eBay

dsindy · ‎10-04-2021

eBay needs to add "BOUND PRINTED MATTER" to the modes of shipping. Amazon has it. You can ship books, magazines with ads, etc. Generally, it is cheaper than Media Mail. You cannot buy it at USPS. It's on-line only

nobody*s_perfect · ‎10-04-2021

It used to be offered, but now it requires a permit, so it's not available to individual eBay sellers.

dsindy · ‎10-04-2021

Amazon must then have a permit. eBay could get a permit. I used it today to ship a book.

readabouthorses · ‎10-05-2021

@dsindy wrote:
Amazon must then have a permit. eBay could get a permit. I used it today to ship a book.

So if you used it today to ship a book how did you fill out the required paperwork that you submit with your shipment? Where did it tell you to drop off your package?

When I checked into BPM some years ago it would not even let me drop my packages at my local post office. I would have to take them to Raleigh NC along with the paperwork required with each shipment. Has that changed?

dsindy · ‎10-05-2021

It has been a shipping option on Amazon for years. I drop off at my USPS. I received a book ordered from an Amazon seller two weeks ago. It was delivered by my USPS carrier. That seller used BPM. VHS, DVD and some other forms of media do not work with BPM. Almost all books are also BPM. On heavy tomes I save a bundle. The packages are processed through the USPS media distribution centers. All of them are scanned. Shipping times are the same as Media Mail. If Amazon can get a permit I would think that eBay could get one.

readabouthorses · ‎10-05-2021

@dsindy wrote:
It has been a shipping option on Amazon for years. I drop off at my USPS. I received a book ordered from an Amazon seller two weeks ago. It was delivered by my USPS carrier. That seller used BPM. VHS, DVD and some other forms of media do not work with BPM. Almost all books are also BPM. On heavy tomes I save a bundle. The packages are processed through the USPS media distribution centers. All of them are scanned. Shipping times are the same as Media Mail. If Amazon can get a permit I would think that eBay could get one.

So you didn't have to fill out the form that is supposed to accompany the shipment when dropped off? I used BPM for shipping magazines before it became a permit-only based shipping method. I was going to get a permit until I was told I could not drop off at my local PO. When I looked at selling magazines on Amazon the only shipping option that was offered was Media Mail (which we know can't be used for magazines).

dsindy · ‎10-05-2021

List some books on the site and if you get a sale, use the BPM option. There are no forms to fill out. That should assure you that this is not a 'hoax.' Maybe for you, even that won't be convincing.

COPY AND PASTE OFF LATEST SHIPMENT:

Ship date

Mon, Oct 4, 2021

Carrier

USPS

Tracking ID

934192011140855108177

Shipping service

USPS Bound Printed Matter

fm2000 · ‎10-05-2021

On Amazon, you can just use it like any other shipping method.

Having BPM here would be a huge boon for those of us who sell items that qualify for BPM but not Media Mail, like old catalogs and magazines with ads in them. We could use any break we can get now.

readabouthorses · ‎10-05-2021

@dsindy wrote:
List some books on the site and if you get a sale, use the BPM option. There are no forms to fill out. That should assure you that this is not a 'hoax.' Maybe for you, even that won't be convincing.
COPY AND PASTE OFF LATEST SHIPMENT:
Ship date
Mon, Oct 4, 2021
Carrier
USPS
Tracking ID
934192011140855108177
Shipping service
USPS Bound Printed Matter

Interesting. So none of this applies?

https://faq.usps.com/s/article/What-is-Bound-Printed-Matter-Service

gjs_16 · ‎10-05-2021

You guys actually drive packages to the Post Office?
I guess we all value our time differently.

I would think it would be cheaper to just mail it priority, stick it in the mailbox and raise the flag.

releasethekraken_1 · ‎10-05-2021

@dsindy wrote:
It has been a shipping option on Amazon for years. I drop off at my USPS. I received a book ordered from an Amazon seller two weeks ago. It was delivered by my USPS carrier. That seller used BPM. VHS, DVD and some other forms of media do not work with BPM. Almost all books are also BPM. On heavy tomes I save a bundle. The packages are processed through the USPS media distribution centers. All of them are scanned. Shipping times are the same as Media Mail. If Amazon can get a permit I would think that eBay could get one.

eBay is not a shipper.

donsdetour · ‎10-05-2021

It would just get abused like the medial mail on eBay has.

nobody*s_perfect · ‎10-05-2021

But one of the main abuses of MM is for magazines, which ARE eligible for BPM. So making BPM available would eliminate a big share of MM abuse.

varebelrose · ‎10-05-2021

"I guess we all value our time differently.

I would think it would be cheaper to just mail it priority, stick it in the mailbox and raise the flag."

You see no value in getting packages scanned in and a reciept in hand...?

fm2000 · ‎10-05-2021

Normally it would be better to have packages picked up, but there are circumstances where it is better to drop them off. One of them being is that when they are scanned at the post office they are put in the system immediately and may or may never be scanned when picked up by the mailman, even when they actually scan the scan sheet it does not always show up as picked up.

The other issue is sometimes the mailman never picks up the packages when you schedule a pickup for whatever reason (more of a problem when subs are filling in). If someone has this issue... then they probably have to drop them off.