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Petition on Change.org to allow comics to be shipped Media Mail
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37 posts in this topic

On 2/4/2023 at 11:29 AM, Gaard said:

My thoughts...

Those who wish to use MM have $$ as their #1 priority. Those who don't, have the protection of the comic as their #1 priority. There are always exceptions, but generally speaking, I think I'm right.

I like using media mail (for less expensive books) because I pack my books with extra cardboard, which about 80% of the time, will push it past the First Class weight. When I sold records ($150 or below), I used custom oversized boxes so I could safely package the record with extra padding - and the extra weight it created allowed me to ship via media mail without being taken to the cleaners. $5 versus $14 Priority or Parcel Post when shipping records. That value is passed along to the buyer.

  

On 2/4/2023 at 11:45 AM, Number 6 said:

For me, because of the possibility of damage due to inspection, MM has never been a viable option for shipping condition-sensitive comics. 

Totally agree with that - condition sensitive books above $75-$80? Priority Mail usually - just to minimize the amount of time it's in transit and reducing the chances of it getting mishandled.

I have seen loads of nightmare packing scenarios like you're thinking of - but for me, I've never scrimped on packing things right.  And I've seen equal amount of laziness on Priority packing as media mail - I believe that if you don't know how to ship comics, you don't know how to ship comics.

Edited by Dr. Balls
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On 2/4/2023 at 2:18 PM, Dr. Balls said:

I like using media mail (for less expensive books) because I pack my books with extra cardboard, which about 80% of the time, will push it past the First Class weight. When I sold records ($150 or below), I used custom oversized boxes so I could safely package the record with extra padding - and the extra weight it created allowed me to ship via media mail without being taken to the cleaners. $5 versus $14 Priority or Parcel Post when shipping records. That value is passed along to the buyer.

 

You use enough extra cardboard to push a raw comic package over 1 lb? That's the First Class limit.

Records qualify for Media Mail.

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As almost exclusively a buyer of older books which frequently cost quite a bit of money, saving $9 on shipping just isn't a concern.  Obviously, I want these books packed to survive without any damage at all whatever the USPS and the elements can throw at them.  Opened and inspected and repacked on the way?  No thanks.

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On 2/4/2023 at 11:18 AM, Dr. Balls said:

I have seen loads of nightmare packing scenarios like you're thinking of - but for me, I've never scrimped on packing things right.  And I've seen equal amount of laziness on Priority packing as media mail - I believe that if you don't know how to ship comics, you don't know how to ship comics.

Again, a person can be the most awesome, bomb-proof comic book packer of all time…and all that careful packing gets undone when a postal employee decides to inspect their package. 

And it’s highly unlikely that all that meticulous packing is going to get replicated when said employee goes to repack the book. 
 

If a person is comfortable rolling the dice that their package will skate by without being inspected they’ll probably win that bet most of the time. I’m just not into gambling, especially when I’m shipping books that someone else has paid for. 
 

 

They might as well add the possibility of insurance to their petition demand as that’s the next complaint in the (unlikely) event that this gets implemented by the post office. 

Edited by Number 6
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On 2/4/2023 at 2:07 PM, Number 6 said:

Again, a person can be the most awesome, bomb-proof comic book packer of all time…and all that careful packing gets undone when a postal employee decides to inspect their package. 

I try and avoid sellers who use Media Mail like the plague.  If a seller offers an Expedited Shipping/Priority Mail option, I will always use it.

Several years ago, I purchased a slab and it was sent to me via Media Mail (no signature confirmation).  On the day the package was to arrive, the postal carrier gave me an orange slip and said I had to go to the post office and pick it up.  I asked him why and he told me that was all he was allowed to say.  So I trucked on down to the post office and the manager comes out.  He explains to me that because the package was sent Media Mail, it was open to inspection.  And it was.  What did they find?  The seller used Express Mail materials as packing for my purchase.  And if I wanted my package, I would have to pay an extra $46 dollars in postage because of the Express Mail rubbish.

Boy, did I rip that seller a new one.  Fortunately, the seller was cool about it and refunded me for the extra postage I had to pay.

Edited by workingdog
I used a naughty word
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I feel like I should clarify my position...

There are lots of people (1,000s?) who have made buying/selling comics as the way to support their family. If this is you, I don't begrudge you one iota for trying to save every last cent. If that means using MM, cool. I hope, however, that when your customers contact you about returning the comic because of damage, you happily accept the return without giving any resistance.

Myself, I have a 9 to 5 job. Selling comics does not pay my mortgage. I never use MM when sending out a comic.

Edited by Gaard
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On 2/4/2023 at 12:52 PM, MR. Pontoon said:

You use enough extra cardboard to push a raw comic package over 1 lb? That's the First Class limit.

Records qualify for Media Mail.

Not when there is one, but two definitely. I don't use Priority cardboard, I end up using thicker stuff inside a Gemini mailer. When I buy books, and I get Gemini mailers with one piece of cardboard - they are hammered. Not enough to damage the book - so it survives, but I don't usually put one piece of cardboard in a mailer like that. I double or triple it up. Once it gets past that 1lb mark, I usually just send Priority because it's only like $1 more than Parcel Post.

And yes, records qualify for media mail, It's just a less expensive option for people. If they changed their policy on comics, it would be great. However, forcing people to use Priority or Parcel Post gets them more revenue, so changing something that would cost them money and not increase the amount of people shipping (as I doubt people don't refuse to use USPS because their shipping is too high for them).

Edited by Dr. Balls
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On 2/4/2023 at 11:29 AM, Gaard said:

My thoughts...

Those who wish to use MM have $$ as their #1 priority. Those who don't, have the protection of the comic as their #1 priority. There are always exceptions, but generally speaking, I think I'm right.

There are many comics that don't need protection.Every book is  not sacred, and would be much better off being sold in a bulk lot than sitting in a back room.

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No data to support but I believe MM on average saves the buyer and seller money, the occasional PO intervention notwithstanding. It’s a gamble that tends to pay off. 
 

What it also does is enable the sale of cheaper (mostly CA/MA and low grade earlier) comics through the mail. Which raises the question:

How do sellers (small time and big time) manage the sale of their cheaper books? Most cannot pay for tables at a show to blow out boxes of dollar books. Not sure if the math works to blow them out as lots on various online venues (mostly due to shipping costs). Giving the books away to garner a tax break may create the best  net when you factor in the cost of time.

of course if you don’t have to worry about storage or turnover you can sit on them forever, but many dealers do have to worry about these things.

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