Public Service Announcement for Media Mailing Magazines
coastaljerseyguy
Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭
Not sure folks are aware, as I wasn't, but magazines are not eligible for the discounted media mailing. I purchased an older Greysheet over a week ago on EBAY. As I haven't been doing any buying for the past few years, I try to get at least 1CDN annually just to check prices for my Morgans, Peace and WLHs. Don't care if its the newest edition but cost around $25. Used to order the 'old' monthly CDNs years ago when they were offered directly at a discount from CDN.
Anyway the magazine came Sat but tracking noted it was ready for pickup. Monday I had a Postage Due Notice for $10.11 in my mailbox for the item. Emailed the EBAY seller and he checked the mailing and said it was marked Media Mail and it had the $4+ postage with the 10% EBAY discount. They never had a problem with this prior.
Spoke to my mailman yesterday about what the issue was but he had not seen the package since he only sees what gets released for delivery. Went to main Post Office in the next town over today and spoke with the Rep. Yep it had the Media Mail postage but the package was opened, as USPS has that right, and did not qualify for the reduced Media mailing. Rep noted mailers had been taking advantage of Media mailing discount for years, esp magazine and comic book mailings. I declined to pay the charge and requested it be returned.
Anyway the seller will probably get stuck with around $30 round trip 1st class postage. Just an FYI so folks here don't get stuck with the same issue in case the PO is cracking down on this. So a book weighing more is ok but a flexible magazine is not.
Comments
I haven't gotten a physical CDN in years but when I had a subscription it was just a several page newsletter that was trim-folded like a letter and placed into a regular business envelope. I guess the format has changed!
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Based on the USPS rules, you can’t send the latest Red Book by Media Mail either, given it is filled with paid advertisements.
”Books, including books issued to supplement other books, of at least eight printed pages, consisting wholly of reading matter or scholarly bibliography, or reading matter with incidental blank spaces for notations and containing no advertising matter other than incidental announcements of books. Advertising includes paid advertising and the publishers‘ own advertising in display, classified, or editorial style.”
Source: https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/173.htm#ep1113500
Yup. We discussed this a couple weeks ago. And people actually argued despite the very clear wording in the DMM.
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