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MEDIA MAIL for comics

Started by Kevlar,

48 posts in this topic

Kevlar

Kevlar

Posted
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For years, people shipping comics out via media mail. According the Post Office comic books do not qualify as media mail and I guess there is a big crack down. Now the local Post Offices around here are opening every third media mail package. Not only are they opening outgoing mail, but also incoming.

 

I've talked to the local post master but he says its a Washington, DC issue. There are lots of people on eBay and elsewhere still sending items...are they just taking the chances to send them through and pay the difference if they get stopped?

 

I'd like to see someone in the industry try to get this changed but I haven't heard anyone saying anything about it.

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Doohickamabob

Doohickamabob

Posted
Posted
For years, people shipping comics out via media mail. According the Post Office comic books do not qualify as media mail and I guess there is a big crack down. Now the local Post Offices around here are opening every third media mail package. Not only are they opening outgoing mail, but also incoming.

 

The reason comics can't be sent Media Mail is because they are classified as magazines, and magazines have advertisements. For some reason, if something has advertising it's not considered media. I have no idea how the reasoning works there.

 

However, I think it's safe to say that for collectible, vintage comics, the advertisements are no longer valid because most of what they're advertising is long-since over. (Though I'd sure love to send away for some X-ray specs and cherry bombs). So I feel like they deserve to be exempt.

 

Thankfully in most cases, first class mail and (for packages) parcel post usually aren't prohibitvely expensive either.

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passion4comics

passion4comics

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Still waiting for a response to my inquiry with USPS on their "official" stand on it considering the ads are 99% of the time out of date. My postmaster said waiting for a reply from them will be about as likely as me finding a stamp with an upside down plane on it. Postal joke I guess?

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TheWatcher

TheWatcher

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Still waiting for a response to my inquiry with USPS on their "official" stand on it considering the ads are 99% of the time out of date. My postmaster said waiting for a reply from them will be about as likely as me finding a stamp with an upside down plane on it. Postal joke I guess?

Inverted Jenny reference

 

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nocutename

nocutename

Posted
Posted
For years, people shipping comics out via media mail. According the Post Office comic books do not qualify as media mail and I guess there is a big crack down. Now the local Post Offices around here are opening every third media mail package. Not only are they opening outgoing mail, but also incoming.

 

I've talked to the local post master but he says its a Washington, DC issue. There are lots of people on eBay and elsewhere still sending items...are they just taking the chances to send them through and pay the difference if they get stopped?

 

I'd like to see someone in the industry try to get this changed but I haven't heard anyone saying anything about it.

 

Yes, the post office has a right to open the package any time along it route to the destination. I had inquired about comics being sent via medial mail in my County and they allow it. When I questioned it being open at the receiving end, they told me it is subject to inspection at any time. So for me to receive it is fine but I do take a chance send it to a state that is actively open media mail packages and looking for comics, etc.

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Menace

Menace

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My PO knows that I send comics. I send a lot of packages out. One teller told me to send them media mail, another says the reciver will be billed for shipping on delivery.

 

Now there pinching flat rate envelopes on the edges and refusing to send overfilled ones... I cant believe it.

 

Dude there is four comics and some cardboard that helps the comic survive the impact of you tossing it 5 feet into a mail container. Let alone the other 50 packages that land on it as it sits and waits to be moved.

 

I litterlly cringe when I hand over comics to the post office. I wish I had a better alternative.

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