RockMyAmadeus

That only works if you use wax paper...

Which post office........?

It's true; nothing anyone can say will sway anyone who is "convinced they are right", which includes you, as well, does it not? I haven't been surprised when someone disagrees since maybe high school...? It doesn't matter, then, if there's disagreement. Anyone can disagree with anything. Disagreement in and of itself is of no value. What matters is the strength of the argument. I make the best argument I can, as should everyone. If people are persuaded, great. If they are not, great. If you make a good point, if you make a point that hadn't been considered, only a fool would stubbornly stick to his position in light of new evidence that changes the parameters of the discussion...but there must be new evidence to consider, not the same arguments rehashed and restated (which is the usual status on message boards.) The people who say "the USPS does not allow comic books to be shipped via Media Mail" are the ones taking a position that is actually open to interpretation. But there are some things which are not open to interpretation, and the supremacy of the DMM is one of those things. If it's in the DMM, it's gold; if it's not, it is totally irrelevant. That's how governmental agencies operate. The beauty of this particular situation is clear: if one doesn't agree, there's nothing requiring them to use the service. I've spent a considerable amount of time researching this particular issue. As you yourself say, I've made a rational argument. Until and unless the DMM is updated, it will continue to come down to interpretation.

They do allow newspapers and magazines to be sent via Media Mail...it just depends on who the "they" is you're talking about, which is precisely because of the ambiguity of the regulation. Again, each mailing event is its own transaction. Second Class...the "Periodicals" mentioned...was for the cheaper distribution of new issues as they were published; it was never meant to address every subsequent mailing of those items in perpetuity. Book Rate was established for the cheap transmission of educational materials, whether to or from educational institutions or not. The point was to foster and encourage learning. While the need for cheap bulk transmission of materials has greatly lessened with the advent of the internet, there's still a considerable demand for hard copies of all media material for educational purposes. That was its point then, and it remains its point now. The spirit of the rule...to allow Jane Doe to send a stack of 80s Star comics to a library, a school, a hospital, or another individual...remains the same. Comics books can be, and generally are, as educational as any of the other materials allowed.

And, since Jane Doe shipping 15 various issues of Millie the Model is not required to enter them as Periodicals...since that governed their initial distribution, and not all subsequent mailings...then, by the USPS' own explicit rules shown above, aftermarket periodicals can be shipped Media Mail. Yes, I understand the argument that "once a periodical, always a periodical"...but the USPS treats each mailing event as its own separate transaction, and the INTENT of the Periodical rule is positive...that is, what an item must do to qualify for the Periodical rate...rather than negative, or what DISqualifies an item. In other words: the rules that govern it as a periodical only apply to its primary distribution through the USPS...not subsequent mailings in the future.

Media Mail (aka "Book Rate") was not established "for libraries," which you will notice by the distinction between "Media Mail" and "Library Mail" that you posted above. Notice the language you quoted: "and that is neither mailed or required to be mailed as First-Class Mail nor entered as Periodicals, may be mailed as Media Mail or Library Mail, respectively." See that phrase...? "...nor entered as Periodicals..." Periodicals are shipped as Second Class mail, with its own rules and requirements. These rules are for publishers and/or distributors of periodicals who send out multiple examples, tens, hundreds, thousands, or even millions of examples of the same brand new issue of said periodical. This obviously does not apply to aftermarket items, whether they are periodicals or not, since they are neither A. required to be entered as periodicals, nor B. shipped from the publisher and/or distributor. These regulations about periodicals govern the distribution of NEW periodicals from publishers and/or distributors...not aftermarket back issues sent by individuals. Good attempt, though!

I wish those companies still existed. What a hoot it would be to order one of everything, then review them on YouTube.

These aren't "loopholes" being discussed. Remember: the DMM is the document which governs the USPS. If it's not in the DMM, it carries no weight. "Notices" don't get to "provide clarification." That's what the DMM is for. Otherwise...it's just opinion. I didn't say they were "one person's opinion." I said it was just opinion. That opinion could come from the Postmaster General herself...it still carries no regulatory weight. Governmental and quasi-governmental agencies such as the USPS operate by regulation, which is codified by legislative bodies (in this case, Congress), and published...not declaration from management, as with private entities. And yes, there are frequently those who do what they want anyways, in spite of regulation, but if challenged legally...the regulatory manual (almost always) wins. If your goal is to understand the USPS' intent, I'll simply ask you: what is the intent of the Media Mail service as a whole...?

You don't want to know.

My Joker Batman/Detective issues. Sold them in 2011 when I needed money. Included #23, #44, #49, #66, #73, Tec #85,#91, #118, #149 They were all pretty decent, too. Sold them for $200-$300 each. You can see what they sell for now.

The real problem...what has always been the real problem...is that the vast, vast majority of comics buyers don't care (nor should they!) about condition the way the condition-sensitive among us do. So, when a seller says "well, gosh, no one else has EVER complained about my grading before!"...they're probably telling the truth. When you combine that with the natural disinclination people have to complain, and the natural inclination for a seller to overstate what they have, and you have a situation absolutely perfect for people to send out millions of examples of overgraded junk on an annual basis. Two things that would have saved me a bucketload of frustration from 1998-2010: 1. Knowledge of pressing. So many damaged books could have been fixed had I just had a press. Lots of unnecessary returns...including some that I let "get away" (a beautiful Batman #92, a TMNT #3 Variant, etc.)...that pressing would have fixed, or even just improved to be what the seller claimed it was in the first place. 2. Keeping firmly in the forefront of my mind at all times that "NM" does not mean "9.8" I readily admit that there were some....not all, not most, not even a plurality....but there were some sellers who I held to a higher standard than was warranted. There have been people who have accused me of outright fraud...of getting "partial refunds and then crowing about it" on the eBay comic board...but that was never the case. I was acting in good faith the whole time...I just had unrealistic expectations. But mostly, just knowing about pressing would have solved maybe 75-90% of the problems I encountered in those years. And, of course, this doesn't mean IN THE SLIGHTEST that there were not, and are not, massive quantities of sellers out there who overgrade on a regular, consistent basis. There are, and the large majority of the problem sellers I encountered fell into that.

Once more: the Domestic Mail Manual governs the USPS. If it's not in the DMM, it's not official, and carries no regulatory weight. All other "notices", regardless of from or by whom, regardless of where, as "official" as they might appear, therefore represent only opinions. There is nothing "official" about that notice, despite its appearance, and which the notice itself acknowledges when it refers to the DMM at the end: "Complete explanations of qualified items can be found in the DMM." Except even that's not true, since the DMM contains no such language, and is hardly "complete" as this "official" notice claims. Here is a link to the DMM: https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/dmm300_landing.htm The relevant text is from 173.4

The AEs are precisely the type of educational material that the Media Mail (formerly "Book Rate") service was designed for in the first place. The hysteria that some corners have over Media Mail and comics has become so ludicrous, they've totally lost sight of the point. "It has drawings! It must not therefore be educational!!!" And the whole point of "no ads" was to prevent publishers of commercial magazines and newspapers...yes, like NEW comics...to ship them via the service, since they were commercial, rather than educational, publications, and advertising was generally the way to tell which was which. Now, because of "interpretations" by various entities...up to and including whomever posted that bit on the USPS' website...have lost the forest for the trees, and you can't ship via Media Mail a bundle of beat up 80s Star comics to a school because they're...GASP!!...comic books! It's bureaucracy at its finest.

However, since it's not in the DMM, it's utterly irrelevant, regardless of how definitive it may appear to be.

Sorry, but, as with all government entities, the USPS is governed by official regulations, in this case the Domestic Mail Manual, or "DMM." If it's not in the DMM, it is non-binding. What you have linked there...as official as it may appear to be...is merely someone's opinion. Until and unless such language is incorporated into the DMM itself...that statement carries no weight whatsoever. This is been discussed at great length on the boards before.

Poor Louise Simonson. Giving Portacio writing credit for X-Factor #63.

No, they haven't.

Rationalized nonsense. Book isn't "NM/M", and that guy doesn't know what he's talking about. "9.0 to 9.4" is NOT "NM/M." His "cost" is not your problem. Oh, and we're still with the "qualitative" rather than "quantitative" grading "standards", which leaves everything up to interpretation. What does "minor" mean...? What does "almost minimal" mean...? What does "very small" mean...? What does "vibrant" mean...? CBCS...now, with extra PGX flavor!

Which depends entirely on one's definition of "out there."

I was a frequent customer of American Comics/Entertainment in the very early 90s, from their ads in comics.

As part of that crowd, I'm pretty sure that's not lost on anyone. Maybe that's the majority, maybe it's not. The nice thing is, there are plenty of copies of almost every single comic printed from about 1955 on up to go around for those who like SS and those who don't. If there are lots of people who wouldn't pay a premium for them...great. Less expensive for those who like it.

That Bats #227 is fantastic. Perfect placement. Love it. Massively overpriced and overvalued, but a neat book. The #234 is in the wrong place. Why Neal did that is unknown; he's usually very picky about it. The JO #134 is nice, too.

What are they seasoned with...? All Spice? Maybe Mrs. Dash? I prefer a bit of garlic pepper, myself. I think most are a bit of fresh garlic and basil. But there's a few who are WAY too salty. RMA with the assist.

By the way....#251 isn't the only stellar Bats issue from the time period. From essentially, I'd say, #215-up, you had a great 4-5 year run of fantastic Batman stories, a return Denny has often been quoted as saying "Batman should never be seen during the daytime" (paraphrased) He made sure of that when he began writing the title. There's a quantum shift in tone from 1968 to 1969 that is palpable even from the covers, even from the non-Adams issues. After the 100 pages (#254-#261), the book returned to a campier tone, but not as bad as the 60s...and, while there isn't much to speak of from #300-#399, it's all solid stuff, fairly entertaining, and fairly faithful to the Dark Knight detective. And then there's #400-442, quite possibly one of the greatest long term runs in comics history, certainly the best in Bat history.