USPS Media Mail Regulations 1 1

[ChrisInBaltimore]

My advice is don't be a cheap and use media mail. Against USPS regulations or not it's a krappy way to ship someone comics and I will always offer to pay extra to not have them shipped to me that way and I would never, under any circumstances ship anyone comics that way

 

+1 Don't ship cheap.

[DarrenSmith]

And it makes no sense to ship via Media Mail anyway since First Class rates went down and weight limits went up.

 

I keep hearing that the weight limit is higher on 1st class, yet I went to USPS and cannot use it on a 14 oz package. I thought it was 15 oz.

 

The service everyone hears about is called 'First-Class Package Service' and is not a service available to retail customers coming into a post office - you can only get this service with a commercial account through ebay, stamps.com, etc.. ** It is not the same thing as first class parcel service you are familiar with. First-Class Package Service can be opened and inspected by the post office like media mail is. There are also certain restrictions on what can be mailed at that rate.

 

I get the option plus discounted postage rates through Paypal shipping. If you've got a Paypal account, you should try it out.

 

What is paypal shipping? Is it a separate website? And can you purchase it to ship to a transaction done outside of payal or is it only for paypal transactions?

[kpaqu1]

And it makes no sense to ship via Media Mail anyway since First Class rates went down and weight limits went up.

 

I keep hearing that the weight limit is higher on 1st class, yet I went to USPS and cannot use it on a 14 oz package. I thought it was 15 oz.

 

The service everyone hears about is called 'First-Class Package Service' and is not a service available to retail customers coming into a post office - you can only get this service with a commercial account through ebay, stamps.com, etc.. ** It is not the same thing as first class parcel service you are familiar with. First-Class Package Service can be opened and inspected by the post office like media mail is. There are also certain restrictions on what can be mailed at that rate.

 

I get the option plus discounted postage rates through Paypal shipping. If you've got a Paypal account, you should try it out.

 

What is paypal shipping? Is it a separate website? And can you purchase it to ship to a transaction done outside of payal or is it only for paypal transactions?

 

Log in to PayPal. On the lefthand side scroll down to Selling Tools and click on MultiOrder shipping. There will be pop-up windows, you may have to disable browser adblocks to get it to work.

Edited October 1, 2016 by kpaqu1

[01TheDude]

[nocutename]

And it makes no sense to ship via Media Mail anyway since First Class rates went down and weight limits went up.

 

I keep hearing that the weight limit is higher on 1st class, yet I went to USPS and cannot use it on a 14 oz package. I thought it was 15 oz.

 

The service everyone hears about is called 'First-Class Package Service' and is not a service available to retail customers coming into a post office - you can only get this service with a commercial account through ebay, stamps.com, etc.. ** It is not the same thing as first class parcel service you are familiar with. First-Class Package Service can be opened and inspected by the post office like media mail is. There are also certain restrictions on what can be mailed at that rate.

 

I get the option plus discounted postage rates through Paypal shipping. If you've got a Paypal account, you should try it out.

 

I looked up postage amounts on USPS.com yesterday as I had to ship out single and three books. I thought 15 oz was ok but the 1st class option doesn't come up. I did ship one first class via Paypal this morning but it was only 10 oz. The others I just did priority mail.

[NewWorldOrder]

I don't understand these threads about shipping costs in the USA regarding Media Mail.

 

Shipping one comic book is super cheap via 1st Class Mail.

 

8 oz = $2.60 with PayPal discount and I know most of us are selling via eBay.

 

How is that expensive?

 

 

Edited October 1, 2016 by NewWorldOrder

[lizards2]

And it makes no sense to ship via Media Mail anyway since First Class rates went down and weight limits went up.

 

I keep hearing that the weight limit is higher on 1st class, yet I went to USPS and cannot use it on a 14 oz package. I thought it was 15 oz.

 

The service everyone hears about is called 'First-Class Package Service' and is not a service available to retail customers coming into a post office - you can only get this service with a commercial account through ebay, stamps.com, etc.. ** It is not the same thing as first class parcel service you are familiar with. First-Class Package Service can be opened and inspected by the post office like media mail is. There are also certain restrictions on what can be mailed at that rate.

 

I get the option plus discounted postage rates through Paypal shipping. If you've got a Paypal account, you should try it out.

 

I looked up postage amounts on USPS.com yesterday as I had to ship out single and three books. I thought 15 oz was ok but the 1st class option doesn't come up. I did ship one first class via Paypal this morning but it was only 10 oz. The others I just did priority mail.

 

Right - as others have stated here, it is a bulk/commercial/business negotiated rate that eBay, Paypal, Etsy(?) have negotiated. You can't get it through USPS either on line or at the PO, nor can you estimate postage using the USPS website. I just have a regular Paypal account, and I get the discounted rates, and can ship up to 1 lb first class. I also get discounts on almost every other shipping option.

 

I got three books in a cardboard mailer packaged up and ready to go, and it is a little under 1 lb, so it will go out first class, purchased through Paypal.

[Paradigm42]

I don't mind at all shipping with a service besides media mail. I just think it is crazy that they consider Barbie's Dreamhouse DVD media mail (educational with no ads?) but not comics. It's a double standard that doesn't make any sense, and it has nothing to do with the way I want to ship things. I do think buyers should have the option, though, to have them shipped this way as they clearly exceed the Barbie DVD standard.

I just think there should be some consistent regulations. Why does USPS hate comics? Anyways, I'm looking forward to some speedy, consistent non-USPS service with a drone delivery in the future.

[Paradigm42]

Also, the main reason media mail is a good option is so you can ship them in something better than a POS cardboard mailer. Given the level of care that all packages are handled (priority, media, whatever) by USPS, I like to package my comics in cardboard mailer bubble wrapped inside another cardboard box. Maybe if their service didn't suck so much in the first place, I wouldn't have the extra weight. Still double standard that makes no sense. I use FedEx SmartPost for my packages, and I never use media mail because I don't like my customers to receive something ripped apart, stepped on, and four weeks after they purchased it.

[Paradigm42]

Exactly. They just can't stand to say that they don't have any real reason whatsoever to deny comics being educational. My 9 year old has dyslexia, and comics are the only thing he enjoys reading enough to work through.

[InvstmntComcSuply]

I just think there should be some consistent regulations.

 

There are:

 

Only these items may be mailed at the Media Mail prices:

a) Books, of at least eight printed pages, consisting wholly of reading matter and containing no advertising matter

Domestic Mail Manual

 

I omitted all the stuff that doesn't apply, which is a lot.

But this is the first first sentence (a) of a large list covering anything and everything that qualifies for media mail.

 

The regulations are absolute. What is inconsistent is enforcement.

You are dealing with human beings. We are easily swayed.

 

 

 

 

 

[Pitboss]

I just think there should be some consistent regulations.

 

There are:

 

Only these items may be mailed at the Media Mail prices:

a) Books, of at least eight printed pages, consisting wholly of reading matter and containing no advertising matter

Domestic Mail Manual

 

I omitted all the stuff that doesn't apply, which is a lot.

But this is the first first sentence (a) of a large list covering anything and everything that qualifies for media mail.

 

The regulations are absolute. What is inconsistent is enforcement.

You are dealing with human beings. We are easily swayed.

 

 

 

 

 

Bingo

[RockMyAmadeus]

I just think there should be some consistent regulations.

 

There are:

 

Only these items may be mailed at the Media Mail prices:

a) Books, of at least eight printed pages, consisting wholly of reading matter and containing no advertising matter

Domestic Mail Manual

 

I omitted all the stuff that doesn't apply, which is a lot.

But this is the first first sentence (a) of a large list covering anything and everything that qualifies for media mail.

 

The regulations are absolute. What is inconsistent is enforcement.

You are dealing with human beings. We are easily swayed.

 

 

 

 

 

Correct. And the vast majority of comic books consist of at least eight pages, and contain no advertising matter.

 

Those pages that WERE ads in, say, X-Men #94, are no longer ads. Being no longer ads, they are now reference material, that is, reading material.

 

If the material that was formerly advertising is now expired, it is no longer advertising, and thus qualifies under these rules. It's really quite simple.

 

If you're going to use the USPS' arguments, it's perfectly suitable to use those arguments against them. Funny how the regulations aren't as absolute as some might claim...

[RockMyAmadeus]

Here's reality. This:

 

 

..is not an ad. It WAS an ad. It is no longer an ad. It doesn't advertise anything. You cannot send $2.25 to "Roman War Soldiers" in Westbury, NY, and expect to receive a 132 piece toy soldier set.

 

Even if the company still exists. Even if the product still exists.

 

The fact of the matter is that THAT "ad" is expired. It does not advertise anything, nor does the company that placed it, if it still exists, expect it to, even if the product itself still exists in identical form (and almost all products change over time.)

 

If it is no longer an ad, it is something else. What is it? Reference material. Reference material is reading material.

 

Therefore...using the USPS' own rules in the DMM....comic books with expired ads qualify for media mail.

[InvstmntComcSuply]

I just think there should be some consistent regulations.

 

There are:

 

Only these items may be mailed at the Media Mail prices:

a) Books, of at least eight printed pages, consisting wholly of reading matter and containing no advertising matter

Domestic Mail Manual

 

I omitted all the stuff that doesn't apply, which is a lot.

But this is the first first sentence (a) of a large list covering anything and everything that qualifies for media mail.

 

The regulations are absolute. What is inconsistent is enforcement.

You are dealing with human beings. We are easily swayed.

 

 

 

 

 

Correct. And the vast majority of comic books consist of at least eight pages, and contain no advertising matter.

 

Those pages that WERE ads in, say, X-Men #94, are no longer ads. Being no longer ads, they are now reference material, that is, reading material.

 

If the material that was formerly advertising is now expired, it is no longer advertising, and thus qualifies under these rules. It's really quite simple.

 

If you're going to use the USPS' arguments, it's perfectly suitable to use those arguments against them. Funny how the regulations aren't as absolute as some might claim...

 

 

The word in the DMM is "advertisement". It is further clarified with:

Advertising includes paid advertising ....

There is no clarification of "current, valid, recent, etc. (although we have had this argument before, eg: When is a 40 year old coke ad expired?) Regardless, one does not get to parse words, when their MM package arrives postage due at the Priority Mail rate.

.

[InvstmntComcSuply]

Expired eh?

 

 

Your concept that ads are valid or invalid would require USPS personnel to spend countless man hours making often difficult and time consuming judgment calls. There is nothing simple, as you claim, about it.

 

It is far simpler to enforce the rule as written. An advertisement is an advertisement, regardless of publication date.

Edited October 9, 2016 by InvstmntComcSuply

[Paradigm42]

Well, the only problem with that is there are plenty of comics without ads. Expired, new, old- no ads. The only thing that could be considered an advertisement would be the publisher imprint and possible next issue solicit. If this qualifies as advertisement, then that's fine but I have never seen a textbook without a publisher's logo and other incidental ads.

 

I asked specifically about comics WITHOUT ads and was told-as you can see in USPS response- that any comic, regardless of presence of paid advertisements is not media mail because they are serialized. However, again in cases of one-shots without ads- they aren't allowed either.

 

 

 

 

[nocutename]

What are you packing your one comic in? I rarely sell single comics because of the media mail limitation nowadays. Plus, I am series reader so I tend to sell in bulk.

 

However, this past sales thread had ones and three comic buyers. It was a person_without_enough_empathy to get one comic properly packaged in a box under a lb. Three comics was impossible. I don't like send out things in envelopes. I used to use the padded priority ones but have stopped those too.

 

I don't understand these threads about shipping costs in the USA regarding Media Mail.

 

Shipping one comic book is super cheap via 1st Class Mail.

 

8 oz = $2.60 with PayPal discount and I know most of us are selling via eBay.

 

How is that expensive?

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

I just think there should be some consistent regulations.

 

There are:

 

Only these items may be mailed at the Media Mail prices:

a) Books, of at least eight printed pages, consisting wholly of reading matter and containing no advertising matter

Domestic Mail Manual

 

I omitted all the stuff that doesn't apply, which is a lot.

But this is the first first sentence (a) of a large list covering anything and everything that qualifies for media mail.

 

The regulations are absolute. What is inconsistent is enforcement.

You are dealing with human beings. We are easily swayed.

 

 

 

 

 

Correct. And the vast majority of comic books consist of at least eight pages, and contain no advertising matter.

 

Those pages that WERE ads in, say, X-Men #94, are no longer ads. Being no longer ads, they are now reference material, that is, reading material.

 

If the material that was formerly advertising is now expired, it is no longer advertising, and thus qualifies under these rules. It's really quite simple.

 

If you're going to use the USPS' arguments, it's perfectly suitable to use those arguments against them. Funny how the regulations aren't as absolute as some might claim...

 

 

The word in the DMM is "advertisement". It is further clarified with:

Advertising includes paid advertising ....

There is no clarification of "current, valid, recent, etc. (although we have had this argument before, eg: When is a 40 year old coke ad expired?) Regardless, one does not get to parse words, when their MM package arrives postage due at the Priority Mail rate.

.

 

It doesn't matter, because it's not necessary. Once the ad is expired, it's no longer an advertisement, paid or not. A 40 year old coke ad expired when the ad that replaced it came out. As I said, it doesn't matter whether the product itself still exists or not.

 

And who says they don't get to parse words? Gov't is all about parsing words. If one is so inclined, and on the off-chance that their mm package is bumped to priority, they can simply take the package to the post office and demand a refund.

 

Maybe it will work. Maybe it won't. But that doesn't mean they don't get to.

[RockMyAmadeus]

Expired eh?

 

 

Yes. Expired as soon as its replacement came out, regardless of the continued existence of the product, as stated many, many times before.

 

Not difficult.

 

Your concept that ads are valid or invalid would require USPS personnel to spend countless man hours making often difficult and time consuming judgment calls. There is nothing simple, as you claim, about it.

 

It is far simpler to enforce the rule as written. An advertisement is an advertisement, regardless of publication date.

 

And your contention that it would "require USPS personnel to spend countless..." etc, isn't the case at all. All they need to do is update the DMM. That's it. And, if they refuse, as they have refused for years (it's obviously an issue that has been brought to their attention), then it's still very simple: you take the customer's word for it, and handle disagreements on a case by case basis. Will some people take advantage? Of course...but that's what they're doing now. There will always be some people who take advantage.

 

And, once more: the media mail regulation had in mind the initial distribution of periodicals from publishers (that is, Second Class mail), NOT the back issue exchange of those items after the fact.

 

As for "countless man hours making judgment calls"...how do you think the crackdown on mm happened at all? Countless man hours devoted to opening up packages, and finding auto parts, clothing, food, etc. How do you think it came about that comic books do NOT qualify, according to the interpretation of some? Right...countless man hours devoted to checking. But it need not be difficult at all.

 

The DMM could easily be updated...easily...to say "anything newer than 6 months (or whatever) is exempt." Problem still solved. But, they don't, even though they know it's an issue (because it's been directly addressed by someone at some administrative level.)

 

Ever wonder why that is....?