Can Comics be shipped through the USPS as Media Rate

[tony5205]

Can anyone say definatively yes or no? Some clerks will accept packages for this rate and others say No...claim its "Magazines and has advertising" etc. Its been a crap shoot at the post offices I use and I'm tired of getting burnt on large shipments if I can in fact ship Media Rate. They end up using this other rate that maybe saves a dime called Printed Material but is a variable rate based on where its going by Zip Code so many times its about the same as First Class. Tonight at the 24/7 Post Office I figure it cost me an extra $40. I try to kkep my shipping cost to a minimum to my customers but its getting to be a losing proposition when the post office will not cooperate! Please advise and thanks for input Tony

[phaedrusny]

Why on earth is this still being debated? It's very clear that comic books can be sent using Bound Printed Matter rates. In fact, in one of the consumer booklets a couple of years ago, the hypothetical situation used to describe BPM involved comic books. How much more explicit does it need to be?

[dwebwil20004vt2]

> Why on earth is this still being debated? It's very clear that comic books can be sent using Bound Printed Matter rates. In fact, in one of the consumer booklets a couple of years ago, the hypothetical situation used to describe BPM involved comic books. How much more explicit does it need to be?

Things have changed. Because of the ubiquitous use of electronic storage media, the bound printed matter classification was eliminated right about the time you mention, to be replaced by the media mail classification.

[dwebwil20004vt2]

Media mail is primarily meant for items promoting education and culture and the reduced rate is indicative of the government's intention to promote same. Educational comic books would qualify.

[komic_buyer]

Cherry Poptart is educational.

[dwebwil20004vt2]

> Cherry Poptart is educational.
>
Best Match is the Devil !!!

Submitted, perhaps, in jest but not far off the mark. A very high percentage of underground comics were educational (or at least instructional) in nature and likely would have qualified.

[komic_buyer]

Plus, many or most had no ads.

[kenmacny]

And could be read one-handed.

[jr_ewing1979]

> For that same $2.38 you could have shipped the comic reinforced with cardboard through first class mail. As I have said before in this same thread, the notion of saving money shipping light items through media mail is a delusion.

It is not a delusion at all. If I sell a lot of more than three comics, even without bags and boards it is impossible to send them first class if I use cardboard to protect the books. So, if I play by the rules I have to charge a minimum of 4.95 for shipping instead of $2.38 for media. Things get worse if I have a five to six issue limited series and it weighs more than a pound. What if my buyer is in California? Sudenly it costs almost $9 to ship. The same problem exists for combining shipping. The point is that I am less likely to sell books if I ship priority instead of media.

[dwebwil20004vt2]

Flat rate priority gets you around the zone charges so that the $4.95 is good for all 50 states. And that, my friend is the primary point I am making here!

[herkinger]

>>"...The point is that I am less likely to sell books if I ship priority instead of media...."<<

Yep - and lots of comic sellers are using Media Mail and getting away with it.

"Nice guys finish last"
-Leo Durocher

[jbossard57]

The way I understand it, is:
1. nothing with advertisement can go media mail.
2. nothing that contains 'adult only' or suggestive soft porn.

Did anyone know about #2?
If you list something in the 'everything else, adult only' section
which ebay requires even of 'adult only' vintage underground comics,
and you try to advertise it going 'media mail' they stop you and warn you that it is not allowed to ship 'media mail'.

Funny I just learned this. My first time trying to sell vintage comics.

[thesmiths0530]

just checked at my post office and they said they would accept comics for media mail..

[dwebwil20004vt2]

just checked at my post office and they said they would accept comics for media mail..

This is one of the points that I made in a previous post in this thread. Postal employees are part of the cause of the confusion because they too are confused. Believe me, you proceed at your own risk. I have made this point many times in this thread and another and I thought we had all agreed that they were not allowed.

As i said, proceed at your own risk. You may find yourself in an awkward position later on. There is a concerted effort afoot to curb media mail abuse and capture the first class postage being evaded. I speak from 37 years of service in the post office, the last 29 in management. Trust me!

[momtoys]

AS OF THIS WEEK 9/7/09 THE ANSWER IS "NO"

The post office must now INSPECT ALL MEDIA packages and if they do not meet their guidelines it must be sent back to the sender for additional postage or collected as POSTAGE DUE at the other end.

Post office also must now LOG all Media mail, after inspecting it. According the the post office unless it is educational it will not be considered Media, also it must have NO ADVERTISING.

Can anyone say definatively yes or no? Some clerks will accept packages for this rate and others say No...claim its "Magazines and has advertising" etc. Its been a crap shoot at the post offices I use and I'm tired of getting burnt on large shipments if I can in fact ship Media Rate. They end up using this other rate that maybe saves a dime called Printed Material but is a variable rate based on where its going by Zip Code so many times its about the same as First Class. Tonight at the 24/7 Post Office I figure it cost me an extra $40. I try to kkep my shipping cost to a minimum to my customers but its getting to be a losing proposition when the post office will not cooperate! Please advise and thanks for input Tony

[bnwflix]

Re: "I thought we had all agreed that they were not allowed."

Really? You actually thought this? Wow.

Uh, you're kind of living up to the stereotype of a postal employee here...