media mail

[louies1948]

I listed a dory & nemo video playset figures in the correct video section.  I checked with USPS, they said these can be shipped media mail. In the past ebay let me print media labels for this product. Today ebay will not let me print media label. My listing states media, buyer chose media. now ebay wants me to ship first class. Is there a way to print a media label? thanks

[maxine*j]

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@gullbergd wrote:

I'm having the same problem.  My recent sales of a Disney Magazine, a Fangoria Magazine and a Cinefantastique Magazine all were banned from printing a Media Mail label.  Ebay claims they weren't eligible in the category that I had used.  It was listed as the shipping to be Media Mail but now it wont let me print the label.  The customer has only paid the reduced shipping price.   This is new this week.  I have been selling those types of magazines for years. 

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But they have never qualified for Media Mail.  You cannot ship Media Mail anything that has an advetisement in it, even if the magazines and the ads in them are 120 years old and the ads are no longer relevant.  (And before someone asks why, it's because the USPS couldn't begin to vet all the magazines that are mailed, old and new.)

=

[carolynnq]

And let me tell you what happens from the buyer's perspective if usps checks your package and discovers the contents doesn't qualify for media mail: The PO determines what priority mail postage would be for the package and it arrives to the buyer with postage due.

The last one was some small boxes I had ordered. I paid the postage due because I needed those boxes for an event that was in a few days. The seller refunded the extra I had paid. She hopefully learned a lesson (and is probably on her local PO's radar now.)

[monster-deals]

This has been going on for more than 2 weeks and they haven't got around to fixing it yet?

[nobody*s_perfect]

I doubt that they intend to fix it. 

[monster-deals]

Kinda difficult to ship books media mail if they keep it greyed out.

[itsjustasprain]

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@monster-deals wrote:

Kinda difficult to ship books media mail if they keep it greyed out.

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I think the standard workaround for books in categories that dont support Media mail is to buy the labels through Paypal or another third party shipper. Then mark the book as shipped in your Sold items page and upload the tracking number.

[buyselljack2016]

@chanyuc

I suspect that the $2.80 that you see for Parcel is a "flat rate" that the seller entered expecting to be able to later  ship by MM.

I in the past have used buyer pays $0.01 shipping just to stay away from "fast n free", and now the "free 4 day shipping" showing up on my listings.  

[shado-x]

Kinda difficult to ship books media mail if they keep it greyed out.

If a book, take it to the local post office in person, the price will be the same.  NB, August 29th, 2021 the money-losing, poorly managed USPS will raise the price for Media Mail by 10%.  Stamps too.  But US Priority and First Class will remain the same.  Me thinks the USPS will get about $1 for every $6 they spend with this one.

BTW, Video games are "computer media (such as CDs, DVDs, and diskettes)", but they only have a note; just a footnote, making the claim that this is false.  It's not false since Warcraft for PC, Microsoft Word, etc., qualifies as computer media, but I ship video games first class any-hoot due to demand.

Ask why the USPS loses billions, just read that.

[nobody*s_perfect]

Here's the official USPS ruling on why video games are not eligible for Media Mail: "video games, whether on CD-ROM, diskettes, or similar software, regardless of form, or playable systems including computers, do not meet the standards for Media Mail."

https://pe.usps.com/text/csr/PS-334.htm

[moondogblues]

"Media mail is a old concept."

I believe I read somewhere that Media Mail started because of inter-library loans for books.  Libraries expanded to include sound recordings and movies and all but magazines qualified.  I still haven't figured out why magazines are excluded, using the 'ad' excuse...but there should be a category for vintage.  I'd love to order from the back pages of an old Vogue!

[moondogblues]

"I'm having the same problem.  My recent sales of a Disney Magazine, a Fangoria Magazine and a Cinefantastique Magazine all were banned from printing a Media Mail label.  Ebay claims they weren't eligible in the category that I had used.  It was listed as the shipping to be Media Mail but now it wont let me print the label.  The customer has only paid the reduced shipping price.   This is new this week.  I have been selling those types of magazines for years. "

Those mags NEVER qualified for MM and if you have been selling them for years, imho, you were being fraudulent.

[moondogblues]

"Others have posted fairly recently that they have discovered that the USPS is apparently checking items shipped using Media Mail more closely.  "

Over the years some sellers have been banned from using USPS because of this very issue.

[moondogblues]

"  (And before someone asks why, it's because the USPS couldn't begin to vet all the magazines that are mailed, old and new.)"

Ahhh...that makes sense, thanks!

[moondogblues]

" The PO determines what priority mail postage would be for the package and it arrives to the buyer with postage due."

Same thing happened to me.  I now message sellers who offer media mail for the menus I collect, asking them to send First Class or Ground.

[carolynnq]

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@moondogblues wrote:

"Media mail is a old concept."

I believe I read somewhere that Media Mail started because of inter-library loans for books.  Libraries expanded to include sound recordings and movies and all but magazines qualified.  I still haven't figured out why magazines are excluded, using the 'ad' excuse...but there should be a category for vintage.  I'd love to order from the back pages of an old Vogue!

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There's Library Rate postage (cheaper than media mail) that libraries, universities and other research institutions, and academic publishers can use. I worked for a publisher of an academic research journal and we could use Library Rate postage to mail to libraries (but not to individual subscribers).