Beware of eBay's new Media-Mail Policy

[kshinhale5uzh]

Been selling on eBay for around 15 years. I sometimes list books in categories other than the book category. It's a marketing strategy...like listing a WWII book under "Military Collectibles" or a vintage bible under "Religious Collectibles".   When you select Media-Mail as your shipping choice, you will get a pop-up window asking if you are sure your item qualifies for Media-Mail, then you click something like "Yes, continue listing" and it's no problem.  I did one like this on a set of historical books last week...but when the auction ended last night, the shipping label blocked me from shipping Media Mail because my item was not listed in the proper category to qualify for Media Mail.  They tried to force me to pay for Priority mail.  A phone call to the help desk told me that because so many people cheat and use Media Mail illegally, the post office has asked eBay to do their policing and block everyone who uses Media Mail outside the book categories.  I find it hard to believe that the post office expects eBay to police us. Remember that eBay earns fees on shipping costs as well as sales prices! Seems like another money-grab to me.  

[evry1nositswindy]

You can print the media mail label through PayPal. 

This has happened to me too and I agree with you that it is a pain.  This is a problem even in categories, outside of the books category, that have a sub-category that says books, publications. 

[donsdetour]

The abuse that has gone on with Media mail is the main reason for this change.

The second reason is the delay with the USPS Media mail is a high risk today. You customer may not get the item with in the allotted time. Just saying.

[kshinhale5uzh]

Understood. I still disagree with punishing integrity-based, law-abiding sellers to stop the cheaters.

[kshinhale5uzh]

Thanks so much! I will try that on the next one as I have a few more that will be closing soon.  

I don't go to the post office these days so I didn't want to go and do it there. I ended up putting stamps on it and put it out in the mail box with the flag up...but that means no proof of shipping. Keeping my fingers crossed!

[b86fiero]

Well if the Post office asked eBay to police the Media Mail option and block non-qualifying items eBay is doing a very poor job.

USPS prohibits activity books, puzzle books, coloring books, and other items from shipping Media Mail yet a quick look at most listings of those items clearly shows a huge number are shipping by Media Mail.  (economy shipping stated in listing).

I once listed a vintage paper doll cut out book and several educational geography and elementary school age math coloring books and the post office told me I had to ship them first class mail as those don't qualify for Media Mail.

I sell adult coloring books and ship every order by first class mail or priority mail if the order quantity requires it.   

Perhaps if everyone stopped using Media Mail to cheat the post office out of revenue the yearly rate increases might be a lot less.   

[kshinhale5uzh]

Good point...you'd think they could make it accessible to those.

[nuclearomen]

I believe it's because it's a new policy ebay is rolling out. It was discussed on weekly community chat several weeks ago. (Some) sellers were complaining about other sellers abusing the media mail option but placing it as mailing option on listings in categories not allowed by USPS to use Media Mail. To say if sellers were shipping items other then the allowed defined as media IDK, but seems ebay listened and is taking the option away for any category not defined by rules of media mail by USPS. I send a lot of media mail, vinyl records, so I took notice of the topic on that weekly chat. 

[readabouthorses]

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@nuclearomen wrote:

I believe it's because it's a new policy ebay is rolling out. It was discussed on weekly community chat several weeks ago. (Some) sellers were complaining about other sellers abusing the media mail option but placing it as mailing option on listings in categories not allowed by USPS to use Media Mail. To say if sellers were shipping items other then the allowed defined as media IDK, but seems ebay listened and is taking the option away for any category not defined by rules of media mail by USPS. I send a lot of media mail, vinyl records, so I took notice of the topic on that weekly chat. 

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If it is a new policy then how are they handling all the Media Mail abuse in the Magazines category which is a part of the Books Category? I've seen sellers in Magazines with 10,000 listings abusing Media Mail. I wonder if all those magazine sellers are getting stopped when they try to print a label for Media Mail?

There is an easy fix for this ... all the USPS has to do is deem Media Mail a permit-only based shipping service like they did with Bound Printed Matter. Problem solved. 

[nuclearomen]

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@readabouthorses wrote:

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If it is a new policy then how are they handling all the Media Mail abuse in the Magazines category which is a part of the Books Category? I've seen sellers in Magazines with 10,000 listings abusing Media Mail. I wonder if all those magazine sellers are getting stopped when they try to print a label for Media Mail?

There is an easy fix for this ... all the USPS has to do is deem Media Mail a permit-only based shipping service like they did with Bound Printed Matter. Problem solved. 

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I'm not ebay, so idk lol. But all I'm going to say is that, it's not really ebay's job to police media mail. All sellers should be aware and abide by the rules of media mail method set by USPS. Are there sellers whom violate what is suppose to be sent media and not? Sure there are. I'm not one of them. Been using media mail for 20 years. I send music, and only music media. Magazines are not suppose to be sent media, sure sellers know that, but USPS reserve the right to open and check any media mail package and if someone gets caught can face a fine. No need to deem people to have a permit to send media mail (or any service). 

All I know for sure is that the issue was brought to ebay's attention by various sellers - and not just few weeks ago, this has been ongoing complaint really. But ebay is now trying to enforce that the service is used correctly by limiting it's option to listings in qualifying media categories (music, books) . Even though all someone has to do is print label else where for media and then upload a tracking number. 

[lightlily_arts]

I sell books that are hobby craft related and list them in the appropriate crafts category.  I can see a problem there but I can print those labels through PirateShip.

[evry1nositswindy]

@kshinhale5uzh Here's where you do it:

https://www.paypal.com/signin/?returnUri=https%3a//www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr&state=%3fcmd%3d_...

[flappincat]

"It's not really ebay's job to police media mail."

The problem with this argument is that those of us who sell magazines legally & do not send magazines (with ads*) through media mail must offer much more expensive shipping than those on EBAY who break the law.

(*If a magazine or journal has no advertising in it, it can be shipped using media mail.)

I would say it's not really EBAY's job to encourage profit through dishonesty & law-breaking.

Thanks.

MAS

[nuclearomen]

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@flappincat wrote:

"It's not really ebay's job to police media mail."

The problem with this argument is that those of us who sell magazines legally & do not send magazines (with ads*) through media mail must offer much more expensive shipping than those on EBAY who break the law.

(*If a magazine or journal has no advertising in it, it can be shipped using media mail.)

I would say it's not really EBAY's job to encourage profit through dishonesty & law-breaking.

Thanks.

MAS

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Understand that, yet the percentage of magazines that don't have advertising in them are pretty rare since it's always been the advertising that pays for the magazine. But whatever, don't much care about what others do, only what I do, and how I send packages are within the guidelines of the rules so not going to worry about what others do, it's not me. Agree though, it's not ebays job to encourage profit through dishonesty & law breaking but people do it, with or without ebay in the picture. Rising shipping rates won't help, people will and do try to scam the rules to save money. 

[magic*moonbeams]

Yup, I've seen that too....

LIke, if you have a book about the band "The Rolling Stones" for sale, and you want to put it in the Entertainment Memorabilia: Music category....  you might get the same garbage when time to ship, because it's not in a "Media" category...

They also changed the collectibles category with the Animation collectibles section... basically if you have Smurfs, Care Bears, any other "cartoon" or "character" item.. they are now trying to push you into the Dolls and Bears or Toys and Hobbies categories for those items.

Why???

My guess is because the "Collectibles" category allows for free Gallery Plus for your images...

Dolls and Bears, and Toys and Hobbies, charges you $1 for Gallery Plus. 🙂

As far as money grabs... The "trending" percentages for "promoted" items... They can say that trending percent is anything they want... like if they say it's "trending" at 12%... that may urge you to put a 9% fee on your item...

When if the truth is it's trending at 5%... you might have put 2.5%.... there's no way of proving anything eBay says.. Bottom line... stop and think for a second before you do anything on here... 😕