FYI media mail crackdown

jusdb · Post by **jusdb** » Tue Mar 02, 2004 12:31:35 pm

FYI, i mailed off a few packages today and got the 3rd degree from the window clerk about abusing media mail. i explained that i was mailing printed matter so she apologized but explained that there will be a crackdown on media mail abuse.

comics are cool, but as a part of the effort to catch abusers, inspectors plan to actually open and inspect media parcels....iirc, this policy has been in place for some time, just not enforced.

i know that customs is rarely gentle w/packages during inspection and i honestly don't expect the postal inspectors to be either....just a heads up.

DawgPhan · Post by **DawgPhan** » Tue Mar 02, 2004 12:36:07 pm

I thought that comics were kinda in a gray area when it came to media mail...I am not sure about the wording of the rules or anything. It seems like one of those things that you hear, but everyone uses media mail so i do not know...

greg · Post by **greg** » Tue Mar 02, 2004 1:33:30 pm

Here's the official US Post Office description of "Media Mail":

Media Mail™ service is a cost efficient way to mail books, sound recordings, recorded video tapes, printed music, and recorded computer-readable media (such as CDs, DVDs, and diskettes). Media Mail can not contain advertising except for incidental announcements of books.

So... does "Media Mail" apply to comic books? Hmmmm...
Does a comic book even count as a "book"? (It's more of a periodical.)
The number one "medium" is newspapers, and they don't even list them.
The second most common "medium" is magazines, and they don't list them.
So, did they even mean to say "media" when they named it "Media Mail"?
Does the post office care if the advertisements are for products
no longer on the market? It's not advertising if you can't buy it, right?
(Such as X-Ray specs, Sea Monkeys, old Nintendo games)

My guess is that the postal workers will vary from place to place
until some official decision is made about "out-of-print books".
Here's hoping the ones in your town are "pro-comic".

x-omatic · Post by **x-omatic** » Tue Mar 02, 2004 3:44:13 pm

greg wrote:Here's the official US Post Office description of "Media Mail":

Media Mail™ service is a cost efficient way to mail books, sound recordings, recorded video tapes, printed music, and recorded computer-readable media (such as CDs, DVDs, and diskettes). Media Mail can not contain advertising except for incidental announcements of books.

So... does "Media Mail" apply to comic books? Hmmmm...
Does a comic book even count as a "book"? (It's more of a periodical.)
The number one "medium" is newspapers, and they don't even list them.
The second most common "medium" is magazines, and they don't list them.
So, did they even mean to say "media" when they named it "Media Mail"?
Does the post office care if the advertisements are for products
no longer on the market? It's not advertising if you can't buy it, right?
(Such as X-Ray specs, Sea Monkeys, old Nintendo games)

My guess is that the postal workers will vary from place to place
until some official decision is made about "out-of-print books".
Here's hoping the ones in your town are "pro-comic".

there is also a Min page requirement of 50 or so. So that would make just about any regular comic not qualified.

x-omatic · Post by **x-omatic** » Tue Mar 02, 2004 3:45:30 pm

Most newspapers and Mags are not sent media mail but a different bulk rate applied to them.

greg · Post by **greg** » Tue Mar 02, 2004 4:05:28 pm

x-omatic wrote:there is also a Min page requirement of 50 or so. So that would make just about any regular comic not qualified.

What document is that in? That may be the key to the answers....

x-omatic · Post by **x-omatic** » Tue Mar 02, 2004 5:44:45 pm

greg wrote:
x-omatic wrote:there is also a Min page requirement of 50 or so. So that would make just about any regular comic not qualified.
What document is that in? That may be the key to the answers....

It is on a sign in my post office here in AZ. Sometimes when I mail my "books" I am asked if the "books" have over 48 pages.

jusdb · Post by **jusdb** » Tue Mar 02, 2004 6:21:20 pm

most window clerks will say that media is fine for "printed matter".

most magazines are mailed 3rd class mail which is pretty much the same a media mail...i don't think media mail is the proper term now...i believe it is all considered 3rd class mail.

ZephyrWasHOT!! · Post by **ZephyrWasHOT!!** » Tue Mar 02, 2004 6:28:06 pm

This is a topic that has oft been discussed on the eBay boards, so I posted it here:

http://forums.ebay.com/db1/thread.jsp?f ... 0221185824

Everything you'd ever want to know regarding shipping comics via media mail is there.

The short answer is yes and no.

Basically, it is up to the discretion of your local Postmaster. Since OLD comics (ie, NOT the current issue) are no longer considered peridiocals, they qualify UNDER THE USPS' RULES. Trade Paperbacks that contain NO advertising most assuredly qualify for Media Mail, and if some clerk gives you grief, ask for the manager.

If you get a clerk who refuses to ship your OLD comics via Media Mail, go to another. If your entire post office refuses, and you have another close, go to that one.

The REASON they are cracking down on Media Mail is because some cheats have been taking advantage of the cheap postage to send car parts (yes, car parts) and other items that DEFINITELY do not qualify for Media Mail, and now anything is subject to inspection.

And you know how it goes...when some *SQUEE* can't follow the rules, it ruins it for the rest of us.

To date, I've never had a package returned to me using Media Mail...but I could just be lucky. However, don't let that stop you...according to current USPS regulations, comics that aren't current qualify as Media Mail, period. If someone at the USPS tells your differently, they're wrong.

jusdb · Post by **jusdb** » Tue Mar 02, 2004 8:02:10 pm

just wanted to mention here that the spirit of this post wasn't nec to warn everyone that you may not be able to ship items via media, but more along the lines that media packages may be *opened* and inspected (IE mishandled - damaged)

ZephyrWasHOT!! · Post by **ZephyrWasHOT!!** » Wed Mar 03, 2004 9:55:51 am

Heh...thought that one'd fly under the radar...

*SQUEE* indeed.