What in tarnation are they talking about?!?

[james8728]

Dear James,

Your account has active listings that offer USPS Media Mail as a shipping service option in categories that aren’t eligible for Media Mail under USPS rules. In addition,eBay Labels does not support shipping label printing for Media Mail in these categories.

In order to prevent buyers from selecting Media Mail for listings that aren’t eligible for the service, we recommend you update your active listings to remove Media Mail as a shipping service option for items in those categories. For new listings in those categories, Media Mail won’t be an available shipping service.

Below is a summary of the top categories in which you have the most active listings. Please note that you may have active listings in additional categories:

Category ID:	176985
Number of listings:	1147
Category Name:	MUSIC:VINYL RECORDS

Category ID:	261186
Number of listings:	12
Category Name:	BOOKS & MAGAZINES:BOOKS

If you believe a particular category should be eligible for Media Mail support via eBay Labels, please provide details in this short survey.

[coastaltechsolution]

That's Crazy! 🤔

[zztop11]

Yes, I got the same email just now and was wondering what it is all about. I know that some changes with USPS started this past Friday Oct. 1 and am thinking that this may have kicked eBay into a "postal change frenzy". There must be others who got this same email. I'm sure we will hear from them very soon.

[fashionsandbeauty4u]

I received the same email. I just checked eBay's Announcements and it doesn't mention anything.

The Friday, Oct 1 thing from USPS was the start date of the "slow down" of USPS First Class Mail from 1-3 days to 3-5 days.

Then on Sunday, Oct 3, the USPS holiday surcharge on packages kicked in.

I guess the only way to test this is to try to post a new listing and put Media Mail in the shipping option and see what happens?

[luckythewinner]

Reading the message you received, it seems to be saying the following:

(1) you have some items listed are in categories where eBay has decided that Media Mail is not a valid option.

(2) they recommend that you stop offering media mail in those categories

(3) they gave you a list of your top two categories with listing counts, but please note that nowhere do they state that these are the categories that they are referring to in (1) or (2) .

(4) The last sentence seems to indicate that this message is actually just a survey soliciting your input.

[katzrul15]

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@james8728 wrote:

Dear James,

Your account has active listings that offer USPS Media Mail as a shipping service option in categories that aren’t eligible for Media Mail under USPS rules. In addition,eBay Labels does not support shipping label printing for Media Mail in these categories.

In order to prevent buyers from selecting Media Mail for listings that aren’t eligible for the service, we recommend you update your active listings to remove Media Mail as a shipping service option for items in those categories. For new listings in those categories, Media Mail won’t be an available shipping service.

Below is a summary of the top categories in which you have the most active listings. Please note that you may have active listings in additional categories:

Category ID:	176985
Number of listings:	1147
Category Name:	MUSIC:VINYL RECORDS

Category ID:	261186
Number of listings:	12
Category Name:	BOOKS & MAGAZINES:BOOKS

If you believe a particular category should be eligible for Media Mail support via eBay Labels, please provide details in this short survey.

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Wow.  e-Bay has gone rogue - again!  What about 4 gazillion listings that show MM for  Video Games that are ineligible, but they send this to you for your listings that ARE eligible?  Good grief!

[james8728]

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@luckythewinner wrote:

Reading the message you received, it seems to be saying the following:

(1) you have some items listed are in categories where eBay has decided that Media Mail is not a valid option.

(2) they recommend that you stop offering media mail in those categories

(3) they gave you a list of your top two categories with listing counts, but please note that nowhere do they state that these are the categories that they are referring to in (1) or (2) .

(4) The last sentence seems to indicate that this message is actually just a survey soliciting your input.

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AND THUS I ASK.... What in tarnation? 

[supermegabot]

They're out of their minds.

The survey doesn't even work  - they ask you to fill in the categories where you've been unable to buy Media postage, but when you try to go to the next screen, t wants your e-mail address in that form instead? Don't they already have that since I'm logged in?

I understand sellers abuse media mail (loads of Comic Book sellers trying to ship comics that way), but eBay blocking some categories from buying media mail postage IS a problem - I have sold stuff in the Music Memorabilia category which qualifies for Media Mail, signed musician autobiographies, for instance, and I have to use my endicia account to buy MM postage.

eBay of course will tell me to list the book in the book category, but a signed John Lennon book will sell better out of Beatles Memorabilia> Autographs than in books, and eBay always used to tell us to list items in the category they are most likely to sell in. Now they're trying to dictate and it sucks.

[coffeebean832]

There are discussions about this on the shipping board-

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping/eBay-taking-media-mail-restrictions-too-far/m-p/32340218#M396...

I tagged the eBay team over there to find out if eBay is eliminating MM or if this is a really weird way to try and clean up the categories where it's offered.

If eBay does eliminate MM from eBay labels- you can still offer it on your listing then buy the label elsewhere.

[nilis13]

I got this same email, what?! are they talking about!

[fashionsandbeauty4u]

Because I like to learn something new every day, and even though I've heard the expression "tarnation" many times before, I just had to look it up. 🙂 I found a detailed explanation of this word in a wonderful article called "The Five Ways Your Grandmother Used to Swear". 

I now think my Grandmothers said these same things, only in Polish. 🙂

[donsdetour]

Media mail has been restricted to a few locations in categories: any out side caring medial mail would be a violation such as listing a book under the toys section and trying to say it will be shipped with media mail.....

Now with ebay, and what they mean sending the message...

Who knows unless you have some items in the wrong area or are using two categories to sell in: one being incorrect for media mail......

[coolections]

My guess is you have some books and magazines listed that you are offering media mail. Most books and magazines do not qualify. They want you to take a look and make sure you are in compliance is all.

[coastaltechsolution]

I understood magazines and comics do not qualify for MM because of the advertisements but what books do not qualify?  

[coolections]

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@supermegabot wrote:

They're out of their minds.   eBay of course will tell me to list the book in the book category, but a signed John Lennon book will sell better out of Beatles Memorabilia> Autographs than in books, and eBay always used to tell us to list items in the category they are most likely to sell in. Now they're trying to dictate and it sucks.

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They are not telling you or forcing you to list it in the books category. They are suggesting it. Obviously they do not understand Beatles memorabilia so just ignore the  suggestions.