USPS Expects Item For Mailing SSK – Best Guide
USPS expects item for mailing SSK is a term commonly used by USPS when a package is yet to be officially received and registered into the USPS delivery system.
Being the top courier service provider in the United States, there is scarcely a day that USPS aren’t inundated with mails and packages for delivery. Along with this comes several challenges of satisfying the ever growing list of customers.
To ensure that customers are carried along throughout the shipping journey of their packages, USPS has introduced several terms to indicate different delivery statuses of packages.
Among these numerous terms is the “USPS expects item for mailing (SSK)”. Receiving this notice while trying to track the delivery status of your package might be somewhat annoying, especially if you don’t really understand what it means.
On this article, we are going to fully explain what “USPS Expects Item For Mailing SSK” stands for and what you should do if you ever receive this notice. Also, we’ve written several useful articles for both USPS customers and employees, you can read them here.
First off, let’s explain what SSK stands for, this will help you to fully understand what USPS Expects Item For Mailing SSK means.
- What Is SSK USPS?
- USPS Expects Item For Mailing SSK Meaning
- How Long Does USPS SSK Take?
- USPS Expects Item For Mailing (SSK) No Update
- USPS Self-Service Kiosk No Tracking Number
- USPS Expects Item For Mailing (SSK) eBay
- How To Avoid The USPS Expects Item For Mailing SSK Notice
- USPS Self Service Kiosk Certified Mail
- USPS Self-Service Kiosk Package Size
- Acceptance SSK
- Do USPS Kiosks Accept Cash?
- Do USPS Kiosks Accept Mobile Payments?
- Do USPS Kiosks Accept American Express?
- How To Use Self-Service Kiosk USPS (Watch Video)
- Conclusion
What Is SSK USPS?
At USPS, SSK is an acronym for Self Service Kiosk, a convenient alternative to the USPS full-service counter. With the SSKs located in no fewer than 2,300 post offices across the US, it becomes quite easy for customers to purchase stamps and other postal items.
The SSK was introduced to reduce the number of times people troop to retail window clerks. With the SSK, customers can scan their labels and drop off their mails for delivery by the USPS.
According to the USPS, the SSK can comfortably handle up to 80% of the transactions which were handled by retail window clerks for customers.
USPS Expects Item For Mailing SSK Meaning
The term “USPS Expects Item For Mailing SSK” means that the package was brought by the sender to the Self Service Kiosk and dropped into the mailing box, but it has not been officially received by USPS. This delivery status details informs you that the package was not scanned at the kiosk.
Once you get this notice while trying to track your package, it indicates that your package hasn’t entered the USPS shipping system yet, you have to give it some days.
When a package is dropped at any SSK, it doesn’t get accepted into the USPS delivery system yet until it scanned at either the SSK or the Post Office.
How Long Does USPS SSK Take?
Typically, mails and parcels sent via SSK takes within 24 hours to actually reach the Post Office. Reviews by some USPS customers who used SSK reveals that SSK packages are usually the last ones to get processed.
Once a sender drops a package at any SSK, the delivery status of the package will read “USPS expects item for mailing SSK”, informing the receiver and sender that the USPS are expecting the package.
As soon as the package arrives the nearest Post Office, gets scanned and accepted into the USPS delivery system, the tracking status of the package will be updated.
USPS Expects Item For Mailing (SSK) No Update
If you are not getting an updated tracking status for your package after reading “USPS Expects Item For Mailing (SSK)”, it means the parcel has not been received and scanned into the USPS system.
It is quite possible that the sender only printed out the shipping label without giving it to the post office. It could also depend on the pickup frequency, some customers waited close to a week before their package arrived at USPS.
Understand this, it is the First Scan by the Postal Service that will activate the tracking status of the parcel. You won’t get any update as long as the package has not been received and scanned at the USPS.
A certain USPS customer complained of seeing the “USPS Expects Item For Mailing (SSK)” notice for two days without any updated information, all he did was to wait and keep checking until the situation changed.
USPS Self-Service Kiosk No Tracking Number
If you scanned and dropped a package at the USPS SSK and you don’t have the tracking number, it is possible that the parcel is either postcard, first-class mail letter and flat, periodical, or some USPS marketing mail parcel, these items do not come with tracking numbers.
However, if your package isn’t among the mentioned items and you are sure it should have a tracking number, you should check your Self-service kiosk eReceipt or email.
If you are the recipient, you might need to ask the sender to check the receipt carefully and send you the tracking number if it’s there.
Lastly, if you are an Informed Delivery subscriber, you can use the service if you can’t find package’s tracking number.
USPS Expects Item For Mailing (SSK) eBay
If you purchased your postage through eBay and dropped the parcel at the USPS SSK, the tracking status will read “USPS expects item for mailing (SSK)” until it has been scanned.
Merely dropping off your package at the kiosk doesn’t mean it has been accepted into the USPS system. The actual acceptance is when the package gets scanned by USPS, it will automatically update the tracking status.
That being said, there is something you can actually do to avoid receiving the USPS expects item for mailing (SSK) notice. Continue reading this article to know what you should do.
How To Avoid The USPS Expects Item For Mailing SSK Notice
The best and only way to avoid the “USPS Expects Item For Mailing SSK” notice is to ensure that your parcel gets scanned before leaving the kiosk.
There are some customers who had to scan their parcels themselves at the kiosk, this is the surest way of avoiding the notice.
If you urgently want the parcel to be shipped without delay, ensure you get the acceptance scan at the SSK. Once you’ve scanned your package at the kiosk, it doesn’t need to be scanned again by the clerk. The package will only get scanned for an updated delivery status when it gets to the next sort facility.
USPS Self Service Kiosk Certified Mail
Certified mails can be sent through the USPS Self Service Kiosk by either printing a full label or a regular certified sticker alongside the postage.
To send a certified mail through the USPS SSK, you need to select “certified mail” and electronic return receipt.
The SSK does almost everything that should be done by the clerk, you can scan first class parcels and media mails too at the kiosk too.
USPS Self-Service Kiosk Package Size
Generally, you can’t send anything that is bigger than 12 inches for machines, and 15 inches for others. Besides, the package size limit for the SSK is usually written just be the machines, you should be able to find this information once you get near the machine.
Acceptance SSK
According to a USPS spokesperson, customers are to consider acceptance scans done at the Self-Service Kiosks as the official scans.
This means that once you’ve successfully scanned your package at the SSK, it has been accepted into the USPS delivery system.
This is just as we explained earlier on this article, the best way to avoid the “USPS Expects Item For Mailing (SSK)” notice is to ensure that your parcel is scanned at the SSK before leaving.
Once your package has been scanned at the SSK, it is accepted by the USPS and will commence its delivery journey.
Do USPS Kiosks Accept Cash?
No, cash isn’t accepted at the USPS Kiosk, payments are made through debit cards, credit cards, or EBT cards.
If you want to pay cash, you’ll have to take your package to the desk, cash payments are not available at the USPS Self-Service Kiosk.
Do USPS Kiosks Accept Mobile Payments?
Presently, the USPS Kiosks do not have the facility to accept payments from mobile payments platforms. This means you can’t pay with Google Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or even PayPal.
The only accepted means of payment are debit cards, credit cards, or EBT cards.
Do USPS Kiosks Accept American Express?
Yes, you can make payments for your postage using your American Express can at the USPS Kiosks. The machines are able to process MasterCard payments, this means that any credit or debit card that is working on the MasterCard network is accepted.
With your American Express card, you can pay for your shipping at any USPS Self-Service Kiosk. You just need to input your card details at the payment page and confirm the transaction.
How To Use Self-Service Kiosk USPS (Watch Video)
Conclusion
USPS Expects Item For Mailing (SSK) Meaning – It indicates that the package was dropped at the Self-Service Kiosk but hasn’t been scanned and accepted by the USPS yet. It’s another way of saying that your parcel is yet to be received by USPS after being dropped at a SSK.