Regarding the use of Media Mail for shipping being used inappropriately

[my_boston_baked_beans]

According to the definition: a class of mail for sending books, recordings, and computer media. It is cheaper and usually slower than first-class mail.

I have more recently had seller send curtains, shoes, jewelry boxes using MEDIA MAIL via USPS! It is cheaper and slower than FIRST CLASS, BUT IS IT the right way of use??

I say NO..opinions?

Or just maybe NO one cares as long as they get a cheaper shipping COST!

[berserkerplanet]

>>but not cheaper than First Class

That is also incorrect.

1 lb media mail (retail) to anywhere in the US: $2.75 while 15.99 oz First Class Package: $4.94-$5.53
The only case where FCP is less than MM is for FCP up to 4 oz to zones 1-4.

Which is one reason both unscrupulous and ignorant sellers use it for some things that don't qualify. The other reason is that 10 lb MM is $7.43 - less than the even TRS discounted price for a PM Padded Flat Rate Envelope. That beckons to sellers to do evil (and to the ones who have no idea what they are doing -"Oooh. Cheap shipping!")

[upgradedendmills]

A seller that thinks it is okay to cheat the Postal Service has a mindset that allows them to cheat their customers just as easily. It is not okay!!!!!

[penguins_dont_fly]

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@upgradedendmills wrote:

A seller that thinks it is okay to cheat the Postal Service has a mindset that allows them to cheat their customers just as easily. It is not okay!!!!!

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Nobody here is saying that it IS okay 😞

There has been a back-and-forth discussion about MM requirements (and costs) that may have muddied the discussion a bit, but NOBODY here thinks that using MM for non eligible items is okay.

[luckythewinner]

@nkpina2014 wrote:
Books, recordings, and computer media are supposed to be educational in nature to use Media Mail anyways (USPS added the educational-ONLY part in the last few years).

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The word 'educational' only appears in 2 of the 9 categories of qualified items - cateogires that have nothing to do with books, recordings, or computer media.

Making things up and presenting them as facts does nothing to help this community.

[marinermikes]

I used to work for the P.O. I drove bulk mail, picking up and delivering to all the local P.O.'s.  Had a guy sending motor cycle parts media mail.  The post master at his post office had it figured out. He asked me about it because he knew I sold on eBay. He asked me if I thought a good solution would be to just have the buyers customer pay the difference.  Perfect! So the next week or so the postmaster passed the difference on to at least fifteen customers.  Lol! Didn't take long until he quit sending media mail.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@penguins_dont_fly wrote:

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@upgradedendmills wrote:

A seller that thinks it is okay to cheat the Postal Service has a mindset that allows them to cheat their customers just as easily. It is not okay!!!!!

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Nobody here is saying that it IS okay 😞

There has been a back-and-forth discussion about MM requirements (and costs) that may have muddied the discussion a bit, but NOBODY here thinks that using MM for non eligible items is okay.

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I don't think that the poster you quoted implied that.  It seems to me that they were just sharing the outrage, and pointing out that a seller who'd misuse MM has character flaws that would likely lead them to cheat in other ways in addition to the postage issue.

[jason_incognito]

I bought something, it was sent media mail and came postage due of like $11. 

The seller freaked out and tried saying I was trying to rip her off. 

I initiated a return and the return label wanted to print media mail. I took it to the post office that way, pointed out that it was not media mail and she got it postage due. 

[tracdea1]

It's considered mail fraud by the seller. He or she must not value his or her online business very much, to jeopardize it with something as stupid as a mail class selection.

[bobstechbooks]

Petty fraud.  He thinks he is pulling a fast one.  Lazy too. If you don't want to buy packing material it can usually be found free by scrounging at retail stores.  If the item was a magazine I'd let it slide. Shoes? Toys? No way.  A certain amount of resentment is appropriate towards blatant rule breaking.     I would degrade his DSRs , leave a neutral feedback, and comment that the shipping method was inappropriate.

[gracieallen01]

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@my_boston_baked_beans wrote:

It is not MY job to police eBay, but if I miss calculate on postage I get a nasty gram form eBay and charge t.o my account. I firmly believe this is not out of ignorance, but rather about greed! Many like to play the ignorance card when caught few OWN IT!

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ebay isn't the only place the abuse happens, and those who condone it or ignore the abuse don't help matters.  One of the problems with not reporting Media Mail abuse is that some day it could well be be discontinued, and then the people who depend on it, and don't abuse it, like libraries and such, won't have it available.

[herecometheplayas]

I think that is what happens when the post office opens a package and discovers it is not Media Mail. My postage program supposedly has a feature where, if the postage is wrong and extra is required, it will be billed to my account instead of being sent back, held, or passed on to the customer

[readabouthorses]

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@herecometheplayas wrote:
I think that is what happens when the post office opens a package and discovers it is not Media Mail. My postage program supposedly has a feature where, if the postage is wrong and extra is required, it will be billed to my account instead of being sent back, held, or passed on to the customer

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If you are talking about the program the post office has that bills for incorrect postage then it doesn't work with incorrect Media Mail packages. I asked about it from the beginning of that program thinking finally magazine sellers who are not cheating the system will catch a break but was told no, the USPS program doesn't deal with the Media Mail issue and it would still be sent on to the receiver with Postage Due.

[readabouthorses]

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@bobstechbooks wrote:

Petty fraud.  He thinks he is pulling a fast one.  Lazy too. If you don't want to buy packing material it can usually be found free by scrounging at retail stores.  If the item was a magazine I'd let it slide. Shoes? Toys? No way.  A certain amount of resentment is appropriate towards blatant rule breaking.     I would degrade his DSRs , leave a neutral feedback, and comment that the shipping method was inappropriate.

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I would never let a magazine seller abusing Media Mail slide. It is so hard to compete with "those abusers" that I would love to see every one of them have to bring their packages into the Post Office opened for inspection because they abused Media Mail.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@herecometheplayas wrote: .... My postage program supposedly has a feature where, if the postage is wrong and extra is required, it will be billed to my account instead of being sent back, held, or passed on to the customer

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That's the APV program, which will automatically bill the sender when the special sorting machines detect underpaid postage based on package weight, dimensions, flat rate box, etc.  There's no way for it to detect misuse of Media Mail; that requires actual human beings.

https://www.usps.com/business/verify-postage.htm

http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/ship-smart/ebay-shipping-partners/avoid-extra-postage-costs....

[uvmmmdu]

Yes, using the free postal supplies for priority mail to send items (or for the extra cardboard support) media mail etc. is also another one I find frequently on purchases.  I got one a few weeks ago where they turned the box inside out and it had priority all over it yet the label used was media mail. Bad enough the seller misused this but that the PO's all along the way did nothing and delivered it to me.