A few words to the wise re: shipping comics via Media Mail...

[Mephisto]

use boxes that are 14 x 14 and tell them you're shipping lp records, heck even use old lp cards boards as proctective packaging. if they decide to open it and see the comics, tell them that the comics are used to protect the records from getting damaged.

 

That's along the line of the old sheet music technique. It's not going to work anymore, as the new language states any material with advertisements will not be allowed.

 

They should really just eliminate the service if that is the criteria. Most DVD's have previews or ads for other movies. Books often have advertisements for other books by the same company.

[dupont2005]

Do they become competitive? No. Do they run their PO's better? No. Do they get rid of the dead weight workers? No. They open our funny book boxes and tell us we owe them $2. YES!

 

So what they're doing wrong is bad but what you're doing wrong is OK and should be overlooked?

I don't see why books can be shipped Media but not comics, especially indy comics with only in house ads. I think every single Random House paperback I own has an in house checklist ad/order form in the back. No different than an old Caliber comic with an ad displaying the few other titles they have (or had) for sale. Also, lots of compact discs have ads for other CD's in the booklet. And DVD's/VHS tapes have previews.

[telerites]

Some years ago, I shipped some old cheap comics via media mail. When I told the postal worker what was in the box, he said "I didn't hear that." So I repeated it, naive that he was trying to help me. I had no clue you couldn't send them media mail. With no one else around, he explained it to me, himself - thinking it was silly because the ads were years old. I shipped them media mail but since then have always shipped priority mail.

[Icculus308win]

I have never been too pleased receiving books via Media Mail. It can take forever, get lost or in my case beat to hell upon it arriving at my doorstep.

I am talking about .99 cent comic books, Who would ship a .99 cent comic book by priority mail?

 

 

I do. It saves the possible headache on the other end for both parties.

[TupennyConan]

As a general rule of the forum, I'll read any post written by mikeyriffhard. No exception made here.

[passion4comics]

Do they become competitive? No. Do they run their PO's better? No. Do they get rid of the dead weight workers? No. They open our funny book boxes and tell us we owe them $2. YES!

 

So what they're doing wrong is bad but what you're doing wrong is OK and should be overlooked?

 

By their own rules the issue is a comic having advertisements. These are collectibles. not to be lumped in with magazine type media that are non-collectibles. These advertisements are sometimes 40-50 years old.

 

I don't ship media mail. I just get annoyed when someone else does and I have to pay the shipping on my end when I've already paid enough where the seller could have shipped Priority. One comic was bent and I don't know if the PO did it when it was opened or the shipper.

[Kramerica]

DON'T DO IT!!

 

Like I said...just a few (hundred) words to the wise...

 

 

I'll take your advice (thumbs u I think the last Media Mail package I ever send will be your order from my FS thread! It's packed and ready to go!

[jools&jim]

DON'T DO IT!!

 

Like I said...just a few (hundred) words to the wise...

 

 

I'll take your advice (thumbs u I think the last Media Mail package I ever send will be your order from my FS thread! It's packed and ready to go!

 

[HouseofComics.Com]

Great thread. I can ship a single comic, boxed, for $2.24 plus $.19 delivery conf. Of course I need to pay 60 cents for the box too. If I had slightly smaller boxes it would be six ounces and seventeen cents cheaper.

 

So that's the answer for shipping 1-3 .99 comics. For ten or so, it's the flat rate envelope, I suppose.

 

I almost never ship media but if I was sending a lot of volume of cheaper comics, which I may be doing soon, I would look into getting the license from the PO to ship bound printed matter. That's how LS does the free shipping. Is that how Mile High does it too? (I received media mail from Mile High maybe five years ago.)

[Hey Kids, Comics!]

Here are the exact guidelines for USPS Media Mail:

 

http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm300/173.pdf

[Junkdrawer]

i recall shipping media mail from boston to louisiana. it was an ebay sale, the buyer paid via paypal. i used delivery confirmation as always. after 3 weeks the buyer was like, where is my item? tracking showed the package was racking up miles from city to city and back and all around the east coast and around and around it went on and on. anyways the buyer wanted his money back and pay paypal extracted it from my account. finally after 5 weeks the package finally arrived and i had to contact ebay and paypal to make an issue about getting my money...i got it. that's media mail at it's finest, you get what you pay for, but it was actually media i was sending.

[comix4fun]

You can print out media mail labels with paypal, and then just drop them off. Of course theres always the possiblity of them opening it up and hitting the receiver with the surcharges.

This happened to me with my last shipment received via Media Mail. An extra $5+ due upon receipt.

 

Just using the online shipping calculators for a 5lbs. package sent from MI. to California it breaks down like this:

 

USPS (assuming no flat rate, delivery confirmation, insurance, or online payment discounts):

Priority = $18.35

Parcel Post = $12.35

Media Mail = $3.94

UPS (assuming no discounts)

Ground = $16.06

FedEx (assuming no discounts)

Home Delivery = $14.78

 

A ticket to the next con/show in the area would probably be better spent for bulk, drek pick-ups.

 

 

Fed Ed Ground and UPS give you tracking and I know Fed Ex will give coverage up to $100 for the regular cost of postage.

 

So you have to add the cost of delivery confirmation and $100 of insurance to USPS to make the services equivalent.

 

Also Fed Ex Home delivery is almost always delivered (for me) within 4 business days. I have had parcel post take 10 days.

 

 

[ComicConnoisseur]

I have never been too pleased receiving books via Media Mail. It can take forever, get lost or in my case beat to hell upon it arriving at my doorstep.

I am talking about .99 cent comic books, Who would ship a .99 cent comic book by priority mail?

 

 

I do. It saves the possible headache on the other end for both parties.

Did you make a profit off the .99 cent comic book after Paypal/Ebay and shipping?

seems these kind of books aren`t worth the effort to even try to sell.

So it sounds like basically the buyer paid .99 cents for the comic book then either he or you kicked in another $4 to $5 dollars for shipping depending what the location he was from you? It doesn`t sound like a profitable business model to me if your a seller or a good buy for the buyer.The priority mail kills the deals for such low value comic books for both parties,at least with a low value coin or a baseball card,dvd,or video game you can still make a profit by either going with media mail or first class, here the priority mail or bust model seems to be a deal killer for low value comicbooks.

[ComicConnoisseur]

Great thread. I can ship a single comic, boxed, for $2.24 plus $.19 delivery conf. Of course I need to pay 60 cents for the box too. If I had slightly smaller boxes it would be six ounces and seventeen cents cheaper.

 

So that's the answer for shipping 1-3 .99 comics. For ten or so, it's the flat rate envelope, I suppose.

 

I almost never ship media but if I was sending a lot of volume of cheaper comics, which I may be doing soon, I would look into getting the license from the PO to ship bound printed matter. That's how LS does the free shipping. Is that how Mile High does it too? (I received media mail from Mile High maybe five years ago.)

Sounds interesting.

[PEP]

Do they become competitive? No. Do they run their PO's better? No. Do they get rid of the dead weight workers? No. They open our funny book boxes and tell us we owe them $2. YES!

 

So what they're doing wrong is bad but what you're doing wrong is OK and should be overlooked?

I don't see why books can be shipped Media but not comics, especially indy comics with only in house ads. I think every single Random House paperback I own has an in house checklist ad/order form in the back. No different than an old Caliber comic with an ad displaying the few other titles they have (or had) for sale. Also, lots of compact discs have ads for other CD's in the booklet. And DVD's/VHS tapes have previews.

I say remove all the ads from the comics, problem solved! (thumbs u

[binarysunrise]

So, would TPBs be fine?

[comix4fun]

So, would TPBs be fine?

 

 

Yep.

[dupont2005]

Do they become competitive? No. Do they run their PO's better? No. Do they get rid of the dead weight workers? No. They open our funny book boxes and tell us we owe them $2. YES!

 

So what they're doing wrong is bad but what you're doing wrong is OK and should be overlooked?

I don't see why books can be shipped Media but not comics, especially indy comics with only in house ads. I think every single Random House paperback I own has an in house checklist ad/order form in the back. No different than an old Caliber comic with an ad displaying the few other titles they have (or had) for sale. Also, lots of compact discs have ads for other CD's in the booklet. And DVD's/VHS tapes have previews.

I say remove all the ads from the comics, problem solved! (thumbs u

Everybody thinks my treasure is junk

[Mr 9.8]

Do they become competitive? No. Do they run their PO's better? No. Do they get rid of the dead weight workers? No. They open our funny book boxes and tell us we owe them $2. YES!

 

So what they're doing wrong is bad but what you're doing wrong is OK and should be overlooked?

I don't see why books can be shipped Media but not comics, especially indy comics with only in house ads. I think every single Random House paperback I own has an in house checklist ad/order form in the back. No different than an old Caliber comic with an ad displaying the few other titles they have (or had) for sale. Also, lots of compact discs have ads for other CD's in the booklet. And DVD's/VHS tapes have previews.

I say remove all the ads from the comics, problem solved! (thumbs u

Everybody thinks my treasure is junk

Because it is.

[jools&jim]

 

So, would TPBs be fine?

 

Yep.

 

Fine to ship via Media Mail? Yep. Subject to opening and inspection, despite that fact? Yep.

 

"Media Mail is not sealed against postal inspection. Regardless of physical closure, the mailing of articles at Media Mail prices constitutes consent by the mailer to postal inspection of the contents."

 

http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm300/173.htm