Media Mail for Magazines without Advertising

[biteme8]

Have sold commemorative magazines without advertising shipping via Media Mail.  Now all items in magazines category are blocked from purchasing media mail postage.  My understanding was that the USPS determination was made based on whether or not advertising content was included.  Suggestions?

[katzrul15]

@biteme8 

I always thought all "magazines" could not go Media Mail?

MEDIA MAIL SERVICE (usps.com)

Above is the link to the USPS Media Mail Section.

MEDIA MAIL SERVICE

Media Mail shipping is a cost-effective way to send educational materials. This service has restrictions on the type of media that can be shipped. Media Mail rates are limited to the items listed below:

• Books (at least 8 pages).
• Sound recordings and video recordings, such as CDs and DVDs.
• Play scripts and manuscripts for books, periodicals, and music.
• Printed music.
• Computer-readable media containing prerecorded information and guides or scripts prepared solely for use with such media.
• Sixteen millimeter or narrower width films.
• Printed objective test materials and their accessories.
• Printed educational reference charts.
• Loose-leaf pages and their binders consisting of medical information for distribution to doctors, hospitals, medical schools, and medical students.

[redmodelt]

Listing in magazines would be blanket coverage of not being able to ship via eBay USPS media rate service. That category does not qualify for that level of service. 

[southern*sweet*tea]

All magazines (with or without advertising) are classified as periodicals, and periodicals have never qualified for Media Mail.

[m60driver]

Magazines without ads are few and far between and so listing in that category does not allow it.  But in a few rare occasions I have had such magazines and I have shipped via media mail by using Paypal to create the label.

[bryo_3145]

If there under 1 lb in weight you could send them first class. My brother has been getting away shipping magazines for years. He lives in the city. I always got nailed because I live in such a small town, and they check everything. 

[nobody*s_perfect]

---

@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

All magazines (with or without advertising) are classified as periodicals, and periodicals have never qualified for Media Mail.

---

Here's the reference to that in the DMM:

"Mailable matter meeting one of the specific eligibility standards in 4.0 for Media Mail and 5.0 for Library Mail, and that is neither mailed or required to be mailed as First-Class Mail nor entered as Periodicals, may be mailed as Media Mail or Library Mail, respectively."

https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/173.htm#ep1113507

"Entered as periodicals"" means that it was registered with USPS for a different special low shipping rate granted to the publisher.  

[luckythewinner]

---

@biteme8 wrote:

Have sold commemorative magazines without advertising shipping via Media Mail.  Now all items in magazines category are blocked from purchasing media mail postage.  My understanding was that the USPS determination was made based on whether or not advertising content was included.  Suggestions?

---

You are applying one of the many eligibility requirements for media mail in isolation. 

The USPS classifies magazine as periodicals, and periodicals are not eligible for media mail regardless of whether they have ads or not.  

[the_fancy_fox]

---

@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

All magazines (with or without advertising) are classified as periodicals, and periodicals have never qualified for Media Mail.

---

true.

I ship a lot of books and have done magazines.

I would think a commemorative “magazine” is not a periodical as most are published once.  

I probably would have either listed it as a softcover book or printed my shipping label through pirate ship. 

[kathieskorner]

What is even worse is that if you list books in books or publications sub-categories of sports or trains for example -  you can also not purchase media mail postage.  

[pargran3]

You thought wrong. I have no idea where the vintage with no advertising thing got started. Magazines of any age, advertising or not are PERIODICALS. They cannot be sent media rate. Period.

Thank you eBay for finally getting this right and helping to slow down the abuse of media mail.

[monica-sells]

I am being optimistic here....

Maybe this is an indication of implementing BPM (Bound Printed Matter) availability for material that does not qualify for Media Mail....

(I can dream, can't I?)

[meme6253]

That Is What I Also Understood!, No Ads Can Go Media Mail, Unless there has been a New update, I am not aware of

[readabouthorses]

---

@monica-sells wrote:

I am being optimistic here....

Maybe this is an indication of implementing BPM (Bound Printed Matter) availability for material that does not qualify for Media Mail....

(I can dream, can't I?)

---

Since BPM is a permit only based shipping method I'm not sure how that would work. Would eBay get the permit? Could we drop the magazines at our local Post Office (when I researched it after it became permit based it would only let me drop the packages at the Raleigh NC location or Greensboro location).

Or could this mean that the Post Office is on the verge of making Media Mail a permit only based method as well??

[monica-sells]

I have dropped magazines with BPM Postage and got them scanned at the counter at my local PO and subsequently delivered without incident.....

(It is one of the options at Amazon Sales)