How do you ship bulk comics in a way that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? 1 1

[unmovedmover]

My understanding is that shipping Media Mail through USPS is not an acceptable way to ship comics.  So, if I'm selling a lot of comics that contains between 20 and 100 issues, is there any way to reasonably ship them thats not going to cost a ton?

For reference, I'm trying to ship a 15lb lot of books and it looks like whether I use USPS, Fed Ex or UPS, it's going to be about $70.  

I've gotten shipping 1-5 books down pretty well, but this confuses me.  

Thanks!

[evilskip]

Are these books being shipped to residences? For some reson UPS charges more for that shipping as opposed to a business. I use UPS to ship to MCS and I've sent 15 pound packages for much less than that.

[Bob Troub]

Try USPS Flat Rate boxes 

[rich_TMNT]

1 hour ago, Bob Troub said:

Try USPS Flat Rate boxes 

USPS Flat Rate boxes work well for bulk comic books.  The Medium & Large Flat Rate boxes come in two different sizes, both of which accommodate a large number of comics (depending on how thick they are)....all for around $13 (Medium) or $19 (Large) anywhere in the USA. The Large Flat Rate boxes hold a ton of books.  

[Math Teacher]

16 hours ago, rich_TMNT said:

USPS Flat Rate boxes work well for bulk comic books.  The Medium & Large Flat Rate boxes come in two different sizes, both of which accommodate a large number of comics (depending on how thick they are)....all for around $13 (Medium) or $19 (Large) anywhere in the USA. The Large Flat Rate boxes hold a ton of books.  

This may be true if you are printing your own shipping labels, but if you have to send them by going to the Post Office, Medium has increased to $15.05 and Large has increased to $21.10.

[rich_TMNT]

4 minutes ago, Joe Ankenbauer said:

This may be true if you are printing your own shipping labels, but if you have to send them by going to the Post Office, Medium has increased to $15.05 and Large has increased to $21.10.

Interesting.  I didn't know that.  I never go into the post office anymore.  I suppose the cost increase in person is because of using their labels and equipment?  I just checked and buying/printing a label from home is $13.20 (Medium Flat Rate) and $18.30 (Large Flat Rate).  Unless you don't have a home printer and/or tape, I can't imagine why you'd want to go into USPS to ship when they do free pickup at home through your normal mail carrier (although, it could be that service isn't available everywhere).  If the package is too large for your mailbox, you can schedule the pickup online so they know to look for it (and you get email confirmation when they pick it up).  Very convenient.

[Crimebuster]

I haven't used a large, but the medium flat rate I can usually fit 50 comics in. When I sell in bulk on eBay i do it in 50 book lots as a result. 

I should test the large to see how many it can fit.

[Heavy-ish Metal]

Out of curiosity, why is Media Mail not acceptable?

I've been buying lots of stuff on eBay recently and a lot of them come in Media Mail... both single issues and lots... doesn't bother me at all and they all had tracking & insurance added. Sure it takes a bit longer but if the buyer doesn't mind the extra time then it seems like a great option.

Edited June 16, 2020 by Heavy-ish Metal

[Math Teacher]

On 6/11/2020 at 6:12 PM, Heavy-ish Metal said:

Out of curiosity, why is Media Mail not acceptable?

I've been buying lots of stuff on eBay recently and a lot of them come in Media Mail... both single issues and lots... doesn't bother me at all and they all had tracking & insurance added. Sure it takes a bit longer but if the buyer doesn't mind the extra time then it seems like a great option.

What really bothers me is when a seller lists a book I want but they're asking for like $10 shipping. Unless they're protecting it in a plexiglass briefcase wrapped in titanium it should never cost that much to mail one book!

Technically, the reason you're not supposed to use Media Mail for comics is because they contain advertising. Yes, I know many people ignore this, but this is the Post Office rule.

I use to scoff at shipping prices on Ebay. Now that I am a seller, I understand that shipping comics and comic-related collectibles is EXPENSIVE. For example, shipping a single figurine and magazine from the Marvel Classic Figurine Collection in a padded bubble mailer is at least $6. Plus, I had to pay for the bubble mailers also.

Trust me on this. Shipping and handling is FAR more expensive than you realize. Try selling some things on Ebay, and you'll see what I mean.

Edited June 30, 2020 by Joe Ankenbauer

[csaag]

On 6/11/2020 at 7:12 PM, Heavy-ish Metal said:

Out of curiosity, why is Media Mail not acceptable?

I've been buying lots of stuff on eBay recently and a lot of them come in Media Mail... both single issues and lots... doesn't bother me at all and they all had tracking & insurance added. Sure it takes a bit longer but if the buyer doesn't mind the extra time then it seems like a great option.

What really bothers me is when a seller lists a book I want but they're asking for like $10 shipping. Unless they're protecting it in a plexiglass briefcase wrapped in titanium it should never cost that much to mail one book!

Media Mail runs the risk that you receive it with extra postage due plus the P.O. is free to open the package and inspect it. Happened to me once over 30-40 sales.        Priority mail boxes/envelopes are free from the Post Office but if someone is using their own supplies, they may spread out the cost over all their sales even when using Prioiriy Mail.  They may bump up the S&H in order to lower the the auction/BIN price as people may not focus on the S&H price.

[Keys_Collector]

On 6/11/2020 at 7:12 PM, Heavy-ish Metal said:

What really bothers me is when a seller lists a book I want but they're asking for like $10 shipping. Unless they're protecting it in a plexiglass briefcase wrapped in titanium it should never cost that much to mail one book!

I would guess that people saying this haven't dealt with shipping costs before.  You aren't supposed to be shipping media mail as already mentioned and a properly packed book with cardboard protection could go above first class weight.  Priority mail at that rate costs $8-10 bucks not even factoring in any materials used to package the item; a new Gemini mailer, bubble wrap, tape, etc.

[Heavy-ish Metal]

These are great points.

Edited June 16, 2020 by Heavy-ish Metal

[csaag]

It may also depend on how much volume someone does.   I sell maybe 1 per week on average at best.  At that rate I can get by via cutting up boxes we receive when sandwiching comics between boards and I can save the paper/bubble wrap/popcorn or scrounge from work etc.  Higher volume sellers can't get by on that and need to know they have available materials - which means purchasing them.

[Heavy-ish Metal]

Removing my comment as I don't feel arguing over shipping prices is conducive to the topic being discussed.

Edited June 16, 2020 by Heavy-ish Metal

[valiantman]

On 6/15/2020 at 2:41 PM, Heavy-ish Metal said:

These are great points. I did ask one seller why they were listing shipping as being $20 and they told me they charge high shipping to offset any money lost from the book selling for less than they wanted.

I don't know if there are any people left in the world who don't factor in the shipping costs with their bids, but if there are, this seller has the right idea.  If the book is worth $40 and anyone bids more than $20 with another $20 for shipping (when the seller even admits they're jacking up the shipping charge), I guess the buyer deserves to be ripped off for however much above $20 they bid. 

[Math Teacher]

If you look at Ebay's guidance to sellers (https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/shipping-items/shipping-rates-sellers?id=4087), they recommend building the price of shipping into the item's price so free shipping can be offered.

 

Consider building the price of shipping into the item's price, so you can offer free shipping.

[Bob Troub]

On 6/10/2020 at 3:46 PM, Joe Ankenbauer said:

This may be true if you are printing your own shipping labels, but if you have to send them by going to the Post Office, Medium has increased to $15.05 and Large has increased to $21.10.

Use pirate ship or any of the dozens of sites.....print at your local library if needed

[Bob Troub]

On 6/11/2020 at 7:12 PM, Heavy-ish Metal said:

Out of curiosity, why is Media Mail not acceptable?

I've been buying lots of stuff on eBay recently and a lot of them come in Media Mail... both single issues and lots... doesn't bother me at all and they all had tracking & insurance added. Sure it takes a bit longer but if the buyer doesn't mind the extra time then it seems like a great option.

What really bothers me is when a seller lists a book I want but they're asking for like $10 shipping. Unless they're protecting it in a plexiglass briefcase wrapped in titanium it should never cost that much to mail one book!

The post office is a dumpster fire at best...comics are not supposed to go media......can you ship? Sure...they might go thru....some check, some don't...... priority gets there faster.....most buyers will pay for faster postage thru priority....

[Math Teacher]

On 6/16/2020 at 6:06 PM, Bob Troub said:

Use pirate ship or any of the dozens of sites.....print at your local library if needed

@Bob Troub, I should have said this earlier. Thanks for pointing out the Pirate Ship site. I didn't know any such site existed.

Edited June 30, 2020 by Joe Ankenbauer

[Math Teacher]

I have to ship between 80 and 100 comics. I know someone mentioned that you can get a lot of comics into a large Priority Mail box, but I can't see getting 75 comics into that box, let alone 100 comics.

What do you do when you need to ship that many comics? I have about fifty 12" x 9" x 4" boxes, but those won't do me a lot of good in this case.