If you ship Media Mail.....Don't!

[markbark12]

I collect and buy old magazines and have been frustrated over the fact that media mail is taking up to a month to go five hundred miles or more. Even first class is taking six days to cross the country. Many orders have been handled so much that envelopes and boxes arrive destroyed, bent, or ripped open.    I REALIZE FULLY that this is not YOUR fault but it's hard to leave good feedback when you don't receive an item for a month or it arrives in poor condition.  you might think about using Fed X or UPS for heavier loads. at the rate things are going it will cost more to ship then the cost of the magazine, or whatever.  

 Has anyone else had bad experiences with the post office and perhaps you have a suggestion.   Anyway stay well!  

[fab_finds4u]

Yeah, for sure your sellers need to ship magazines any method but Media Mail.

Magazines are not eligible for Media Mail.

Don't  buy from sellers that ship magazines Media Mail.

[redmodelt]

Magazines CAN NOT be sent Media Mail, does not matter if one day old or over 100 years, sender or receiver could be charged for the extra postage if the item does not qualify. USPS does, at will, open packages send at MM rates to check.

[1tuna]

magazines have a separate  class they can be sent by and its not medial mail

magazines are periodicals

@markbark12 

[evry1nositswindy]

Magazines are not eligible for media mail because they contain advertisements.  They must be sent first class or priority if they go over 15.9 ounces.  First class and priority are expensive.   I often don't list some magazines because of this.  Selling them as group is better so they can fit in a flat rate envelope but that is still roughly $9.  I sell Life magazines (and others of this large size) at antique shows because the shipping would be too much, as they don't fit in the flat rate envelopes.

[markbark12]

OH PLEASE!!!!!  The post office hasn't opened " media mail in years, for at least two reasons .  1st, if they make a mistake, remember this is done randomly, they have to repack it and by law inform the sender that the package has been opened and if they make a mistake it's now opened to a law suit.   Second, the post office has cut back on almost all inspectors and they barely have time to look for contraband much less advertisements.

[justafemster]

Absolutely.  

I go into my local post office and the smell of weed is sometimes so overpowering, they have to leave the back doors open.  

If people are that blatant about using federal systems to transfer weed and there's so little that can be done about it, you really think the post office is going to be worried about a couple of magazines being mismailed?

[releasethekraken_1]

I sent several packages via Media Mail last month, including a couple cross-country. None took more than 5 days.

[orangehound]

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@markbark12 wrote:

OH PLEASE!!!!!  The post office hasn't opened " media mail in years ....

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About 6-9 months ago, I watched a counter employee open up a Media Mail package right in front of the customer ... then return it to them because it had an ineligible item.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@markbark12 wrote: .. they have to repack it and by law inform the sender that the package has been opened and if they make a mistake it's now opened to a law suit. ...

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Where on earth did you get that idea?  Media Mail is "open to inspection" so there would be no grounds for the sender to complain even if they had mailed an eligible item.

The only notification is a rubber stamp on the package which is done mostly so that other USPS employees farther along the line know that there's no reason to bother checking that package again.

[yuzuha]

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@orangehound wrote:

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About 6-9 months ago, I watched a counter employee open up a Media Mail package right in front of the customer ... then return it to them because it had an ineligible item.

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Yep. PO employees aren't stupid; they can tell when a box has something that is very clearly not Media Mail-eligible in it.

[markbark12]

Where did you get the impression that any postal worker could just open any piece of mail?  Having worked as a postal inspector out of Springfield Ma for 13 years the person that opened the package was either an inspector or the local Postmaster.  also who is to decide what magazine contains  advertisements and which do not.  does 'Consumer Reports'" contain ads?  Does the Congressional Review?

Besides  we are really picking nits here.  The fact remains that the Postal Service is having real problems delivering any type of mail in a timely manor especially media mail".

[nobody*s_perfect]

Pieces which have been determined to be eligible to be mailed as periodicals are not eligible for Media Mail, even if they do not contain ads.

In various references to inspection of MM, I cannot find any reference that limits which specific USPS employees might have that right and who does not.  Do you have a link?  Based on posts I've read on this board, it seems that any USPS employee can do it; most of the posts refer to counter clerks inspecting pieces that are being presented at the counter. The DMM just says, "Media Mail and Library Mail are not sealed against postal inspection. Regardless of physical closure, the mailing of articles at Media Mail or Library Mail prices constitutes consent by the mailer to postal inspection of the contents."

[monster-deals]

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@markbark12 wrote:

Where did you get the impression that any postal worker could just open any piece of mail?  

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Who said that?

[releasethekraken_1]

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@markbark12 wrote:

Where did you get the impression that any postal worker could just open any piece of mail?  Having worked as a postal inspector out of Springfield Ma for 13 years the person that opened the package was either an inspector or the local Postmaster.  also who is to decide what magazine contains  advertisements and which do not.  does 'Consumer Reports'" contain ads?  Does the Congressional Review?

Besides  we are really picking nits here.  The fact remains that the Postal Service is having real problems delivering any type of mail in a timely manor especially media mail".

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IIRC, Consumer Reports contains quite a bit of advertising for its own services. Congressional Review? Don't know, never seen one. Is it classified as a magazine?