posted on November 15, 2004 02:35:58 PM new
While at the Post Office this morning, I decided I would ask them for a ruling on the mailing of back issues of magazines.
She did not know and the lady next to her thought it was a 'very interesting question'. She got out her manual and she interpreted it as saying that back issues of magazines could NOT be mailed Bound Printed Matter - it must be mailed either 1st class or Parcel Post. It seems her manual states that a magazine can only be shipped BPM if it is newly issued - or first mailing, in other words.
posted on November 15, 2004 03:22:05 PM new
Tell her she's full of bull-bush:
Bound Printed Matter
Description
The maximum weight for Bound Printed Matter is 15 pounds. Rates are based on weight, shape, and distance. The maximum size is 108 inches in combined length and distance around the thickest part.
Mark each package "Bound Printed Matter" in the postage area.
Bound Printed Matter must:
a. Consist of advertising, promotional, directory, or editorial material (or any combination of such material).
b. Be securely bound by permanent fastenings such as staples, spiral binding, glue, or stitching. Looseleaf binders and similar fastenings are not considered permanent.
c. Consist of sheets of which at least 90% are imprinted by any process other than handwriting or typewriting with words, letters, characters, figures, or images (or any combination of them).
d. Not have the nature of personal correspondence.
e. Not be stationery, such as pads of blank printed forms.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ask her to cite page or bulletin...
FDR gave America THE NEW DEAL... JFK gave America THE NEW FRONTIER... DUBYAgives America...THE FINGER!
posted on November 15, 2004 07:36:48 PM new
A postal matron at the local post office was posed with the same question. She did not know, so she brought out the manual, still was not sure; asked one of the other window clerks who said NO WAY because the magazines, no matter how old, (these were from the 1930s) contained advertising.
She then called the downtown folks who also said no way and that only first class mail was acceptable for the magazines, no media and no bound printed matter but no mention of parcel post.
I now mail bulk magazines via parcel post or single ones via first class mail to avoid problems.
It boils down to clerks not knowing the manual -- even if they are reading it verbatum; the manual does refer to advertising matter.
--
the texas-eagle--not on ebay---
[ edited by texaseagle on Nov 15, 2004 07:38 PM ]
posted on November 15, 2004 08:00:51 PM new
This matter of magazines has come up on the Vendio and AW boards many, many times over the years and I don't think there has ever been a definitive answer. It seems like every postal clerk in the U.S. has a different interpretation of the section Tom (or was it Ralphie) posted. Has anyone ever thought about writing to the Postmaster General in D.C. and posing the question directly to him? A scan of the answer, posted in a thread here, would be a great help to all our present and future magazine sellers. Any volunteers?
A $75.00 solid state device will always blow first to protect a 25 cent fuse ~ Murphy's Law
posted on November 15, 2004 08:05:54 PM new
My resident Postal Clerk (helps to be married to one) says she would have to see what it was but it does sound like it, but here is the kicker.....
If the person moves or the mail is misdirected it gets tossed, there is no forwarding for it. As for Media Mail, it is forwarded postage due and if it is returned then it is returned postage due.
___________________________________
If you build it they will come........
posted on November 15, 2004 08:30:14 PM new
>>a. Consist of advertising, promotional, directory, or editorial material (or any combination of such material).
Sounds like (A) covers it.
HAd the PO ,pz me off today. My SO took was sweet enough to drop off my packages this AM and the clerks saw fresh meat.
One package was a flat rate mailer and I had taped the ends (note, not the flap!) to prevent tearing because the package was square. Cleark saw the tape and informed him it couldn't be shipped in a mailer because the mpackage must close without extra tape to secure it. GRRR!
If it had been me, I would have ripped the tape off in front of them !
There was another seller in Texas who was selling the same type of model railroading magazines we have.
His ad said that he would ship via parcel post - please don't email me and ask me to ship media mail because magazines don't belong in the category of media mail. Go ask your local postmaster.
My father was a postmaster. So I told him his local postal clerks were half-right. Magazines and catalogs don't belong in media mail - the category for books, videos, CDs - the items that don't contain advertising. They belong in the category of bound printed matter - the category for printed material that does contain advertising.
I told him to go to usps.com and print out the official definition of bound printed matter. The easiest way to access that is by doing the calculator on an imaginary package with a weight and two zip codes. When the results come up, they'll show you all of the rates in the various categories. With bound printed matter, there's a note - restrictions apply - and a hyperlink that links to the definition.
So the guy took the print-out to his local Post Office and he wrote me back: "They sure changed their tune!"
The one restriction is that the box can't weigh more than 15 lbs. to qualify for the BPM rate. Anything above that, and it goes via parcel post, which is much more expensive.
If they still won't believe you when you show them the print-out, there's an 800 number on that usps.com site. They'll confirm it to your local postal clerks. I called them just to be absolutely sure before I wrote this guy.
I've sent lots of boxes of magazines out as BPM, and I haven't had any problems.
I think a lot depends on where you live and whether your local clerks are familiar with BPM.
posted on November 16, 2004 08:37:24 AM new
What if your postal clerk accepts it and then someone in another area opens it and they don't?
I wish they could get things straight.
_________________
To Quote John Kerry in his concession speech. "But in an american election, there are no losers, because whether or not our candidates are successful, the next morning we all wake up as Americans
posted on November 16, 2004 12:07:40 PM new
Thanks everyone,
So it seems two postal workers can interpret the manual in two different ways. The clerk was, in fact, reading from the manual.
I have had two different Post Offices, give me two different amounts for international postage.
My local PO had calculated the postage (already packed for shipment). We were going to be out of town for a week or so, and I anticipated being paid (via Paypal) for the item, so I took it with me. When I actually took it to be mailed at another PO, they charged me a different amount - slightly more.
As far as Media Mail being forwarded, I have been told, that is up to the individual Post Office. Sometimes they will and sometimes they won't. I have had one package returned postage due, however.
If you're having problems with your local postal clerks, my advice would be to go in by day during the week with the print-out from usps.com, and if they don't want to believe you, ask to speak to the postmaster.
Call that 800 number first - just to verify it for yourself - so you can say that you confirmed it, and have that 800 number handy when you go to the PO.
Pelorus - The bigger handicap is the weight of a year's worth of magazines. BPM is very economical. I've sent big boxes that weighed 14 - 14.8 lbs. half way across the country for $5 and change.
There's also an advantage to the eBay seller who knows about BPM and can therefore ship at the lowest possible rate because most sellers don't - they cite Media Mail.
Libra - If you ship via Media Mail - which is what most sellers of magazines do - then you're more at risk of having the box opened and searched.
The PO is indeed opening and auditing a certain percentage of the boxes shipped via MM because of the reportedly large number of sellers on eBay who are shipping other items via MM to cut their postage costs - parcel post is roughly twice as expensive as MM.
BPM is a comparatively obscure category. Most people know about MM, but don't know about BPM. My guess is that BPM is less abused. I don't know that the PO isn't auditing BPM boxes at the same rate, but my guess is that it isn't.
So, I would be more concerned about shipping magazines via MM, and parcel post would be prohibitively expensive for big lots of magazines.
posted on November 17, 2004 01:59:46 PM new
sthoemke -
Did you see Point B in Tomwiii's posting up above?
b. Be securely bound by permanent fastenings such as staples, spiral binding, glue, or stitching. Looseleaf binders and similar fastenings are not considered permanent.
What's odd is that some books are published in a binder format, but I can't visualize a magazine that isn't bound by staples, etc.
posted on November 17, 2004 05:38:25 PM new
I asked my postal clerk about BPM and he thought that any magazine qualified but then I told him about our discussion. He said he would find out and tell me.
There is a retired postal clerk trhat sells old magazines and am going to his user ID and see how he mails them.
_________________
To Quote John Kerry in his concession speech. "But in an american election, there are no losers, because whether or not our candidates are successful, the next morning we all wake up as Americans
posted on November 17, 2004 05:42:28 PM new
He retired 3 months ago and guess what he sends his vintage magazines......Media Mail
_________________
To Quote John Kerry in his concession speech. "But in an american election, there are no losers, because whether or not our candidates are successful, the next morning we all wake up as Americans
