magazines as media mail.

[popz39]

Noticed that magazines are being shipped with media mail postage. Magazines do have pages of ads. How does that work?

[southern*sweet*tea]

It "works" because sellers are cheating the USPS out of postage, and their packages aren't being opened for inspection. 

Sending magazines by MM is not allowed and has never been allowed.

[coastaltechsolution]

 Magazines and comic books  contain ads so no media mail 

[readabouthorses]

Sending magazines by Media Mail is one of the most disgusting things sellers do. Not only are they cheating the USPS but they are gambling that their package won't get opened for inspection and sent on to the buyer with Postage Due.

Also it makes it nearly impossible for the honest sellers to compete. When buyers see a Top Rated Plus seller with 10,000 magazines shipping by Media Mail they think sellers who choose not to violate the rule are overcharging for postage.

USPS wants more money. Just make Media Mail a permit-only based shipping option. Those sellers who are legally using Media Mail can still use it but those breaking the rules will probably get caught. They did it with Bound Printed Matter so it would be possible to do it with Media Mail as well.

[eunster1313]

(It "works" because sellers are cheating the USPS out of postage, and their packages aren't being opened for inspection.

Sending magazines by MM is not allowed and has never been allowed.)

It's one thing to make an honest mistake once, it's another thing to knowingly cheat or steal from the USPS.

They don't play games if you get caught.

Forged and Counterfeited Postage Meter Stamps for an eBay Business

and Committed Export Violations.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndia/pr/marion-man-convicted-making-phony-postage 

[pargran3]

Ads have nothing to do with it. Magazines and everything else printed periodically are not eligible because they are PERIODICALS. 

This has been and is a bone of contention with honest sellers simply unable to compete in the magazine categories. 

Radine

[fab_finds4u]

Magazines are prohibited in Media Mail.

eBay doesn't police listings and tell sellers that type of shipping method is not allowed.  If USPS catches it then postage will be due when it's delivered and the seller's media mail packages  from then on will get inspected. 

[jayjaspersgarage]

Some sellers may truly make this mistake if they sell only one magazine a year and never sell books.  On the other hand there are sellers who will sell all sorts of heavy stuff inside a box lined with books just to save a couple dollars on postage.  That's pretty bad considering postage is a write off regardless of whether the buyer is charged separately for postage.  These same buyers most likely never add their on-line sales to their gross income every year.  And they are the same scummy people who abuse the handicap parking placards that their elderly relatives obtain.  Probably used to dump their cars ashtrays in parking lots too back in the day that cars had five ashtrays and didn't have seat belts.  Monday morning rant over. 

I sell large groups of magazines at times beyond the occasional back issue I list on a regular basis and never use media mail.  I sold some Dwell magazines in full year lots maybe seven years ago and used a flat rate box to send them.  Hint:  Dwell magazine back issues are very popular with the architectural crowd.

[simba6]

Not all sellers know that is not allowed.  Them seem like books as you read them too.  The postal service is inspecting media mail packages a lot these days and does take action to collect the postage.

[ronsam-197]

So why doesn't ebay flag magazine categories as not qualifying for Media Mail?

Seems like an easy fix to me and they've already done it to books listed in other categories.

[releasethekraken_1]

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@pargran3 wrote:

Ads have nothing to do with it.

---

Ads are also one of the reasons that disqualify an item from MM:

"Media Mail packages may not contain advertising."

https://about.usps.com/notices/not121/not121_tech.htm

[vintage-car-magazines]

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@ronsam-197 wrote:

So why doesn't ebay flag magazine categories as not qualifying for Media Mail?

Seems like an easy fix to me and they've already done it to books listed in other categories.

---

^^^^^THIS^^^^^

Or, at least throw up a warning.

This is an area that's aggravating for a magazine seller who abides by the rules. 

[southern*sweet*tea]

---

@ronsam-197 wrote:

So why doesn't ebay flag magazine categories as not qualifying for Media Mail?

Seems like an easy fix to me and they've already done it to books listed in other categories.

---

Because it's relatively easy to do, it's absolutely necessary and it makes sense. That's why they don't do it.

[readabouthorses]

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@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

---

@ronsam-197 wrote:

So why doesn't ebay flag magazine categories as not qualifying for Media Mail?

Seems like an easy fix to me and they've already done it to books listed in other categories.

---

Because it's relatively easy to do, it's absolutely necessary and it makes sense. That's why they don't do it.

---

Someone brought up the question of magazine category and Media Mail on the Spring Seller Update discussion boards and Tyler promised to check into it and report back. Then those boards got closed and he never came back to answer the question. I was interested to read what he might have found out but I guess now we will not know.

[moondogblues]

"Ads are also one of the reasons that disqualify an item from MM:

"Media Mail packages may not contain advertising."

Unless it is directly related to the book you are shipping.  A LOT of vintage books have lists of related books in the back pages and sometimes also an address where you could send money for those books.  Romance books do this also.  They are still considered ok for MM.  As are Graphic Novels which have related ads and are not periodicals as stated above.

There was a reason for all the strange sounding rules and had to do with Inter-Library book loans back in the day.  Or so I have read.