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General discussion thread - keep the other threads clean
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In response to the threat of COVID-19 and the possible dangers of public, post office traffic... I have decided to forgo any sales for the next few weeks.

My last trip to the post office was this morning for the foreseeable future due to cases popping up in our area.

Just seems incredibly risky to get out right now for reasons other than necessities.

Wondering if any of my fellow sellers here feel the same... or is it business as usual concerning mail order, post office visits, etc?

xxx ooo

Rupp

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4 minutes ago, faster friends said:

BAU for me. We have no cases in NE Louisiana at this time.

We had one at a local college (Tusculum University) here in Greene County and 3 in surrounding counties in the last two days.  These are small towns/areas.

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1 hour ago, Bio-Rupp said:

In response to the threat of COVID-19 and the possible dangers of public, post office traffic... I have decided to forgo any sales for the next few weeks.

My last trip to the post office was this morning for the foreseeable future due to cases popping up in our area.

Just seems incredibly risky to get out right now for reasons other than necessities.

Wondering if any of my fellow sellers here feel the same... or is it business as usual concerning mail order, post office visits, etc?

xxx ooo

Rupp

Not to force you to sell or do anything you don’t want to, but if you want to continue to sell, isn’t there USPS pick up at your home?

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Not risky if done thoughtfully, but again, here post offices have already adopted protection measures.

Problem is the postal clerks are forced to work in a dangerous situation for things that are not essential, so I gave up buying and selling as well.

Just observe the basic measures in a thoughtful manner and the contagion curve will improve in the US in a shorter time.

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8 minutes ago, manetteska said:

Not to force you to sell or do anything you don’t want to, but if you want to continue to sell, isn’t there USPS pick up at your home?

See my post above. Courriers are even more esposed, “registered mail”  has been partially abolished (or rethought in different terms) here.

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10 minutes ago, vaillant said:

Not risky if done thoughtfully, but again, here post offices have already adopted protection measures.

Problem is the postal clerks are forced to work in a dangerous situation for things that are not essential, so I gave up buying and selling as well.

Just observe the basic measures in a thoughtful manner and the contagion curve will improve in the US in a shorter time.

How are you doing, Claudio, you are in the thick of everything over there?

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2 hours ago, Bio-Rupp said:

In response to the threat of COVID-19 and the possible dangers of public, post office traffic... I have decided to forgo any sales for the next few weeks.

My last trip to the post office was this morning for the foreseeable future due to cases popping up in our area.

Just seems incredibly risky to get out right now for reasons other than necessities.

Wondering if any of my fellow sellers here feel the same... or is it business as usual concerning mail order, post office visits, etc?

xxx ooo

Rupp

I use postal pick up when I sell something, only now I'm leaving packages outside right before pick up time. There is no one at all walking around so it's safe. My post person is contingent and she needs the money. She has gloves and hand sanitizer.

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19 hours ago, skypinkblu said:

How are you doing, Claudio, you are in the thick of everything over there?

Hi Sharon, we are in the second most affected region, so clearly there is considerable tension. But actually, what is more tiring is the inconsistent way people consider the measures, switching abruptly between the two extremes of levity or "psychosis". Hopefully that will change with time.

19 hours ago, skypinkblu said:

I use postal pick up when I sell something, only now I'm leaving packages outside right before pick up time. There is no one at all walking around so it's safe. My post person is contingent and she needs the money. She has gloves and hand sanitizer.

But does she work on her own? How does it work in the USA. Can one use postal pickup even for non-expensive things, is that a service related to courriers or to the USPS as well?

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2 minutes ago, vaillant said:

Hi Sharon, we are in the second most affected region, so clearly there is considerable tension. But actually, what is more tiring is the inconsistent way people consider the measures, switching abruptly between the two extremes of levity or "psychosis". Hopefully that will change with time.

But does she work on her own? How does it work in the USA. Can one use postal pickup even for non-expensive things, is that a service related to courriers or to the USPS as well?

USPS offers it with ANY priority package, it's free if you have pick ups done at your regular mail time and if you want to send something like first class or media, you can do it with a priority package.

In some areas the USPS has contracted workers (that was what I meant by contingent) just means she's not permanent, she has direction and control through the PO, they just save on benefits...not my favorite thing for the PO to do, btw.

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2 minutes ago, skypinkblu said:

USPS offers it with ANY priority package, it's free if you have pick ups done at your regular mail time and if you want to send something like first class or media, you can do it with a priority package.

In some areas the USPS has contracted workers (that was what I meant by contingent) just means she's not permanent, she has direction and control through the PO, they just save on benefits...not my favorite thing for the PO to do, btw.

Thanks, I see our postal service does a similar thing – from what I get, however, they restricted the service now, I have to see how it works.
Take care! :)

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On 3/22/2020 at 6:20 PM, DavidTheDavid said:

Lots of bigger books hitting threads lately. ComicLink has had a glut of listings in the Exchange, too. People looking to raise cash as the downtown hits?

This

I had bad vibes as did many others even before the COVID-19 crisis

Started the liquidation process in Aug and don’t regret it for 1 moment

The stimulus (if it happens) may eventually right the ship. But having liquid funds available in the bank seems like a good thing no matter how this settles

In any case, the retreat in prices for comics has not nearly matched other assets most notably stocks. There seems more opportunity in the stock market eventually hitting bottom and bouncing back than in comics - even big keys. As long as the collectibles market remains inflated in relation to other assets I am holding onto the cash and buying nothing

I am usually bearish as a baseline, so it would be nice to get the perspective of those who feel more bullish

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On 3/21/2020 at 4:24 PM, Bio-Rupp said:

In response to the threat of COVID-19 and the possible dangers of public, post office traffic... I have decided to forgo any sales for the next few weeks.

My last trip to the post office was this morning for the foreseeable future due to cases popping up in our area.

Just seems incredibly risky to get out right now for reasons other than necessities.

Wondering if any of my fellow sellers here feel the same... or is it business as usual concerning mail order, post office visits, etc?

xxx ooo

Rupp

I am in the same place with this. Here where I live, Montreal, and province wide now, the pressure is on to stay at home with the only exceptions being genuine necessities...food, medicine, and families only are permitted to congregate outside for walks and fresh air, but other kinds of gatherings in public are now forbidden, and the police have been empowered to intervene if you are contravening the regulations. Individuals can still go out to otherwise lawfully open businesses, and that includes the PO, so I still have a free right to access it as necessary. But responsibly speaking, in the current environment it is hard to justify as "essential" or "necessary" going out to the PO to mail some books. Its one thing if your livelihood depends upon it as business, and certainly online sales and shipping is still both permitted and necessary for businesses, but this is not a livelihood for me, and I am lucky to still have a job that I can do, as my College is shifting to online "distance" learning to complete the semester. 

This is a real dilemma for me, and while I have made private arrangements with my two existing customers, I have been reluctant to bump my sales thread to seek new sales and therefore new obligations. I am considering adopting a "deferred" system where purchases reserve book(s) but both payment and shipping are deferred to a future date. There would be no obligation to pay until I was in a position to promptly ship. Obviously once the new rules were posted a potential buyer could make an informed decision about whether it was still worth it for them to buy or not, if they don't want to wait for books they of course don't have to buy. I would be interested in any feedback on this, and what others are thinking about the general situation. 

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@crassus: Robert, if it helps: I had offers and a purchase on books I have listed on eBay. I declined the offers, explaining, and the potential customer agreed and is glad to wait. The purchase, I canceled it and told the buyer that if he wants I can keep the book aside for him.

Currently I do not have a paid job (trying to resume/continue my work of typeface design, given the various limitations I experience, not just the virus) but as much as I’d have liked to keep selling, I don’t want to add pressure to the work of postal clerks et al. Not to mention I will avoid going to the post office, exercising prudence for both myself and my family.

I always welcome your pondered and wise considerations, I think a similar think can be done here: for us in Italy it might take some time, but “delayed purchases” could work, especially if we are acquainted to buyers. 

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