Suppliers using inside-out USPS boxes...

[Kiki's Mom]

Debate is a means to provoke thought in other people not tempers. I love to debate just to hear other people's views. Please don't take anything that I say as being pointed at a particular person. Even if it sounds like I am, I'm not.

Sometimes I think having an opinion, just like turning boxes inside out, is against the law.

[Wahnsinnig1220]

Sure you can! Then that will negate my cat litter theft.

hahahahahahahaha!!!

[ChicagoKim]

I try to buy cosmetics and other things from companies that don't do animal testing. Could I be doing more? Sure. Am I making a huge impact? No. Are my shopping choices being felt by the manufacturers? Probably not.
The biggest reason I do it is because it makes me feel better about ME. At least I'm not contributing to the bigger problem.

That is my point here. Decisions like these point to the character of the individual. If they are choosing to pilfer boxes on an every day basis and send them to their customers as a matter of habit -- well, it tells me a lot. It WILL impact my decision of whether to keep doing business with them.

Things like... "It's a big corporation..." "They showed a huge profit..." "What's the harm..." "Everyone else is doing it..." tells me all I need to know. Justifying your actions by looking at the consequences and saying "See, what's the big deal?..." is what people do when they want to justify something they know is wrong. Otherwise you wouldn't need to say a thing.

As for the cat litter, if I was in so much of a hurry that I couldn't go in and pay for it, I would at least pull off the UPC code and bring it with me next time. And I would lose sleep over it until it was paid for. Not because the store needed the money, because I have I live with myself and big or small, intentional or not, theft is theft.

Maybe this isn't such a huge deal to some people, but character is a huge deal if you ask me. It's why we're attracted to some people, and not to others. It's what makes us US in the end. It's all the little decisions along the way that make us who we are.

So I try not to do business with companies that do animal testing. And I will try to do my business elsewhere if people/companies insist upon sending me stolen boxes. Will it make a big difference in the world? Of course not. Will it make a big difference in being at peace with myself? Yes.

[chuckles]

Wow! Do you ever stop to think maybe they don't realize that what they are doing is wrong? I haven't done this, but also hadn't realized it was 'illegal' until reading this thread. When I ship things out I usually use old boxes from work, so does that make me 'unethical' for using something free rather than going out & paying for a box. :dunno:
Guess I'm just not getting it & find it rather petty myself. JMO

[parkerspetchins]

If we choose to not report someone when we know they are abusing the system and breaking the law, what else are we not going to report? Should you report it when someone parks in a handicapped spot? What about if you know someone is cheating on their taxes? On welfare? On child support? And, while we're on the subject, what if you know who robbed the bank? Should you report that?
If you need to question whether or not you should report the perpetrator of a robbery uh....

I don't think abusing the supply of USPS boxes is right. Never said it was. Nobody is perfect.

Last time you drove over the speed limit did you pull into the nearest police station and turn yourself in? If the answer is no then get off your high horse!

[puffandangel]

yeah, i mean how many people who are sitting here mad at people for taking post office boxes have ever taken paper clips or pens home from work? if you have, technically thats stealing. even if it was an accident, do you make sure that you return it or cover the cost of it? probably not.

to me this is just one of those things that is too minor to even worry about or try to base judgement of character on. JMO

[ChillyChin]

Okay, just my little 2 cents: the inside-out package I received was from a "respected" company. I will never do business with an actual company that sees no problem in getting boxes for free to use however they wish, which includes filler. It's wasteful and it's just unsavory. It caught my attention instantly and made me wonder why a profitable company would need to take a hand out, of sorts, and then overcharge me for shipping costs. It's dishonest and disreputable. This is of course my opinion only.
For me, it's not so much at all about stealing from the USPS. It's about a business taking short cuts not to save me money, but to make even more profit even easier. That just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I will not buy from them again.
And yes, I've probably done more than a few unethical things, whether I realized it or not. But I never park in a handicapped space and I don't sleep well at night if I think I have done something morally wrong.
I have absolutely no issue with re-using boxes, especially if it's someone who is in business for themselves. But again, re-using is, to me, a world away from being a cheap company looking for ways to cut corners.
Just the essence of a company taking such short cuts leads me to wonder what other corners they are willing to cut. (I can't help but think of Wal-Mart and all the "part-time" workers with no health insurance. Obviously an example a million times bigger, but what a small company does now foreshadows what they are willing to do later.)

[Riven]

let your car stickers roll over one extra month every year

Actually that doesn't save you any money, usually they charge you a late fee, and your stickers are still in the same month.

I think that everyone is missing part of the point here. Let's make a different story.
If your grocery store said hey if you shop here we'll give you these free canvas bags for your good. Is it right to go there get the bags but never shop there? They did it as a freebie or incentive for customers that shop WITH THEM.
Does it raise our rates on postage.. YES. The USPS is mandated to keep a fund of umpteen million dollars in a fund in case of some sort of something (sorry I didn't read it very well obviously) so the money that they "make" is a fund that they HAVE to keep up to operate. If the USPS suddenly "went out of business" for some reason would one person or a group of people get all that money? No. Please look into everything before going off about how much the USPS is making, I'm not happy about postage going up, but at least I know it's not just some fella fattening his pockets.

[puffandangel]

uhhmm in texas you dont get a late fee, i know that for a fact

[SpringChins]

Stealing boxes doesn't make them terrible people and I'm willing to bet that almost everyone who has received their supplies in a stolen box and is complaining about it is still going to order their supplies from this person.
I, for one, will not re-order from someone that sends me something via UPS or FedEx in an inside-out (unused) priority mail box. To do so would be to encourage theft, which would be wrong of me. In fact, I would report them for doing it.

Everyone on this board has done something unethical, immoral or downright wrong in their lifetime. If anyone says they haven't then they are either lying or are in denial that their action is indeed unethical. My opinion is that hypocrisy is way worse than stealing a box.
Two wrongs certainly do not make a right. Have I ever done anything wrong? Sure. But I do my best to do what is right. And stealing just to save a few bucks is just plain wrong. And I will report it.

Just like I called the police on the guy that hit another car with his door in the parking lot and drove off. He just looked as his car to make sure his car was okay, didn't even glance at the car he hit, and took off. :angry:

I am not saying that every "wrong" is equal to every other "wrong." Not by a long shot. However, I am saying that no one "wrong" is somehow acceptable just because it's not as bad as some other "wrong."

Murder is wrong. Murder is worse than stealing. But stealing is still wrong. Stealing someone's car stereo is worse than stealing a box. But stealing a box is still wrong.

does taking a box make you awful? no.
The problem is that it isn't a box. The minimum order for USPS priority mail boxes is 25. So, at minimum they are stealing 25 boxes. And, do you honestly think it stops there? I certainly don't! I assume (perhaps incorrectly) that they are using a stolen box every time they send a package. All those boxes add up. Of course, that is the reason they are stealing them in the first place. Boxes are expensive when you have to buy hundreds at a time (I have first-hand knowledge of this). But it is a business expense. And any business owner, no matter how small or large the business, needs to understand that. Shortcutting a business expense by stealing something from another business is wrong.

There was a gardening company around here with company trucks. Car insurance on such trucks is a business expense. They decided to cut costs by not getting car insurance. When a car accident finally occurred, the driver fled the scene. Thanks to me, and my insurance company, and my lawyers, that company is no longer in business. Do I feel bad about driving a "poor" business owner out of business? No! In fact, I felt that it was my responsibility to make sure his company went under. Because, if I hadn't, he would have kept using uninsured vehicles, and probably hit someone else down the road.

And, sure, I don't think that stealing boxes is somehow anywhere close to as bad as not having car insurance and being involed in a hit-and-run. Which is why I wouldn't try to drive a company that was stealing boxes out of business. But I would most certainly report them, and never order from them again.

Wow! Do you ever stop to think maybe they don't realize that what they are doing is wrong?
Actually, no. Because, when you order the boxes, it tells you that it is illegal to use them for anything other than priority mail.

Regards,
June Brown