killjoy32 wrote:
but you said something with staples isnt...

Yes but manuscripts are specifically listed and the other material we were talking about, modules, comic books, magazines, etc... are published material.

Oddly enough, a map is not considered media, as I found out when I made the mistake of telling the nice postal clerk that I was shipping a (Judges Guild) map.  It was very light, so the difference in price was not much, but I was surprised.

JasonZavoda wrote:
Mike,

I think if you checked at the state or federal level, rather than the local unit postmaster, you would find that your B2 could not be shipped as media mail. Other than this summer I haven't been an active seller or shipper in years, but I don't care to break the law, even a stupid law, to save a few bucks. I'll save my transgressions for something more vital to me.

You're probably right, Jason, and I doubt my local postmaster would back me up if it were brought up ("What?  I never told him that!!!").  But the point is really moot since I only ship media nowadays anyway unless it's an actually BOOK.  It's much easier to just put the modules or box sets in the free priority boxes or envelopes and saves time.  
  As an add on, I don't think the postal inspectors are going to toss anyone in jail for a simple mistake, they have much bigger fish to fry. Three postal employees in Frisco Texas (right near where Aneoth and Kingofpain live) were caught stealing thousands of dollars worth of money orders, gift cards, and other goodies from the mail over a two year period.  Oh, don't worry, they were "let go" from the USPS, but still haven't been prosecuted     I would have to think the postal cops have their hands full with this crap, I wouldn't worry about the hammer coming down over a B2 being sent media mail.

Mike B.

JasonZavoda wrote:I believe you have been ill advised.

Hard to say. We've been down this road here before, many times, and the general consensus is that not even the USPS really knows what media mail is or isn't.

I'll stick with what I said back in May:

Xaxaxe wrote:Here's a quick practical guide to Media Mail: be prepared for anything.

*It's technically not supposed to contain any advertsing ... but your area postal employees may or may not know or care about this.

*It can be inspected at any time along its route from A-to-B ... but your area postal employees may or may not know or care about this.

*It cannot be used as the lone form of postage for a Carrier Pickup transaction ... but your area postal employees may or may not know or care about this.

*and on and on and on ...

The point being: be prepared to possibly answer a couple of questions, or to have your item opened, or to be asked to upgrade to at least Parcel Post. With Media Mail, you're getting the service you've paid for, if you catch my meaning.

Or, better yet, ship Priority Mail.

Put another way: while there appears to be some form of consensus at the level of senior USPS officials, that information and/or training is not filtering down consistently to the local level. When I lived in Southern California, for example, I had six post offices that were within a reasonable drive of either home or work, and they once combined to provide me with five different answers as to what constituted "media mail." (Yes, I actually drove around to each one over the course of about two weeks).

For the record, I've mailed about three million modules via media mail over the years (and I suspect many sellers here could say the same), never once experiencing a problem. Although, frankly, I now much prefer Priority Mail for its increased reliability, free shipping supplies, free delivery confirmation, quicker shipping time, etc.

napoleonsdad wrote:I find nothing more annoying than to see shipping charges of $7-$9 plus to mail a single module "via standard shipping" and additional modules combined at half the stated rate.  Further, standard shipping is typically the term for media mail so the seller will make a decent profit on shipping alone.

Move on to the next seller. This is really no different than what Cougie does with his "contact me for shipping quote" nonsense: it's just deciding, post-auction, what shipping rate to use.

Personally, I honestly can't recall ever posting an auction that didn't list a specific shipping rate and/or have an eBay calculator included. Well, maybe I was more vague when I first started out ... of course, I also used blinking text   back in the late '90s, so clearly I didn't have a clue, anyway.

I'm often surprised that eBay doesn't force sellers to use specific shipping information. It's really one of the last great eBay loopholes ... just ask our UK feline friend.

When I go to the post office to ship items, I tell the counter clerk either media mail or first class ( Its none of their business anyway what Im shipping unless they are prepared to open it right then and there) , and they never question me except when I go to an odd different PO that I normally dont deal with. I never disclose what Im shipping and have never had anything returned to me. Most postal employees are as ignorant and lazy to their actual job duties and responsibilities as most government employees are in general. Media Mail is subject to inspection: so what? Im not shipping cocaine or explosives. check away, just make sure you repackage the item just as I prepared it. There is no law broken in sending a game module media mail rate, but it is costly and needlessly stupid to send the same module priority mail rate, when you can just as easily send it first class mail rate cheaper.

JasonZavoda wrote:
Titan games took me for a $250 lot years ago

As far as $7 to ship a module, that isn't too high becuase you can't send them media mail. It's either priority or parcel post. If you sell through ebay you need tracking so it is something like $5.15 minimum to ship the lightest module.

I haven't been the post office in a few months.

$5+ to ship a module?  I must be out of touch.

I mailed something to an Acaeum member a couple of months ago.

It seems to me that to ship a D&D hardback book in a two-day envelope was just over $4.

4 and possibly 5 or maybe 6 or 7 modules could fit in the same envelope for the same weight.

What am I missing?

I ship modules priority mail, boxed, which the buyers appreciate. I ship books and media, media mail boxed, which gets some people worked up about the extreme length of time it can take for them to arrive but I've never had anything arrived damaged.

Yes, I bought a single module from you recently and it came in a Priority box.  Thanks Jason!!

Why ship a single d&d module priority or media mail when first class mail is obviously the better choice? I just dont get it. Is it ignorance or convience? Or both?

Because Ive recieved many single modules in an $8 flat rate priority box that could have been shipped just as easily in a .50 cent envelope $3 first class mail/ Media mail rate. There is no difference in the delivery time between First class and priortiy mail rate, they are the same thing: the difference is the cost to ship.