looking for media mail help from US sellers

[Guest]

[kbmum]

I'm interested in selling some factory sealed trading card sets on eBay.  The sets have some weight to them, so I want to offer buyers the best rate.  Most sellers seem to use media mail.

I've recently shipped a couple of packages that way, and both times, I was questioned by postal workers about the contents of the box.  Since I was mailing books, media mail was fine.  But, I was warned that because of eBay, the post office is cracking down on media mail shipments and was randomly opening packages to check for compliance with postal regulations.

With that in mind, I called today to find out if trading cards qualify for media mail.  They do not, because they aren't bound.  Now I'm faced with lying about the contents of the box and shipping media mail, or going with the more expensive parcel post.  To give an idea of the cost, my package would ship for $5.50 media mail, $20 parcel post, or $16 via UPS.

Is it worth the risk to ship media mail?  I highly doubt I'd find a buyer who'd be willing to spend $20 on shipping when others are ignoring the new rules and offering cheaper rates.

[robwaddle]

Hi KB,

I'm in UK and still getting cards in media mail packages. Assuming they check the packages at yr end, can they fine you, put u on a blacklist or what??

Bearing in mind how lax people like UK customs are - is it a risk worth taking? I know USPS staff have a fearsome rep, but surely they can't check everything??

Rob

[Roz]

Ahh. I see what you are talking about now!

In the UK it's just called "Printed matter" post I think so it doesn't matter if it's bound or not!

Hmm.. I see your problem - you'd feel guilty but you also need to be competitive...   that's tough.

[kbmum]

From what I've been told by the post office, if a package doesn't comply, it would be sent back to me for insufficient postage.  I'd have to pay postage to ship it correctly, and I'd be out the money I spent on the media mail postage.  Never mind making a small profit, it could end up costing me out-of-pocket.  Kind of negates the reason for selling it.

In addition, it would take many days for the package to be sent back to me and shipped out again.  If I were buying the item, I wouldn't be too happy with a long delay in receiving the package.

The boxes are being checked at random, but it makes sense that the bigger/heavier boxes are more apt to be searched due to the big savings involved using media mail instead of another method.  I just know if I did this, I'd end up getting caught.

There isn't a great demand for these particular cards, but I'd hoped to make a little bit.  Maybe the best thing would be to just pitch 'em in the trash.