now more costly than before because of the added shipping costs. As of July, consumer prices had grown almost 5 percent since before the pandemic, with some types of goods showing much larger increases. The United States Post Office has requested a temporary price increase on a variety of mail services for the peak holiday season to offset rising package delivery costs. The price increases, which range from 25 cents to $5 per package, would go into effect on October 3, 2021, and last through December 26, 2021. Help Us to Help You - Ship Early For years, we have been reminding folks to ship early. This year we REALLY mean it. At Postal Connections we offer the convenience of having many package delivery options available to every customer. We do our part to pack your goods safely and securely so they won't break during shipment. Although we cannot do anything about price increases and shipping delays from the major carriers, we strive to find the best value and fastest service possible. So shop locally at small, local merchants and purchase goods that are already on the shelves. Then bring those Holiday Gifts to your nearest Postal Connections Service Center as soon as possible so we can do everything possible to insure that your carefully selected packages will get to the recipients on time. Thanks for your continued support - we think of you as family. Everyone Will Have a Happy Holiday When You Ship Early with Postal Connections! #### Why Shred? Do you automatically throw away credit card offers you receive in the mail? When you use up your checks, do you toss the duplicates in the garbage? After you pay your credit card bill, do you discard the detail sheet in the trash? It’s interesting to know that, in general, anyone can go through your trash once you put it curbside. You might not think they are digging for financial documents. But they do. And remember, it only takes one or two bits of information for identity thieves to create usable fake identification. One way to prevent identity theft is to shred any paper with even a hint of financial information on it. Do not throw them in the garbage. This is especially important if you generate business documentation as a result of a home-based business. Keep a special box in your home and put any paper with financial or identifying information on it in that box. Bring the box each month to your local PCA store to shred the docs for you. It’s affordable, reliable and most importantly, a safeguard for your future financial viability. Identity theft is a multibillion dollar industry. Thieves use specialized equipment and skills to create a fake ID that they milk for all its worth. Don’t make it easy for them and potentially life-shattering for you. #### Writing Then and Now Cave paintings, pictographs, alphabets, scribes with quills, the printing press, and today...your Blog. Now that virtually all jobs have moved out of offices and into our own homes, we have time to think about how we got here and where we're going. The History of Writing So let's go back 17,000 years when inhabitants of the country we now call France painted all sorts of animals on the cave walls at Lascaux. Some of these are static portraits - others seem to be in motion, as if telling a story. But what story, exactly? Not until many thousands of years later did humans begin to develop the concept of making marks to represent speech. Ancient Egyptians were among the first to create a written language based on images. But pictographs (picture writing) are difficult to understand. It was still hard to tell a story with pictographs. It wasn't until about 1100 BC, that the Phoenicians came up with the idea of making marks that would represent sounds, not whole words. In this way, they could rearrange the marks to become any word they wanted. And guess what their first two letters were? Alef and bet! Finally, entire stories could be told by using the alphabet. For another 2500 years, scribes with quill pens worked day and night to copy Scriptures and the few other existing scholarly works. Their efforts were eventually augmented by craftsmen who carved entire pages onto a wood block and printed one page at a time. Woe to the scribe or craftsman who misspelled a work or got something wrong! The whole page - or maybe the entire scroll or book - would have to be scrapped. How Johann Gutenberg Changed The World Much as the Phoenicians had done two and half millennia earlier, Johann Gutenberg of Germany invented movable type in 1439 and changed everything. No longer were pages thought of as complete entities. Printers could easily re-set the type in case of a mistake. This singular change made mass-production of printed materials economically viable and bolstered the creation of a middle class. Literacy soared. No longer did the literate elite have a monopoly on education. Even the ordinary person had access to books, laws, and news broadsides. Writing Today We have alphabets, dictionaries, and the internet. No longer are we hampered by lack of tools or lack of distribution. Our only real concern these days is...what to write about. What story should we tell? The choice is yours, Dear Reader. Write what you know, write what you believe in. Write your blog, your book, your movie script. No matter what topic you choose, you will always need paper, ink, and office supplies. Postal Connections is your blogging and writing support team. Come on in for... Printer paper Printer ink cartridges Pens Envelopes Folders Tape Staples, paper clips, thumb tacks, and so much more You can feel confident about shopping for office supplies at Postal Connections because... Our staff is following health advisory recommendations: wearing protective face masks, washing hands, social distancing, and avoidance of handshaking and other cultural greetings. We have advised our staff to stay home if they show any symptoms or have come in contact with those who have symptoms. To protect our staff and customers, we require protective face mask or face covering to be worn while in the store. We will continue to monitor the situation going forward to ensure customer safety. These measures will remain in place at Postal Connections until further notice. Find the Postal Connections store nearest you to stock up on copy paper and printer ink for your blog and other writing. #### Writing with Quill Pens For thousands of years, writing was a real chore. Ancient Babylonians used pointy sticks to make marks on clay tablets, which then had to be baked to be durable. Sometimes they broke! Ancient Greeks and Romans chiseled their words into marble. Boy, was that heavy and slow! Ancient Egyptians had a better idea by using reeds filled with ink to write on papyrus, but reed pens were stiff and wore out quickly. Somebody back in the 2nd century BC wrote part of the Dead Sea Scrolls with a quill pen - a big improvement and a genius invention! Quill pens are the long flight feathers of big birds, like geese, swans, and turkeys. The hollow quill holds the ink and the pointed tip is carved into a suitable nib for writing. The quills were carved with small knives, known as pen knives. Hardly anyone carves their own quill pens anymore, but we still have those little knives. Although the quill had to be refilled with ink every five or six words, quill pens were used to create and sign important documents - like the Magna Carta and the Declaration of Independence - years before the invention of metal-tipped fountain pens and, eventually, ball point pens. Fun fact! Quill pens have not gone completely out of style. Twenty goose-quill pens, neatly crossed, are placed at the four counsel tables at the U.S. Supreme Court each day the Court is in session. Since most lawyers appear before the Court only once, they gladly take the quills home as souvenirs. Modern Pens at Postal Connections The popularity of quill pens endured until metal pens began to be mass produced in the nineteenth century. Nowadays, most folks want pens that are ready to use and easy to find. You can find all your favorite pens, inks, and markers easily at Postal Connections. Come on in to the store nearest you. Postal Connections has every type of modern pen imaginable. You can feel confident about visiting Postal Connections because... Our staff is following health advisory recommendations: wearing protective face masks, washing hands, social distancing, and avoidance of handshaking and other cultural greetings. We have advised our staff to stay home if they show any symptoms or have come in contact with those who have symptoms. To protect our staff and customers, we require protective facemask or face covering to be worn while in the store. We will continue to monitor the situation going forward to ensure customer safety. These measures will remain in place at Postal Connections® until further notice. Find the Postal Connections store nearest you for pens of every kind! #### Your Trusted Small Business Secure Shredding Services There was a time when identity theft was not an issue. Just like the drive-thru movie theaters, those days are long gone. Nowadays it seems that everyone knows of at least one identity theft victim. The theft of personal and private information is a significant threat to your small business success. It’s imperative that you do everything in your power to mitigate that risk. Our Small Business Secure Shredding Services go a long way toward protecting you and your business interests from identity theft. Protecting your personal information has become a must. Small businesses need solid identity theft protection and that includes consistent and secure shredding of personal information, namely that of our customers records. New account fraud, in 2018, accounted for $3.4 billion in losses, up from $3 billion in 2017. The most common targets for new account fraud are mortgages, student loans, car loans, and credit cards. Small business secure shredding services Our small business shredding service does more than simply eliminate all of your excess paper you have lying around the office. It helps to protect your company’s private and confidential information, protect the identity of your clients & customers, and helps prevent identity theft while also reducing your company’s carbon footprint. When you use our professional secure shredding services you will gain peace of mind: Reassurance: Our secure shredding services offer small business owners, their clients, and their customers peace-of-mind because they know that their personal information will remain safe and secure. Federal and State Regulations Compliant: In some places, shredding confidential information will keep a business compliant with both state and federal regulations for how you need to destroy personal information. Creates Trust: By letting your customers know that their personal information is kept safe and secure, you will create a strong bond of trust. Postal Connections Stores Are Here For You At your local Postal Connections store, we strive to meet, and exceed, all of your business needs. We’re your one stop business shop. Come see us for all of your small business shredding services. Please note not all services are available at all locations. Please check your local store for complete list of products and services. ### Pages #### (No Title) URL: https://www.postalconnections101.com/home-business-products-services/finger-print-cards/ #### About About Postal Connections Bend, OR We are there for people on the go and those leading a revolution in the way work is done. Postal Connections is a network of stores where people find alternatives for postal and business services with more than 20 services and products to make daily life and business easier. We get things done locally for small office/home office (SOHO) business people and busy consumers using technology and friendly, personalized service. At Postal Connections we are Blending High Tech With High Touch. Connecting Customers With The Rest of The World Postal Connections of America is a network of franchise stores serving people with packaging, shipping, mail receiving, fax sending or receiving, duplicating, notary, online access, packing & office supplies, as well as, numerous other services. We compete by adding personalized customer service to each transaction and offering alternatives in prices and shipping companies. We connect our communities to the rest of the world with the products & services we sell whether it’s for business or personal needs. Postal Connections stores follow a business model, developed in the 1980’s, created to deliver postal and shipping services conveniently without long lines. Our services have gained in demand as customers find their time to be more valuable than traveling to other sources and often less expensive. This concept has spread worldwide driven by modern transportation, technology, fuel costs, and the expansion of small office/home office (SOHO) businesses. Additionally, the growing numbers of working households, where time is limited and convenience is valuable, have become loyal and frequent customers. #### Blog URL: https://www.postalconnections101.com/blog/ #### Computer Rental Computer & Internet Rental in Bend, OR. Postal Connections 101 provides inexpensive, dependable computer and internet access. Has your computer suddenly stop running? Do you need to get on the internet fast? When you absolutely need to get on the internet using a high speed, secure service, Postal Connections 101 makes your computing a breeze. We offer quick computer rental and internet access services in Bend, OR. Here at Postal Connections 101 access email, browse the web, create documents and check out what’s stored on your cloud. Use our high-speed computer an internet connection to: Access Internet news Shop online Check social media Send emails #### Contact Contact Us Postal Connections 101 – Bend 2660 NE Hwy 20 Suite 610 Bend, OR 97701 Phone: (541) 382-1800 Fax: (541)382-1888 Email: pca101@postalconnections.com Store Hours: 8:00am – 6:00pm, Monday-Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm, Saturday Closed Sundays #### Copying and Printing Need Copying and Printing in Bend? Then come to Postal Connections 101! We will print your job on our state-of-the-art printer and copier machines that generate clean, crisp black and white or color documents. Your flyers, invitations and letters will look sharp, reader-friendly and ready for prime time. Our Bend printing and copying services include: Copies Black-and-white and color copy services (self and full-serve) are available using the latest high-speed machines to ensure quick turnarounds, crisp reproduction and competitive pricing. If you like to DIY, we will help you navigate the equipment. Make single, multiple, black and white, color, letter / legal / ledger size copies in Bend at Postal Connections 101. Convenient Scanning Our document scanning services can transform your paper piles into text-searchable digital images. Instead of dealing with file cabinets or off-site storage, your documents can be filed digitally to a DVD or flash drive. Printing Our stores offer high quality printing services from business cards to banners with several size ink and stock options for small to large jobs, all turned around quickly. Select from color or black and white ink printing at your Postal Connections 101 in Bend. Document Finishing Document finishing spruces up your presentation after completing the printing or copying. If appearance matters, then make your docs look sharp. These finishing touches include collating, binding, laminating, stapling and putting on presentation covers. Flyers and Brochures Advertising a bake sale, a band appearance, a local festival or a block party? Use our design and print services to make a flyer or brochure to tell everyone about it. Produce menus, direct marketing pieces, mailers or anything needing a professional touch. Banner and Poster Printing Need something larger than a standard 8.5 by 11 piece of paper for your project? Thinking big for this one? Well, we got the big stuff! Postal Connections offers the state-of-the-art equipment and expertise necessary to create large posters and banners. This includes enlarged photos on canvas, vinyl or paper, event backdrops and fabric posters. Remember, if it’s printed, we deliver! Come to Postal Connections for copies, scanning, printing, document finishing, flyers, brochures, posters and banners in Bend. #### Custom Boxes Need Custom Storage and Shipping Boxes in Bend, OR? Postal Connections 101 will Build you a Custom Box! When a plain stock corrugated box is not big or strong enough for your item(s), stop in at the box building experts at Postal Connections 101. We custom build boxes to fit practically anything and then we’ll pack your items so they will glide through the transportation network and to your destination in one piece. Businesses and residents of Bend, OR rely on Postal Connections 101 for their custom boxes and packing needs…whether it’s for an antique grandfather clock, a framed canvas painting or special bottles of wine, our custom boxes are designed to fit the exact dimensions of the items. When it comes to custom boxes, item size or shape does not matter at Postal Connections 101. We Can Build: Single-wall corrugated boxes Double-wall corrugated boxes Foam-lined containers Insulated containers Double-boxes (a box-in-a-box) for extremely fragile items Single custom boxes Multiple custom boxes If it needs a corrugated box, we can build it! #### Decorative Mailers & Packages Decorative Mailers and Packages in Bend, OR. Spruce up that Special Occasion with a Decorative Mailer! When you want to send a gift or special letter and need a festive look but gift wrapping is too much, Postal Connections 101 has a great solution. We stock a wide variety of decorative mailers with different themes including Happy Birthday and Happy Holidays along with non-holiday versions. The brightly colored, festive coverings add something special to your gifts. The next time you’re in a hurry and need to ship a festively themed item, come to Postal Connections 101. We’ll pack and ship it and get it there on time for that special occasion, nicely decorated! #### DHL Shipping We offer DHL Express Shipping in Bend, OR. DHL Knows International Shipping Solutions. Ever try to ship internationally on your own? It’s complicated. Every country operates under a different set of rules and regulations. DHL Express focuses on international shipping. It is the largest international shipping company in the world, delivering to millions of addresses in more than 220 countries since 1969. As a DHL Authorized Shipping Center (DASC), Postal Connections 101 is officially recognized by DHL Express as the international shipping experts in Bend, OR. Postal Connections 101 staff know the rules, regulations, restrictions, customs, documentation and delivery options to all countries served by DHL Express. As a DHL Authorized Shipping Center, Postal Connections 101 provides easy and convenient access to the world’s largest international shipping network at very competitive rates. Postal Connections 101 Is Ready to Help with Every Aspect of Your International Shipping Needs including: International packaging standards and materials International shipping documents like airway bills, commercial and pro forma invoices, customs docs and proof of value International declared value protection International package insurance Electronic export information Remember, at Postal Connections 101 our business started as packaging and shipping experts. We’ll take your delicate, valuable, time-sensitive and sentimental items and pack it with TLC to ensure it arrives in perfect shape. #### Document Finishing Document Finishing Services in Bend, OR. You Produced the Documents, Now you Must Present Them! Postal Connections 101 has a reputation as the superior document finishing services center for businesses and residents in Bend, OR. Document finishing services refer to what happens to the documents right after printing. This can mean the difference between mediocre work and a professional look. Postal Connections 101 can put those special finishing touches on the documents you’ve worked hard to design and produce content for. Document Finishing Services Collating Binding Laminating Stapling Presentation covers Folding and inserting in envelopes Specialty papers Preparation for shipping Labeling #### Drop Off Service ISOLDIT Services We’ll Sell It on eBay Looking for an easy way to sell your unwanted items on eBay? We’ll be your personal sell it on eBay store! Why endure the hassle of trying to figure out how to post the items on eBay yourself? Doing the research, taking photos and writing a professional listing, dealing with buyer inquiries, packing and shipping your items? Save time and visit our Postal Connections/I SOLD IT store. Schedule an Appointment Call us to schedule an appointment to bring your items in to our store. Our experienced staff will conduct some quick online research to estimate the resale value of your items. We handle most items with an expected eBay value of $200 and above (Similar items can be combined to meet minimum value). How We Take Care of Your Online Buy It Now Sale on eBay During your check-in, our staff will work with you to capture background information that will be helpful for your online posting. Once you’re checked in, we place the items in our inventory and hand you a receipt. Then we get to work photographing your items and writing up the ad copy. Items are typically launched online within 7 business days, often sooner. We will notify you when someone has purchased on eBay and sent payment. We use the Buy It Now option to have more control over the sale price of you items to maximize your profit. Use the listing method is also available if you prefer. Call us today at (541) 382-1800 to set up an appointment! Call Now! #### Ebay Selling eBay Services in Bend, OR. Turn Your Unused Items into Cash at Postal Connections East Bend. Is your garage, attic or basement full of stuff that’s too good to throw away, but no longer has a place in your life? Turn those unused electronics, collectibles, jewelry, sporting goods, nice clothing and just about anything else into CASH by letting us sell them on one of the world’s biggest online selling platforms — eBay. You do no work Postal Connections East Bend is known for eBay selling in Bend, OR. Postal Connections East Bend will evaluate, photograph, list, sell, pack and ship your items for a fee while helping you turn your trash into cash. We are authorized eBay sellers with an excellent feedback history and ratings potential buyers know we are trustworthy. There is an art to successful selling on eBay and the staff at Postal Connections East Bend are eBay artists. We’ll put our expertise to work to ensure you get the most dollars for your items. Just bring your items in and we’ll handle the rest! Our eBay Services Include: Taking digital pictures Creating the eBay listing with item description and details Answering prospective buyer questions about listed items Determining packing and shipping costs Confirming the sale transaction Handling payments, packing and shipping Dealing with proof of delivery problem resolution (if necessary) Sending you a check If you live in the Bend, OR area, let Postal Connections East Bend sell your unwanted items on eBay for you! #### Electronics & Computer Shipping Electronics and Computer Shipping in Bend, OR. We Specialize In Shipping Fragile Electronics. Satellite dish controllers, laptops, smart phones, blue-ray players, cable boxes, tablets, audio systems, medical instruments, TVs, etc. These and other electronics probably need extra-special shipping and handling. The staff at Postal Connections 101 is expertly trained in all aspects of packaging, especially electronics. We dip into our array of box sizes, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, tape and similar materials that allow us to pack and ship your electronics so they arrive at the destination intact. For packing and shipping electronics in Bend, OR, visit the experts at Postal Connections 101. #### Fax Services Fax Services in Bend, OR. Have a fax machine at home? Who does? Postal Connections 101 provides a speedy and efficient fax service to businesses and residents of Bend, OR. It’s part of our office suite of services that include packing, document printing, shipping, mailbox rentals and office supplies. We use the latest, high-speed, quality fax machines and our own phone line to ensure your faxes arrive when needed. Available Fax Services: Domestic long distance fax Incoming and outgoing international fax Incoming and outgoing Satellite fax number sending Local fax Incoming and outgoing Give our fax number (541)382-1888 to your business associates, family and friends. Put it on your website and business cards. Ask anyone faxing you to include your name, local contact number or email on the cover sheet. We’ll notify you the minute a fax comes in for you! #### FedEx Shipping We offer FedEx Shipping in Bend, OR. Your One Stop Shop for FedEx Express®, FedEx Ground® and International Shipping Solutions. For quick, dependable service at affordable rates, FedEx delivers! Postal Connections 101 is an officially recognized FedEx Authorized ShipCenter. We provide superior access to FedEx Ground®, FedEx Express® and FedEx International services and products. As one of the world’s most-recognized brands, FedEx delivers shipments almost anywhere in the US and to millions of addresses in more than 200 countries worldwide. Postal Connections 101 schedules daily FedEx pick-ups so you can be certain your shipments receive the fast and efficient service you need. Postal Connections 101 Offers The Following FedEx Services: FedEx Priority Overnight® FedEx Standard Overnight® FedEx Express Saver® FedEx 2 Day® FedEx Ground® FedEx Ground-Home Delivery® FedEx Priority International® FedEx Priority Canada® FedEx Ground Canada® FedEx Priority Puerto Rico® FedEx Economy Puerto Rico® Use Bend, OR Postal Connections 101 as your go-to shipping store when you ship... PC and laptop computers Auto parts Fragile & delicate items Video consoles and games Medical devices Toys Electronics Office equipment and supplies Jewelry Clothing Artwork Household goods Antiques Gifts Graduation or Birthday presents Postal Connections 101 are packaging and shipping experts. That’s the foundation of our business. Bring us anything and we’ll pack and ship it for you so the items arrive at their destination intact. #### File Upload Send us your files to pca101@postalconnections.com #### Flyer & Brochure Printing Flyer & Brochure Design and Print in Bend, OR. From Car-for-Sale Flyers to Professional Brochures, Contact Us for Help. Postal Connections 101 is your one-stop business services center in Bend, OR. Our design and print services are the best around. When you need a professional touch on your menus, flyers, brochures, direct marketing pieces come to Postal Connections 101. Postal Connections 101 Delivers Print! Black and white Full color Legal, letter, ledger size Custom sizes Bi-fold, tri-fold, four-panel Restaurant menus Glossy, flat and color paper options Print on demand Folding and stapling Binding and laminating Design service Low and high volume pricing Online ordering and re-ordering Print and ship options #### Freight We offer Freight, LTL & Air Cargo Shipping in Bend, OR. Use Postal Connections 101 as your local expert for shipping large and heavy freight, LTL (less than truck load) and international and domestic air cargo. Ever think about how to ship something too big for FedEx, UPS, USPS and DHL? Transporting large, bulky and heavy items can be a challenge (and risky) without understanding the realities of freight and air cargo shipping. Freight category shipments can be moved by truck, rail, air cargo and sea container. With such a variety of methods, the rules, regulations, requirements and costs for freight shipping are very different than those used for mailing small packages. You need a freight professional who knows how to navigate the freight environment to secure dependable, efficient and secure transport at an affordable price. The freight experts at Postal Connections 101 can ship just about anything regardless of size, shape, or weight, almost anywhere in the world. Postal Connections 101 selects from more than 40 different freight, LTL, air cargo and sea container carriers to make sure your freight arrives intact and on-time. When it comes to freight, air cargo, LTL and sea container shipping in Bend, OR Postal Connections 101 is your resource because we can ship: Full-truck-loads (FTL) Less-than-truck-load (LTL) Full-sea-container-load (FCL) Less-than-container-load (LCL) Industrial equipment Furniture Multiple electronics Office equipment Domestic air cargo International air cargo Palletized items Cars and boats Golf carts and go-carts Expedited freight Deferred, economy freight Households Motorcycles and scooters #### Greeting Cards Greeting Cards in Bend, OR We Stock Greeting Cards for Every Occasion! Birthdays, Mother’s Day, Graduation, Wedding, Sympathy, Hanukah, Christmas, Valentine’s Day cards and many more special days can be marked by a greeting card at the Postal Connections 101. We carry some of the best greeting cards in Bend, OR. Come to Postal Connections 101 for those funny, edgy and quirky cards…cards not stocked at the local grocery store or pharmacy. Your friends and family will feel extra-special because they know the extra effort needed to obtain these unique cards. #### Home URL: https://www.postalconnections101.com/ #### Home & Business Products & Services URL: https://www.postalconnections101.com/home-business-products-services/ #### International Passport Photos & Visas In additional to regular passport photos we can also provide you with quality photos for International Passports, Visas and Firearms Licenses for the below countries. View List  #### International Shipping International Shipping in Bend, OR Fast & Reliable Package Delivery Around the Globe Shipping a collectible to your aunt in Los Angeles is pretty easy. Sending a piece of jewelry to a friend in in France is a different story. International shipping is much more complicated than shipping domestically because each country applies different laws and rules regarding commodities entering their country. What’s interesting is that an item might be shipped without issue to Mexico, but the very same item will be prohibited to ship to Mexico. Then there are the import taxes, international duties, brokerage fees and other additional costs that could be assessed on your shipment. And if you forget to complete and include the specialized international document requirements, your shipment may never arrive. No worries! The international shipping experts at Postal Connections 101 know exactly how to pack, document and ship your items to arrive safely and on time to just about anywhere in the world. As International Shipping Professionals, we provide the following: Shipping to more than 200 countries on seven continents Multi-carrier shipping options International packing service International documentation including commercial invoice, pro forma invoice, E. E. I. forms and automated airway bills International shipping at Postal Connections 101 in Bend, OR simplifies your life. Questions about shipping internationally? Call (541) 382-1800 or send us a message pca101@postalconnections.com. #### iSold It on eBay iSold It on eBay Selling Services in BendiSold It Online® iSOLD It was founded so that everyone — from individuals, to businesses, to fundraising organizations — would have an easy way to sell merchandise on eBay. Over time, we noticed that sites other than the sale on eBay store were having success selling merchandise. The online listing is not the only selling method that works! And so we added additional online selling channels such as Amazon and Craigslist to maximize the potential return for our sellers. We were truly able to tell our customers, “I sold it for you!” As a service organization, we continuously strive to provide customers with personalized attention, reliability, and expert skills. The iSOLD It stores’ business formula rests on the idea that busy people want exceptional service to help manage their affairs.     100% Customer Satisfaction Rate Sell your car, truck, motorcycle, RV, or boat on eBay! "eBay Motors" is the largest category on eBay. More buyers means more money obtained in an online sale for your car, motorcycle, RV, trailer, or boat. Take advantage of a national buying audience—over 75 percent of vehicles sold on eBay are sold across state lines. Our Vehicle Advertising service provides an affordable alternative to local newspaper classifieds, dealer trade-ins, and used car mega lots. The Sales Process Schedule an appointment Bring in your car and relevant documents: title, warranty (if applicable), and registration. Fill out a questionnaire about your car and its condition. Let us know how much you want for the vehicle, or ask for our recommendation. We will take detailed digital photos of your vehicle to post on the listing website. We put it all together and list your vehicle on eBay! After it's sold, we help facilitate direct payment to you from the buyer. Costs of Vehicle Advertising You pay an upfront fee of $99 (this includes eBay fees). We collect a service fee equal to 10% of the sales price (minimum $250) ONLY if your vehicle sells. The buyer pays the remaining balance (90%) to you directly. If your car does not sell, we can relist it at your request for $75 for 10 days. How It Works Step 1: Drop it Off. Stop by with items you’d like to sell. Our experienced staff will conduct some quick online research to estimate the online resale value of your items. During check-in, our staff will work with you to capture background information that would be helpful for your online posting. Once you’re checked in, we place the items in our inventory and hand you a receipt. Then we get to work photographing your items and writing up the ad copy. Items will be launched online within 7 days, often sooner. Step 2: Watch the Action. Once we list your item(s) online, we’ll send you an email with a link to each sale so that you can watch all the bidding action as it occurs. Many of our sellers tell us this part is as fun as getting their final check! Step 3: Cash Your Check. After the item sells we collect payment from the buyer, professionally pack your item, and then ship it to the buyer. Once the transaction is complete, we send you a check. Or, if you prefer, we can send the proceeds to your favorite charity MINIMUM SALES VALUE We are glad to handle most items with an estimated resale value of $100 and above. For large items (furniture, bicycles, etc.) we work with items worth $150 and above. HOW MUCH WILL I MAKE SELLING ITEMS THROUGH ISOLD IT? There is no upfront fee to list your item, and there is no charge if your item does not sell. For each item that sells, we deduct (1) the iSOLD It service fee which ranges from 35% – 15% and (2) the out-of-pocket marketplace (eBay or Amazon) fees… …THEN we send you a check for the rest! Generally you can net anywhere from 55% – 80% of the total sale, depending on the final selling price. iSOLD It Services I SOLD IT STORES DO THE WORK OF THE ONLINE LISTING / ONLINE SALES FOR YOU! We provide assistance in many ways for individuals, businesses, and fundraisers interested in selling their items. We do much more than just sell it on eBay or Amazon. (If I sold it for you, and also assisted you in other ways, would that improve your home life or work life?) Detailed information about the many services provided by the iSOLD It store is available on the pages listed below. Why iSOLD It? Our VALUE to you is a simple yet powerful proposition: let us save you TIME, get you more MONEY for your items, and reduce your RISK of selling online. Here’s how we do it: SAVE YOU TIME Think of all the time-consuming tasks required to do it yourself Research: determine pricing, selling format, best product category (eBay has over 40,000!), best title keywords to maximize search results, shipping charges, best day/times to launch, and much more. Photograph: Take and edit professional digital photographs Write: Create compelling ad copy to help generate bids Monitor: answer questions from potential buyers Collect: process online payments from winning bidders Pack & Ship: professionally pack items and ship them to buyers worldwide HELP YOU GET MORE $$$ Through iSOLD It, your items will compete effectively against items offered by experienced online sellers on sites like eBay and Amazon We are a national organization and the number one seller on eBay by dollar volume We have the facilities, people, and processes to maximize sales results We attract more bids by increasing buyer confidence through a money-back guarantee on all sales We ship internationally so we obtain bids worldwide We are eBay & Amazon experts and know the best ways to sell items online REDUCE YOUR RISKS iSOLD It is the sales agent for its customers Our sellers are shielded from the buying community We pay the marketplace listing fees and absorb our labor costs for items that do not sell We deal with increasingly sophisticated online fraud attempts so our customers do not have to Call us today at (541) 382-1800 to set up an appointment! Call Now! #### Key Duplication Key Duplication in Bend, OR Need a Key Made? We Make Duplicate Standard and Decorative Keys for Residences and Office Buildings. For key cutting and key copying in Bend OR, Postal Connections 101 is the best resource for fast, accurate key-making service. We will make duplicate keys for virtually any house, apartment or business door lock in less than two minutes and for an affordable price. Ask about our volume discounts if you need duplicate keys for an office building or apartment complex. Sorry, but we do not cut vehicle keys because of the advanced technology used. #### Mailbox Rental Postal Connections of America- Mailbox Rental Rent a mailbox with a Bend street address instead of a post office box to give your business address more credibility and to maintain the privacy of your home location. A mailbox rental at Postal Connections 101 is a professional, convenient and efficient way to receive letters and packages for your home-based or any personal business in Bend, OR. Why rent a mailbox when you have one at home? Many businesses use mailbox rentals for the following reasons: They prefer to maintain their business and home address separate by not co-mingling the two. It makes administrative life easier when you can separate the business and personal item flow. It creates credibility when a customer, supplier or vendor checks to see where you’re located. A street address appears more professional to business contacts than a PO Box. You are notified automatically when there is something in your box. Packages can be received securely during the business day. Consider renting a mailbox in Bend at Postal Connections 101. The Mailbox Rental Process For an affordable fee which you pay to our store manager, the box is established. You receive a key to access the box 24/7. It’s easy, convenient and there are a variety of size boxes you can purchase. A Thriving Business Needs Care Postal Connections helps to maintain the image of your business with mailbox rental. You can use the address on all of your paperwork, on envelopes as a return address, on business cards and print it on any marketing collateral. We maintain your privacy in all transactions and make it especially easy to maintain a home-based business. #### Newsletter Join Our Monthly Consumer Newsletter Enter your email address below. #### Notary Public Notary Public Services in Bend, OR Need a Document Notarized? Access a Convenient On-Site Notary Public Monday-Saturday Finding a notary public in Bend, OR whenever you need one can be difficult. Until now. Our on-site notary professionals Postal Connections 101 will handle your urgent documents quickly, accurately and according to legal requirements making the document good anywhere. Available Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, Saturday 10am-4pm Contact Postal Connections 101 when you need a notary service for: Contracts Legal Documents Real Estate Documents School Permission Slips Medical Release Forms Car Title Transfers Power of Attorney Child ID Kits #### Office Supplies Office Supplies in Bend, OR Keep Your Office Well Stocked and Organized Postal Connections 101 provides fast, dependable service for a variety of routine and one-off business services like packing, shipping and printing. Did you know that as a full service business service center, we also stock essential office supplies including staples, printing paper, paper clips, writing pads, pens, markers and other items that might otherwise mean an extra trip to the big office box store. Area business owners, home based businesses, freelancers and residents consider Postal Connections 101 a one stop-business resource in Bend, OR because we help simplify lives for our business partners. #### Our Fees Our Fees I Sold It Fee Schedule 30% of sales price up to $1,000 20% of sales price over $1,000 Fee negotiable on high value items over $10,000   OTHER FEES: Postal Connections/iSOLD It deducts eBay Fees (10% up to maximum of $750 in fees) and PayPal processing fees, which typically range from 3% - 5%.  There is a $15.00 fee for items that are withdrawn from consignment before the 90 consignment period ends. Your seller's check should net approximately 50% - 80% depending on the final sales value. Items that require cleaning prior to posting will incur a reasonable fee to prepare items for posting. Fee will not exceed $10.00 unless seller is contacted about additional charges. These fees will be in addition to items withdrawn prior to 90 days from listing and/or cleaning fees. Pick Up Fees are minimum of $35.00 for local pickups or a $1.00 per mile based on the distance to consigner location and back to store. Fee and will be deducted from sale of items unless items are withdrawn by consigner prior to end of 90 day consignment period. Call us today at (541) 382-1800 to set up an appointment! Call Now! #### Pack & Ship Products & Services URL: https://www.postalconnections101.com/pack-ship-products-services/ #### Packaging Material In need of Packaging & Moving Supplies in Bend, OR? Don’t Scrounge Around For Your Packaging & Moving Supplies, Postal Connections 101 Has Everything You Need! Have you ever heard the term, dimensional weight? It’s what the shipping companies use to charge to ship your package. If you don’t use the correct box size, you may be paying much more than necessary. Postal Connections 101 has a box to fit almost anything. If not, we’ll make one for you! For Packing & Moving Supplies, come to Postal Connections 101. We have more than 25 different box sizes all at great prices! Specialty boxes for artwork, computers, golf clubs, furniture Extra-large, extra-long boxes Tape, heavy-duty poly-tape, made for packing and shipping Tape Guns to cut your packing time in half Packing peanuts Mailing tubes for artwork, posters, blueprints, swords, etc. Padded envelopes in several sizes Bubble wrap by the foot or roll CD, DVD, and photo mailers Custom box making If you need 40 or 50 boxes to move, we will custom-order large quantities at a great price! Don’t feel like packing? Who does? Bring it to us, and we’ll pack it for you! The packing experts at Postal Connections 101 are trained professionals. If we pack your items, they are guaranteed for insurability. #### Passport Photo Passport Photos in Bend, OR Quality ID Photos Ready in Minutes Sometimes, you just have to get away. Whether it’s a bucket list item, a long planned trip of a lifetime, or a work assignment to China, you need a passport if you’re headed to a foreign country. If that’s the case, you’ll need at least two things: a set of luggage and a passport. We don’t sell baggage, but we take great passport photos in Bend, OR. Postal Connections 101 uses a state-of-the art digital camera made specifically for passport photos. It ensures that we get the best shot and guarantees the photo will meet or exceed all passport requirements at a great price. (Save your money for a souvenir!) #### Postage Stamp Stock and Special Order Postage Stamps in Bend, OR. Even for A Surprise but Perfect Last Minute Gift for All Occasions. Everyone still needs regular postage stamps so giving them as gift usually comes as a delightful surprise to the recipient! This is especially true if you’ve ever visited your local post office to buy a book of stamps. The lines can be long and take a while to navigate through to get to the desk. Who needs that? Buy stamps at Postal Connections 101 for your postage stamp needs in Bend, OR. Not only will we save you time, we’ll be glad to see you! If you need a special picture stamp, a commemorative stamp or a large quantity of them, give us a call or send a message and we will special order the stamps you need. #### Postcard Printing Postcard Printing in Bend, OR Use a Decorative Mailer for Your Next Special Occasion Postal Connections 101 has earned a reputation for high-quality, quick turn around and competitive pricing on document and printing services. You can also use us to help you professionally design, print and cut custom postcards for your special campaign. If you need custom postcards in almost any size, come see the print, mail, and shipping experts at Postal Connections 101 for postcard printing in Bend, OR. #### Printing URL: https://www.postalconnections101.com/print-gallery/ #### Professional Packing Need an Item Packed and Shipped in Bend? Then Come to Postal Connections 101! We will pack and ship your item, no matter what it is, to anywhere in the world. Our Bend pack and ship services include: Food When we ship food care packages and/or baked treats, we: Put the food in a box close in size to the container it’s in. Tape the cold pack underneath. Tape all of the seams to keep cool air in and hot air out. Use Mylar covered bubble wrap to line the box. Keep the product at the center of the container, if possible. Make sure the product is shipped cool. Place perishable and fragile stickers on the package. Dead air is a great insulator and Styrofoam peanuts can also be used to maintain separation within the box. We will take care of all of this packing for you so the food specialty gets to its destination ready to enjoy! Fragile Gifts Fragile gifts receive the same kind of TLC that food does, whether it’s glass, jewelry or a collectible, Postal Connections will secure it for you. Do It Yourself Select from high-quality materials packaging materials and take advantage of our well-trained staffers and 100% satisfaction guarantee. We stock a full complement of shipping cartons, tape and envelopes, and shipping materials at your Postal Connections 101 in Bend. International Shipping If you’re shipping internationally from Bend please visit Postal Connections 101. We perform not only the logistics but handle the forms process for you which means you don’t have to do it. Think of us when you’re shipping to a military member, family or friend overseas. #### Request a Quote From large to small, we can print it all. NameEmail PhoneItemPhoto PrintingBusiness CardsRack CardsLetter HeadEnvelopesBrochuresBannersYard SignsMagnetsWebsite DesignEDDMSignageLabelsDescription of Project #### Rubber Stamp Rubber Stamp Services in Bend, OR Custom Rubber Stamps Made To Order At Postal Connections 101 Custom rubber stamps can be made in many shapes, sizes, and colors. They simplify and speed up the administrative processes of your life. Our self-inking rubber stamps eliminate the ink-pad mess and make a minimum of 25,000 impressions! Let Postal Connections 101 serve as your source for rubber stamps in Bend, OR. Order yours now! Use rubber stamps for a variety of applications including: Return Address Signature Bank Deposit Endorsement Notary Seal Logos Accounting posted, paid and other message Special Messages Graphicsd #### Ship Your Items Ship Your Items At Postal Connections / iSold It – Your Items are Professionally Packed and Shipped Worldwide. Of course, for all iSOLD It items, the buyer pays for the packing & shipping! We’ve packed and shipped thousands of items for our customers and buyers and have handled just about every size and shape of item imaginable. Do you have an item that’s going to be a pain to package up and ship to the location you want to send it to? Try our shipping-only service at Postal Connections/iSold It! We offer custom packaging and shipping services, as well as an array of value-added services—all in one convenient location. We will professionally package and/or ship your items for you. No more waiting in long lines, especially during the holidays. Just bring your items to our location, and let us take care of the rest. WHAT SHIPPING OPTIONS DO YOU OFFER? We offer UPS, FedEx, USPS and DHL for oversea's shipments. HOW MUCH DOES PACKAGING AND SHIPPING COST?  Pricing varies, but we can usually save you money with our professional packing services. Please note that each carrier has certain weight and dimension limitations which may apply. Call us today at (541) 382-1800 to set up an appointment! Call Now! #### Shipping Antiques Shipping Antiques in Bend, OR? Trust your Next Antique Shipment to the Experts. Your great grandmother’s sewing table, a 200 year-old grandfather clock, an original Gutenberg bible, a rare vase, in fact, Postal Connections 101 will ship any antique. That’s good because if you don’t know the tricks behind antique shipping, it can be a disaster. The staff at Postal Connections 101 are expertly trained in all aspects of packing your antique because we specialize in packing and shipping antique items. We stock all box sizes, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, tape and other materials so that your antique can withstand any abuse while in-route to its destination. If we Pack it for you, we Guarantee it for Insurability. For packing and shipping antiques in Bend, OR, visit the experts at Postal Connections 101. #### Shredding Shredding If you’re looking for destruction of past bank statements, real estate documents, tax forms or anything else, come to Postal Connections 101 for shredding. Once the papers are dropped in the box, no one can get them out. No one. Why Shred Shredding documents is done for two reasons: To prevent identity theft To safely dispose of confidential information Identity theft, in particular, is multibillion dollar hanging fruit for thieves. That’s because it takes just a few bits of personal information to steal an identity. In addition to personal documents with vital information on them, if you have confidential client records, shred them. Managing the disposal of this type of information is the responsibility of the business holding the records. Bring your valuable papers to Postal Connections 101. For an affordable price, we will take care of this vital activity for your household or business. Client Information If you’re in business, you know you have to protect your client information. A slip in that vital area and you could lose more than a client, you could lose your business or worse. In addition to client documents, documents relating to your business need to be retained the proper amount of time and then destroyed. Thieves can also wreak havoc with your business documents. Shred business documents at Postal Connections 101. Personal Information As mentioned above, almost every household contains tax documents, old checkbooks, credit card statements, you name it. When you move, these documents are usually uncovered. It is tempting to just throw them in the trash but don’t. To be 100% secure take them to your (Store location) for shredding. Our shredding service is reliable, quick and affordable. It guarantees your documents are destroyed now and forever! #### Tracking You have a tracking number on your shipping receipt. Use this tracking number in the space below. If you have misplace this receipt simply call or email us. #### United States Postal Service (USPS) Shipping and Mailing in Bend, OR Come into Postal Connections 101 to mail letters, use Priority Mail®, Priority Mail Express®, International Mail and buy postage stamps. Stay away from the long lines and come to Postal Connections 101 where we guarantee fast, efficient service with a smile all for the right price. United States Post Office mail carriers deliver to each address in the United States every day, Monday through Saturday (and sometimes on Sunday). That’s why Postal Connections 101 gives you quick and easy access to all things postal. Postal Connections 101 is an official USPS Approved Shipper. This allows us to offer several convenient postal products and services. Domestic and International Mail & Shipping Services Stamps and First Class Mail ® Priority Mail® Standard Post™ Media Mail™ Certified Mail® Signature Confirmation™ USPS Tracking Priority Mail Express International® Priority Mail Express® (Delivery Guaranteed) Priority Mail International® #### UPS Shipping Need UPS Shipping in Bend, OR? Rely on Postal Connections 101 To Handle All of Your UPS Shipping—Ground, Express or International. United Parcel Service® (UPS) uses the brown panel trucks for local deliveries. You’ve probably seen them zipping around your neighborhood. Since 1909, UPS has been delivering to businesses and consumers. Since that time they have built a strong reputation for quick, reliable service at competitive prices. Postal Connections 101 offers UPS products and services including: UPS Next Day Air® UPS 2-Day Air® UPS 3-Day Select® UPS Ground® UPS Canada® UPS Worldwide Express® UPS Worldwide Saver® UPS Puerto Rico® Postal Connections 101 operates as a UPS Authorized Shipping Outlet (ASO). We are experts on all UPS options and services. As packaging experts, we also stock dozens of box sizes, mounds of bubble wrap, packing peanuts, tape, etc. to ensure your items are packed appropriately and arrive in perfect shape. UPS picks up from Postal Connections 101 daily, so you can be sure your shipments receive the fast and dependable service the UPS brand is noted for. #### Vehicle Advertising Vehicle Advertising SELL YOUR CAR, TRUCK, MOTORCYCLE, RV, OR BOAT ON EBAY! “eBay Motors” is the largest category on eBay. More buyers means more money obtained in an online sale for your car, motorcycle, RV, trailer, or boat. Take advantage of a national buying audience—over 75 percent of vehicles sold on eBay are sold across state lines. Our Vehicle Advertising service provides an affordable alternative to local newspaper classifieds, dealer trade-ins, and used car mega lots. The Vehicle Advertising Process Schedule an appointment. Bring in your car and relevant documents: title, warranty (if applicable), and registration. Fill out a questionnaire about your car and its condition. Let us know how much you want for the vehicle, or ask for our recommendation. We will take detailed digital photos of your vehicle to post on the eBay website. We put it all together and list your vehicle on eBay. Handle buyer inquiries, price negotiations, coordination of payment and transfer of title and notary services. Costs of Vehicle Advertising You pay an upfront fee of $99 (this includes eBay fees). We collect from the buyer a service fee equal to 10% of the sales price (minimum $250) ONLY if your vehicle sells. The buyer pays the remaining balance (90%) to you directly. If your car does not sell, we can relist it at your request for $50. Adds run for ten days   Call us today at (541) 382-1800 to set up an appointment! Call Now!