How to Ship Old, Large Magazines

[2013grotz]

Could someone advise me on the best way to package up old magazines for shipment?  While I can handle typical 8 1/2"x11" okay, I ended up with a couple of vintage magazines that are much bigger (roughly 10 1/2"x15"), that I wish to sell.  The problem is that I'm not finding any suitable packaging for them that will keep them flat.  The best thing I can think of is to get a priority mail frame box and fold it down around the magazine and tape it up, which I've done in the past at the suggestion of the post office.  I get the feeling there's probably a better way to do it, especially since there's got to be people doing this regularly, but I'm not finding any guidance when I search.

Any thoughts?

[candd205]

Priority Mail B2 boxes are 14 3/8 by 2 7/8 by 15 7/8

These aren't available at the post office. You have to order them free from the post office.

[candd205]

Also, regular priority mail box 1095 is a size that will work too.

It's 15 1/4 by 12 3/8 by 3

You can order both sizes from the post office, then if you sell your lot, mail it with the size box that is cheapest to mail for the address of the buyer.

[2013grotz]

I found a regular 1095 and noticed a magazine would fit, but that's a lot of the problem.  It's not a huge lot of magazines I have, but two which may be sold separately.  The problem with such a box beyond over kill on size (and postage), is keeping a magazine flat in such a box so it doesn't rustle about as it's transported.

[candd205]

OK, here is my suggestion for single large magazines then.

Cut 2 cardboard pieces (with the grain of each piece going the opposite direction. Wrap the magazine in plastic (or the large ebay plastic mailer without padding) and then tape the 2 pieces of cardboard together with the large magazine in between them. The plastic wrap is to protect the magazine from the tape when you tape the 2 pieces of cardboard together.

[mamallama12]

Yep, that's how I do it. The problem with old magazines is that, unless you have one very valuable one, the shipping will kill you, so when I sell them, I sell them in lots, which makes the postage for the medium flat rate box (the thin rectangle one) more palatable to the buyer. Unfortunately, priority is the only way to go once it gets over 16 ounces because magazines don't qualify for media mail, so hopefully, yours is under that weight and you can use first class shipping instead. Good luck!

[7606dennis]

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@candd205 wrote:

OK, here is my suggestion for single large magazines then.

Cut 2 cardboard pieces (with the grain of each piece going the opposite direction. Wrap the magazine in plastic (or the large ebay plastic mailer without padding) and then tape the 2 pieces of cardboard together with the large magazine in between them. The plastic wrap is to protect the magazine from the tape when you tape the 2 pieces of cardboard together.

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I would slip that cardboard sandwich inside an appropriate size padded envelope, preferably one with a waterproof outer coating and ship either as a First Class Package, if weight permits, or as a variable price Priority Mail one.

Almost forgot, I usually wrap the item in plane tissue paper before wrapping it with the plastic wrap.

[muttlymob]

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@2013grotz wrote:

The best thing I can think of is to get a priority mail frame box and fold it down around the magazine and tape it up, which I've done in the past at the suggestion of the post office. 

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Not sure what you mean by folding down the box, so it might be what I am about to suggest.

Take the 1095 priority shirt-style box.  DO NOT expand the box, leave it flat.  Secure the magazine either sandwiched between two pieces of cardboard or in plastic wrap if that might suffice.

Slip the magazine into the still flat priority box.  Tape the ends.  It will keep the magazine flat and if the box is not that much bigger than the mag it will keep it from sliding around in the flattened box.