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BluegrassComics
Thursday, March 02, 2023 11:32:21 PM
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Sorry,

I have a different take on this. It is the Post Office who is scamming their customers, not the other way around. The Post Office has a rate called Bound Printed Matter, which comics can ship, and is CHEAPER AND FASTER than media mail. You pay a one-time fee of $290 to mail flats, but if you only mail parcels, there is no fee!

The issue is that not every post office can receive BPM shipments, so if you live in certain areas, you are just screwed and can't use this. And the PO does NOTHING to promote this service.

But it also means the post office can zip 2 lbs of comics anywhere in the country for under $4. Media mail costs $4.35 and takes LONGER to get delivered.

If the PO can move a box across the country for $3.94, then they are screwing over media mail users who ship the same thing and pay more for worse service times!!! And making even less sense, you can't print BPM postage, so you actually have to have a postal agent weigh and pay for it at the post office! This means even more labor is required on the part of the USPS for the CHEAPER, FASTER BPM service!!!

Why have two different services that do the exact same thing, and charge less for one and more for the other? And why charge LESS for the method that requires MORE labor from the PO? It's stupid and makes no sense... so I won't shed a tear for any package sent media mail when it doesn't technically qualify, because the PO is actually making MORE money that way vs BPM!

Not being harmed at all!!!

Good luck with your tattletale crusade to rat out media mail shippers. The President should give you some sort of medal...




WEBVG wrote:
I wasn't about to take a Media Mail shipment to the Post Office, then have to wait as much as another two weeks for them to get back before a refund could happen, much less run the risk of the package getting busted in transit if it even got accepted by my local Post Office which knows to check and then arrived Postage due there for full rate Parcel Post or returned back here with another delay.

Media Mail for comics is committing MAIL FRAUD. Because you got away with violating the postal regulations yesterday or even a thousand times does not mean you will not get the next one busted and is still a crime. I've had long discussions with the managers here that are working to get reports submitted on trying removing Media Mail as an option entirely since it's abused so much costing the Post Office millions in lost revenue per year from the crooks abusing the system since only the extreme cases will end up getting prosecuted in a court as a last resort since it costs about $26,000 to try the case according to the head guy. They use other means as a first option which can include outright barring of the shipper from being able to use the service at all. With enough cases it's also possible for racketeering charges to be added from what I've read. Beyond all that, it's just simply and unquestionably WRONG!!!!

Honest, legitimate businesses should not have to be competing with criminals violating the rules to gain an unfair business advantage.

In addition to being against the law and incredibly slow shipping times, you're dealing with collectibles that are easily damaged and the inspection process, even if the items do not get busted and returned to sender, can be damaged anywhere from the inspection point to the destination. I personally had one box so bad it had comics hanging out the side when it arrived!!!!! Who knows how many comics got lost in transit falling out the box entirely.

The only responsible choice is to continue to report sellers using the method directly to the Post Office locally and over the phone and continue to hand out copies of the regulations to the Post Offices you visit so new Postal Employees become aware and start enforcing the rules!!!!

We're also working to develop a specific new shipping option just for print that has advertising like comics so there will be additional choices in the future that are slower than first Class or Priority but Cheaper and LEGAL!! In the mean time continue to report those breaking the law and sites that allow open advertising of the option to do so like this one.
Quote:
MEDIA MAIL SERVICE
Media Mail shipping is a cost-effective way to send educational materials. This service has restrictions on the type of media that can be shipped. Media Mail rates are limited to the items listed below:

Books (at least 8 pages).
Sound recordings and video recordings, such as CDs and DVDs.
Play scripts and manuscripts for books, periodicals, and music.
Printed music.
Computer-readable media containing prerecorded information and guides or scripts prepared solely for use with such media.
Sixteen millimeter or narrower width films.
Printed objective test materials and their accessories.
Printed educational reference charts.
Loose-leaf pages and their binders consisting of medical information for distribution to doctors, hospitals, medical schools, and medical students.
Media - printed music, sound recordings, periodicals, CDs, DVDs, and books.

Media Mail packages may not contain advertising. Comic books do not meet this standard. Books may contain incidental announcements of other books and sound recordings may contain incidental announcements of other sound recordings. In accordance with standards in the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM), Section 170, Media Mail packages must have a delivery address and the sender’s return address and are subject to inspection by the Postal Service™. Upon such inspection, matter not eligible for the Media Mail rate may be assessed at the proper price and sent to the recipient postage due, or the sender may be contacted for additional postage.

For more information about Media Mail service, please visit www.usps.com or call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777). Complete explanations of qualified items can be found in the DMM.

PSN 7610-07-000-4037

Notice 121, October 2012


https://about.usps.com/notices/not121/not121_tech.htm
pottersan
Friday, March 03, 2023 9:55:32 PM
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Thundercron wrote:
Please show me a situation where someone was charged and prosecuted in a court of law for sending items Media Mail. I'd be very interested to see that. If it's something you can be fined and sent to jail for, I guess that makes ebay culpable in some way by even allowing comics to be shipped Media Mail. With all their tech, it would be very easy to prohibit that shipping rate as an option for comic sales.
It would be super easy for them to block Media Rate option on all comic listings, yet they don't.....


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pottersan
Friday, March 03, 2023 9:58:51 PM
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MoonKnight1 wrote:
WEBVG wrote:
Media Mail for comics is committing MAIL FRAUD.

No, no it is not Mail Fraud.
"A scheme to defraud means depriving someone of property by deceitful or dishonest means."

WEBVG wrote:
I've had long discussions with the managers here

I'm sure they enjoyed those discussions immensely.

WEBVG wrote:
it's also possible for racketeering charges to be added

Good luck with that.

WEBVG wrote:
incredibly slow shipping times

Pfft, I have Media Mail shipments show up in 2-3 days almost every single time.

WEBVG wrote:

The only responsible choice is to continue to report sellers using the method directly to the Post Office locally and over the phone and continue to hand out copies of the regulations to the Post Offices you visit so new Postal Employees become aware and start enforcing the rules!!!!

While you're at it, might as well charge the carrier that delivers the "illegal" package with Distribution and pick up the clerks who send the "contraband" with Aiding and Abetting.

WEBVG wrote:
We're also working to develop a specific new shipping option just for print that has advertising like comics so there will be additional choices in the future

I am 1,000% in favor of this. No joke, I would love to see this happen.

WEBVG wrote:
Media Mail packages may not contain advertising. Comic books do not meet this standard.

This is a patently false statement. In essence what they are saying is that all comic have ads in them. FALSE. Maybe most comics but certainly not all contain advertising.

Short list:

Marvel Fanfare
Classics Illustrated
Cerebus
Marvel Age
EVERY SINGLE TRADE PAPERBACK AND GRAPHIC NOVEL
so many more that I can't possibly remember them all

Not to mention reprint comics like the Marvel Milestone's that reprint ads from decades before. Does that still count as an ad? Confused

"Not again" is a good title for this thread.


The bold is exactly what I hear in one form or the other each time I ask a post office if comics can be sent media rate.

And the Postal clerk has always said yes, you can ship media rate.

I guees I'm supossed to make a formal report on these workers to the Postal Inspector General and have them summarily executed....


If I don't have what you need, please check out these other great CCL Stores;
BlueMoon Comics, ComicVortex,The Goblin's Cavern, Manhattan on Mars, Edgewood Comics,Hall of Heroes
,



Please visit my wonderfully amazing eBay store for loose figures, CDs, DVDs and much more; Alpha Comics.

MoonKnight1
Tuesday, March 07, 2023 11:50:35 AM
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MoonKnight1 wrote:

Marvel Fanfare
Classics Illustrated
Cerebus
Marvel Age
ALMOST EVERY SINGLE TRADE PAPERBACK AND GRAPHIC NOVEL

Add to the list of "Comic Books" without ads:

Alien Legion - Marvel/Epic
Amanda & Gunn - Image
America's Best Comics Special
America's Best Comics Preview
AV in 3D - Aardvark-Vanaheim
Critters - Fantagraphics
Decoy - Penny Farthing Press
Earth X Special
Gumby's Summer Fun Special - Comico
Gumby's Winter Fun Special - Comico
Liberty Meadows - Image
NYC Mech - Image
Opposite Forces - Alias
The Prisoner - DC Prestige Format limited series
Prowler (1987) Eclipse
Red Sonja: She-Devil With a Sword #0 - Dynamite (All variants)
Punisher Meets Archie (This one says it right on the cover!)


PVP - Image
Revenge of the Prowler - Eclipse
Zot! - Eclipse

These have all been found (so far) in just one box I am listing. But, Media Mail packages may not contain advertising. Comic books do not meet this standard. So ALL Comic Books contain advertising eh? I haven't even finished with the box yet.

Some of these contain in-house ads for other comics published by them, which is allowed: " Books may contain incidental announcements of other books"


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