Service Manual via USPS Media Mail

[uppawn17]

I shipped out service manual for a YALE fork truck today and my option for Media Mail was not allowed.  it was blocked out and I was forced to use 1st Class. It was a free shipping listing and I lost out on like .80 cents.

Service manuals are allowed as the clarification below. I personally have never had this happen to me.

Manuals – Media Mail

UPDATED June 2014

PS-045 (273.3.1)

This CSR discusses the eligibility of manuals at the Media Mail prices.

Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) 273.3.1 provides that books mailed at the Media Mail price may contain no advertising matter other than incidental announcements of books.  In the past, some shop manuals and auto repair manuals were not accepted at the Media Mail price as books because brand name references were viewed as advertising or because they were produced by the manufacturer of the product.  The parts references and manufacturers' names are essential to the accuracy of the service instructions.  They are not referenced for advertising purposes.  The product and brand names are not disqualifying for this price, nor is the fact that they may be produced by the manufacturer of the product.

Sherry Suggs

Manager

Mailing Standards

Headquarters, US Postal Service

Washington DC  20260-3436

[nobody*s_perfect · Accepted solution]

You could have purchased a Media Mail shipping label elsewhere online (such as through PayPal or Pirateship) or at your local Post Office counter, where the price would be the same.

eBay's effort to reduce the abuse of Media Mail for ineligible items is crudely based mostly on the main category that an item is listed in, so unfortunately MM labels aren't available for many eligible items.

[ms.rodriguez*]

Start an ad and price it a dollar higher (or 80 cents) to recover your loss.   Anytime you lose money on a sale (doesn't matter if listed at wrong price or wrong shipping) , you recover it on the sale of another item.  That is exactly how stores recover their losses.

[buyselljack2016]

Category was the (eBay) issue, but are you saying it was just 80 cents more??

nobody*s has provided you with a future solution, but for 80 cents I would have not even considered not being able to ship MM as an issue.

If 80 cents is an issue.........   void the label, and a use MM label from a different source.

[kensgiftshop]

To buy Media Mail shipping labels through Ebay, it has to be listed in a category that qualifies for Media Mail.

Forklift Parts does not qualify.

[muttlymob]

---

@buyselljack2016 wrote:

but for 80 cents I would have not even considered not being able to ship MM as an issue.

---

This.  Especially for something that may have sold for $30+.

And double especially for this time of year - an 80 cent upgrade to first class is well worth it over media mail.

[uppawn17]

Thank you for all the replies, I see now it was the category. Makes sense, just I have personally never run into this before and didn't want to have it happen again.  

[soh.maryl]

Wrong category was the issue.