notice postal office opened and inspected media mail 2 2

[bronze_rules]

I received an IDW artist's edition from ebay, with a note on the box stating it was opened and inspected by USPS as it was paid media mail.

Is this normal practice nowadays? I feel like it's a violation of privacy and for all I know, employees could kick it around like a soccer ball (doesn't exactly sit well with me), 

or worse, steal if it had significant value. Package was not even re-taped or sealed, just delivered with the flap seals cut.

 

Edited July 25, 2018 by bronze_rules

[DeadOne]

Unlike other USPS services, Media Mail is subject to inspection.

[bronze_rules]

14 minutes ago, DeadOne said:

Unlike other USPS services, Media Mail is subject to inspection.

I probably do far less ebay activity than many here, and only on the buy side. Do ebay buyers just expect this to occur all the time with Media Mail then? I didn't even know I had a choice in the matter as a buyer, and never really thought about it until I got the notice and opened box.

Edited July 25, 2018 by bronze_rules

[DeadOne]

7 minutes ago, bronze_rules said:

I probably do far less ebay activity than many here, and only on the buy side. Do ebay buyers just expect this to occur all the time with Media Mail then? I didn't even know I had a choice in the matter as a buyer, and never really thought about it until I got the notice.

It's one of those things where inspection doesn't occur all the time It's random, so buyers who know it is subject to inspection probably just roll the dice and hope that it doesn't happen to them. Buyers who do not know about this regulation probably have been lucky enough to not have it happened before.

As a buyer and a seller, I avoid Media Mail altogether, unless, of course, something is shipped to me via Media Mail without my knowledge. When buying from ebay, I just assume that if the listing states "standard shipping" they mean Media Mail and always ask the seller ahead of time.

[miraclemet]

since the artist editions are huge I can imagine it set off some alarms when it went thru as media mail and wasnt the typical shape of a Tom Clancey novel.

as others have said media mail can be inspected, and is from time to time.

[01TheDude]

It is not frequent or expected but can happen to any item sent media mail. Sellers who use this method to ship are the worst. I get especially agitated when I pay for first class or priority mail and the seller gets cheap and send it via media mail. Media mail can take up to two weeks to get delivered-- and it often times gets treated like garbage by postal employees (tossing the packages around like they were not worthy of any consideration).

It happens with some sellers who don't get the auction price they expected. Not my fault - and a hell of a way to tell me you never want my business again. 

I am more surprised it did not come with a postage due bill attached.

Edited July 25, 2018 by 01TheDude

[bronze_rules]

40 minutes ago, 01TheDude said:

It is not frequent or expected but can happen to any item sent media mail. Sellers who use this method to ship are the worst. I get especially agitated when I pay for first class or priority mail and the seller gets cheap and send it via media mail. Media mail can take up to two weeks to get delivered-- and it often times gets treated like garbage by postal employees (tossing the packages around like they were not worthy of any consideration).

It happens with some sellers who don't get the auction price they expected. Not my fault - and a hell of a way to tell me you never want my business again. 

I am more surprised it did not come with a postage due bill attached.

Why would there be postage due? I assume the Postal Office would not ship if the postage was not sufficient. Is there something about say, an AE book that merits more postage than the seller paid (via Media Mail). Please excuse my naivete, learning a lot from you guys, and knew if anyone was aware, it would be the boards.

If I purchase a big book that has free shipping, should I explicitly ask or request the seller for postage above media mail and pay more for it? I have no qualms with the seller and gave them 5 stars for excellent product and packaging, didn't really realize they are at fault for anything; I'm more upset about the PO. 

Edited July 25, 2018 by bronze_rules

[OdinsSecrets]

1 minute ago, bronze_rules said:

Why would there be postage due? I assume the Postal Office would not ship if the postage was not sufficient. Is there something about say, an AE book that merits more postage than the seller paid (via Media Mail). Please excuse my naivete, learning a lot from you guys, and knew if anyone was aware, it would be the boards.

If I purchase a big book that has free shipping, should I explicitly ask or request the seller for postage above media mail and pay more for it? I have no qualms with the seller and gave them 5 stars for excellent product and packaging, didn't really realize they are at fault for anything; I'm more upset about the PO. 

USPS has stated that comic books do not qualify for the reduced rates of media mail.

[bronze_rules]

Just now, OdinsSecrets said:

USPS has stated that comic books do not qualify for the reduced rates of media mail.

Ok, thank you for that. I briefly looked around today, and my limited understanding is that media mail must be used only for things like educational books without ads, which I would feel the AE qualifies as. I guess an AE is considered a comic book then?

[OdinsSecrets]

1 minute ago, bronze_rules said:

Ok, thank you for that. I briefly looked around today, and my limited understanding is that media mail must be used only for things like educational books without ads, which I would feel the AE qualifies as. I guess an AE is considered a comic book then?

Well presumably since you weren't charged the difference they decided that your book was an acceptable media mail item. 

[DeadOne]

1 hour ago, bronze_rules said:

Ok, thank you for that. I briefly looked around today, and my limited understanding is that media mail must be used only for things like educational books without ads, which I would feel the AE qualifies as. I guess an AE is considered a comic book then?

This comic book rule and what it actually means (especially in regards to TPBs and the like that either have no advertising or only limited in house advertising) has had a lot of debate on the boards. Some say the wording on the rule is too vague (or perhaps not explicit enough) thus leaving it open to interpretation by not only buyers and sellers but the USPS postal employees as well.

If it is inspected and found not to meet Media Mail requirements, it could very well be delivered to the person with postage due or the seller might actually be contacted for the additional postage.

The fact that it is open to inspection and takes longer to deliver says to me that there is a greater chance of loss or damage. If it's an important enough item to me, I usually ask how the item will be shipped before bidding and offer to pay more for First Class or Priority Mail. Sometimes there is just not enough time (say, if an auction is ending soon or the seller doesn't respond soon enough) where I, probably like many others, just cross my fingers and hope for the best.

[ExNihilo]

How much of a difference in price are we talking here?  When shipping single raw books, I always ship first class and it's like $4 insured.  Are sellers REALLY saving that much with Media Mail?

[01TheDude]

18 minutes ago, ExNihilo said:

How much of a difference in price are we talking here?  When shipping single raw books, I always ship first class and it's like $4 insured.  Are sellers REALLY saving that much with Media Mail?

No-- and the really dumb thing is they tend not to even take advantage of the entire pound of shipping weight  by using proper packing material to boot. I've seen sellers send me a single comic book via media mail, barely sandwich the book between two pieces of priority mail cardboard (very weak) inside a manila envelope without even bothering to write "please do not bend" on the envelope. They know how much it weighs-- let's say 5 ounces as that is what is on the media mail postage label. So not only does the book arrive 5 or more days later than first class, it also tends to get banged around in the process. I've seen sellers with over 3000 (100% positive) feedback do this on ebay. The item may not be expensive but this packaging method is just BS.

I can send a cheap comic book (bagged and boarded) sandwiched between two sturdy cardboard pieces inside an nice bubble mailer and it might be 8 to 10 ounces - and use first class for maybe a dollar more than media mail. It gets there in 3 or 4 days max and without damage. How difficult is that for these sellers to understand?

Edited July 26, 2018 by 01TheDude

[The Lions Den]

6 hours ago, bronze_rules said:

I probably do far less ebay activity than many here, and only on the buy side. Do ebay buyers just expect this to occur all the time with Media Mail then? I didn't even know I had a choice in the matter as a buyer, and never really thought about it until I got the notice and opened box.

I'm not a big fan of media mail. I've had a number of packages opened and inspected, and once I was even warned that I couldn't use a USPS bag if it was within a media mail package. It also takes forever and does seem to sustain a higher degree of damage than other methods. If I were you, I'd consider myself lucky if I received the book in good order after it was opened and inspected; I once sent a package to a friend of mine via media mail and he received only the empty box. 

[ExNihilo]

3 minutes ago, 01TheDude said:

No-- and the really dumb thing is they tend not to even take advantage of the entire pound of shipping weight  by using proper packing material to boot. I've seen sellers send me a single comic book via media mail, barely sandwich the book between two pieces of priority mail cardboard (very weak) inside a manila envelope without even bothering to write "please do not bend" on the envelope. They know how much it weighs-- let's say 5 ounces as that is what is on the media mail postage label. So not only does the book arrive 5 or more days later than first class, it also tends to get banged around in the process. I've seen sellers with over 3000 (100% positive) feedback do this on ebay. The item may not be expensive but this packaging method is just BS.

I can send a cheap comic book (bagged and boarded) sandwiched between two sturdy cardboard pieces inside an nice bubble mailer and it might be 8 to 10 ounces - and use first class for maybe a dollar more than media mail. It gets there in 3 or 4 days max and without damage. How difficult is that for these sellers to understand?

Geez, all this for $1?  It depends on who's paying, but if the seller is paying the shipping fees, don't jip me by mailing Media Mail where there's the chance for it to be opened and damaged.  USPS certainly doesn't care about the contents of the package as much as you do when they go back to put everything back in place.  I ship my raw books sandwiched between 2 or 3 layers of priority mail cardboard (2 layers cardboard, book double bagged/double boarded, 3 layers cardboard).  Yes, I know the priority mail cardboard is thin, but when there's a total of 5 layers, it feels pretty sturdy...that and anymore cardboard and it wouldn't fit in my envelope.  Then of course I throw on 2 or more "Fragile - do not bend" stickers on either side of the envelope.  All of that and the package weight comes in at 8oz's.  First Class mail comes with a tracking number and for like $1.50 more, I can insure it up to like $100.  

[01TheDude]

5 minutes ago, ExNihilo said:

Geez, all this for $1?  It depends on who's paying, but if the seller is paying the shipping fees, don't jip me by mailing Media Mail where there's the chance for it to be opened and damaged.  USPS certainly doesn't care about the contents of the package as much as you do when they go back to put everything back in place.  I ship my raw books sandwiched between 2 or 3 layers of priority mail cardboard (2 layers cardboard, book double bagged/double boarded, 3 layers cardboard).  Yes, I know the priority mail cardboard is thin, but when there's a total of 5 layers, it feels pretty sturdy...that and anymore cardboard and it wouldn't fit in my envelope.  Then of course I throw on 2 or more "Fragile - do not bend" stickers on either side of the envelope.  All of that and the package weight comes in at 8oz's.  First Class mail comes with a tracking number and for like $1.50 more, I can insure it up to like $100.  

I would suggest you pay the extra money and use heavier duty cardboard. If the envelope isn't big enough, get bigger/better envelopes or use a box that lets you stay under a pound. If the books are valuable enough, use the same sturdier cardboard packing contents and put them in a flat rate priority mail padded envelope (they are free and can be ordered through the post office). By buying the shipping through ebay, you get the first $100 insurance free using priority mail (be sure to click on the insurance option). Additional insurance can also be purchased but if you are sending a book(s) worth more than $100, I would box them and use some major amounts of bubble wrap.

The main idea here is put yourself in the buyers shoes-- how much effort would you expect if you bought a book for good money? And how would you feel if they shipped it like a insufficiently_thoughtful_person and it got damaged? Anything damaged is coming back and now you are out the value of the book as well. Good packaging is good business.

[The Lions Den]

6 minutes ago, 01TheDude said:

I would suggest you pay the extra money and use heavier duty cardboard. If the envelope isn't big enough, get bigger/better envelopes or use a box that lets you stay under a pound. If the books are valuable enough, use the same sturdier cardboard packing contents and put them in a flat rate priority mail padded envelope (they are free and can be ordered through the post office). By buying the shipping through ebay, you get the first $100 insurance free using priority mail (be sure to click on the insurance option). Additional insurance can also be purchased but if you are sending a book(s) worth more than $100, I would box them and use some major amounts of bubble wrap.

The main idea here is put yourself in the buyers shoes-- how much effort would you expect if you bought a book for good money? And how would you feel if they shipped it like a insufficiently_thoughtful_person and it got damaged? Anything damaged is coming back and now you are out the value of the book as well. Good packaging is good business.

Right on, brother!

[FN-2199]

The Media Mail threads are the new Pressing threads.

Edited July 26, 2018 by FN-2199

[revat]

someone just sent me a media mail slab that I bought through ebay.  I was scared when I saw the box, BUT it passed without extra cost assessed AND there were no issues with the slab.  I'm not sure if we got lucky with a given inspector or I've also heard rumors about super old items being assessed differently because their ads are too old.  I would never send any comics media mail without the specific request of the buyer, its just not worth it.

[GeneticNinja]

I always knew Media Mail could be inspected. First time actually hearing about it. Strange that they wouldn't tape it back up. That would be considerate.