Needing Help on how to ship large sets

[Blackie]

Was wanting to inquire as to how others have shipped large Graded card sets. Any experiences with this and how have you guys packed them? I know USPS has the Large Flat rate priority boxes (around 16 dollars and change each shipping rate) and Im working now to see how many I can safely move in that type of medium but was wanting feedback on this.

Respectfully

Rob

[Howe’s Hunter]

I had a complete run of Topps 1972-2010 that I sold in the summer of 2011. To ship to the dealer who purchased was over $220 as it was over 300 pounds of cards. Really cut in to any money I was getting from the sale to purchase vintage.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Blackie

Was wanting to inquire as to how others have shipped large Graded card sets. Any experiences with this and how have you guys packed them? I know USPS has the Large Flat rate priority boxes (around 16 dollars and change each shipping rate) and Im working now to see how many I can safely move in that type of medium but was wanting feedback on this.

Respectfully

Rob

Well, I wonder if you could do them as media mail? They aren't really newspapers or magazines but they have print on them and can be read...... Otherwise, I think your best bet is as you are looking into, large flat rate...Maybe someone else will have other ideas.

[Blackie]

Thanks guys.........i got around 5 Large Flat rate boxes from USPS and am going to try shipping that way. Its around 400 or so SGC graded cards from a set I sold. Going to be around 150 or so to ship them as Im adding 1K or better insurance to each box and require Signature confirmation

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Leon

Well, I wonder if you could do them as media mail? They aren't really newspapers or magazines but they have print on them and can be read...... Otherwise, I think your best bet is as you are looking into, large flat rate...Maybe someone else will have other ideas.

Nope.

I used to sell lots of "junk" cards on ebay and would ship them media mail. Printed matter, not bound, no advertising, seemed to fit what was allowed.

Then one day they asked and when I told them it was baseball cards they said no. They interpreted the description differently. So I took the hit by having to ship that batch priority, and reduced the size of lots I'd sell.

Magazines and newspapers can't go media either because of the advertising. A friend of mine had an old magazine returned by the PO because of the ads. When he pointed out that it was around a hundred years old and that almost all the companies advetising were long gone the said it didn't matter ads were ads. They used to be ok as bound printed matter, but I think that category has been renamed and the regs changed.

Steve B

[Leon]

Originally Posted by steve B

Nope.

I used to sell lots of "junk" cards on ebay and would ship them media mail. Printed matter, not bound, no advertising, seemed to fit what was allowed.

Then one day they asked and when I told them it was baseball cards they said no. They interpreted the description differently. So I took the hit by having to ship that batch priority, and reduced the size of lots I'd sell.

Magazines and newspapers can't go media either because of the advertising. A friend of mine had an old magazine returned by the PO because of the ads. When he pointed out that it was around a hundred years old and that almost all the companies advetising were long gone the said it didn't matter ads were ads. They used to be ok as bound printed matter, but I think that category has been renamed and the regs changed.

Steve B

Sorry, you are wrong. I ship magazines and newspapers media mail all of the time. No problem. As for baseball cards, I haven't done that, I was just throwing it out there. I am quite sure our PO won't open a package if I tell them it's media mail and it's heavy.

[tschock]

Originally Posted by Leon

Sorry, you are wrong. I ship magazines and newspapers media mail all of the time. No problem. As for baseball cards, I haven't done that, I was just throwing it out there. I am quite sure our PO won't open a package if I tell them it's media mail and it's heavy.

Leon,

Respectfully, you are both wrong... and right! Even though it shouldn't, it DOES vary from PO to PO as to the interpretation of what does and doesn't qualify. I've had it even within the SAME PO, depending on who was working.

I know I've seen a discussion as to what actually qualifies as media mail somewhere, and old magazines/newspapers should (since the ads are obsolete), but it does seem to be up to the whim of some postal workers.

And the PO worker is someone I won't argue (much) with even though I know they might be wrong, since I DO want the package to arrive.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by tschock

Leon,

Respectfully, you are both wrong... and right! Even though it shouldn't, it DOES vary from PO to PO as to the interpretation of what does and doesn't qualify. I've had it even within the SAME PO, depending on who was working.

I know I've seen a discussion as to what actually qualifies as media mail somewhere, and old magazines/newspapers should (since the ads are obsolete), but it does seem to be up to the whim of some postal workers.

And the PO worker is someone I won't argue (much) with even though I know they might be wrong, since I DO want the package to arrive.

I can agree with that . It does seem different POs are more and less lenient.

[nebboy]

Originally Posted by Leon

Sorry, you are wrong. I ship magazines and newspapers media mail all of the time. No problem. As for baseball cards, I haven't done that, I was just throwing it out there. I am quite sure our PO won't open a package if I tell them it's media mail and it's heavy.

Ahhhh ----- sorry Leon ------but he is right about the advertising issue being shipped by media mail. If you told them what you had in package they would have you ship priority mail if its over 13oz. -- John

[steve B]

From the DMM section 173 .4 The sections about commercial mail are identical, but under different sections. (373 and 473)

http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/173.htm#1113611

4.0 Content Standards for Media Mail
4.1 Qualified Items
Only these items may be mailed at the Media Mail prices:

a. 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.

My friends magazine was inspected in transit, not at his post office. They may have backed off inspections, but all media mail is considered "open" and subject to inspection. (173.2.2)

2.2 Postal Inspection
Media Mail and Library Mail are not sealed against postal inspection. Regardless of physical closure, the mailing of articles at Media Mail or Library Mail prices constitutes consent by the mailer to postal inspection of the contents.



I tried to claim the baseball cards under 173 .4.g But they weren't going for it. A different post office might. But then, if it get inspected along the way it could still be returned.

g. Printed educational reference charts designed to instruct or train individuals for improving or developing their capabilities. Each chart must be a single printed sheet of information designed for educational reference. The information on the chart, which may be printed on one or both sides of the sheet, must be conveyed primarily by graphs, diagrams, tables, or other nonnarrative matter. An educational reference chart is normally but not necessarily devoted to one subject. A chart on which the information is conveyed primarily by textual matter in a narrative form does not qualify as a printed educational reference chart for mailing at the Media Mail prices even if it includes graphs, diagrams, or tables. Examples of qualifying charts include maps produced primarily for educational reference, tables of mathematical or scientific equations, noun declensions or verb conjugations used in the study of languages, periodic table of elements, botanical or zoological tables, and other tables used in the study of science.



I've also mailed stuff media mail that sort of qualified. But I stopped using it for ebay stuff unless it qualified. Just too much risk of an added expense and a delay that a buyer would likely blame me for.

I've also had a first class parcel returned because it fell into an odd classification limbo. It was too ridgid to count as a letter or flat, so it had to be a package. So it got delivery confirmation through click and ship. But they rejected it because it wasn't 3/4 of an inch thick, which is the minimum for delivery confirmation. In the end I repacked it with a packing peanut making it thick enough and reused the label. (Technically not allowed, but approved because of the loophole - They wanted postage to make it priority, I wanted a refund since they were saying it wasn't a package - Adding thickness and reusing the label was a compromise that made the problem go away) The buyer was a government official, and was very understanding.


After them looking up 16mm film in the DMM for media mail a couple times the clerks at my local branch don't question me much anymore about what class I'm using or wether the contents qualify. They even had me advise another customer on how to pack a pennant.

Steve B
PS: Since I collect stamps and odd usages, if anyone works for an antivenin lab that recieves live scorpions........I'd really like one of the empty boxes for my collection. Yes, you can mail scorpions under the right conditions

[buymycards]

Hi Leon,
Baseball cards are not media. Newspapers and magazines contain advertising and they do not qualify for media mail rates.

We inspect all Media Mail packages that come into our Post Office. (All Post Offices are supposed to do this but many do not). We cannot open Priority or First Class packages, but we are required to open and inspect Media Mail packages because so many people are using it incorrectly. We find car parts, jewelry, clothing, - you name it. If it has come through another Post Office, then the addressee has to pay postage due before they can have their package. If it comes to the counter when someone tries to mail it, we can correct it on the spot and the mailer will then pay the correct postage.

I would say that 60-70% of the packages that arrive at our Post Office have not been inspected at the origin Post Office, and close to 50% contain items that do not qualify. Also, everything in the package has to be media. For instance, if you are sending a dozen books in a package and you decide to throw in a shirt, the entire package is disqualified because the shirt is not Media.

One of the reasons that some Post Offices allow things to be mailed at Media rates is because they don't want the hassle of telling the customer that their item doesn't qualify, or the clerk just doesn't care. It is easier to just let it go.

Rick

[camlov2]

On a side note, I use the boxes from business cards to package cards (inside a larger box of course). I have been able to get these boxes from fedex/kinkos for free or low cost depending on the person working the counter. They work perfectly for 60's and 70's topps and other cards with a little modification.