posted on October 28, 2004 09:45:55 AM new
I have been giving an opportunity to sell an entire warehouse of books and magazines (sports related). Anyway my partner and I are at odds about the shipping.
What I have set up, is an arrangment with the post office to come M-F with their truck and take my packages away for free.
I use the USPS site or through to print my labels.
Where the problem comes in is that I only ship priority mail. So far the boxes are free, they get their items fast.
My partner wants me to ship everything the cheapest way Media Mail.
That means I have to pay for materials if I do not have them on hand. Media Mail is slow and can it even be tracked?
He thinks that me charging for Priority Mail with not give me any sales.
What is your experience with shipping books and magazines?
Do you have problems if you take Pay Pal with items "never received" or damaged items?
posted on October 28, 2004 10:25:19 AM newDELIVERY CONFIRMATION is available (& I highly recommend it) for MEDIA MAIL as it is a PACKAGE SERVICE -- the price is:
RETAIL= $0.55
ELECTRONIC= $0.13
MM provides a HUGE competitive advantage over PRIORITY -- EXAMPLE:
3lbs from JAX to TOMBALL TX:
PRIORITY MAIL = $6.85 + $0.45 (RETAIL DC) = $7.30 (if electronic DC = $6.40)
/BUT/
MEDIA MAIL = $2.26 + $0.55 (retail DC) = $2.81 (if electronic DC = $2.40)
BIG DIFFERENCE, & yer buyers are gonna scream for MEDIA MAIL & yes, it can be SLOW.
I've had very good luck with MM -- usually delivered within 5 business days, even cross-country.
THE BAR-CODE & standardized address provided by either ENDICIA or USPS helps!
PLUS, the "media mail" notation in ENDICIA is so small that I think most PO folks miss it & treat my MM packies as PRIORITY MAIL
posted on October 28, 2004 10:25:27 AM new
most books and magazines are shipped usps media mail which is cheaper and slower.
you can track with dc if you are willing to pay 55 cents for tracking.
i dont know what kind of sports related books and magazines you have and how and where do you plan to sell it??
ebay listing fee and final value fee ,amzn marketplace has commision fee and transaction fee .
If they are not worth listing,just donate to library,if they want it.
why dont you do some research first?/
USPS will pick up first class and media mail if you have at least one shipping USPS PRIORITY .
-sig file -------Life is one big happy 'All You Can Eat' buffet .
posted on October 28, 2004 10:46:12 AM newI have been giving an opportunity to sellan entire warehouse of books and magazines (sports related)
I agree with stopwhining. You really want to do some research first.
This may be a lot of time invested for very little $ return.
As far as shipping goes, my experience is that most bidders want to pay media mail rates. This is especially true if you are selling books/magazines readily available elsewhere.
posted on October 28, 2004 10:49:50 AM new
Thank you for the good feedback. We know we are not going to make a fortune off of this. The reason I am doing it is to make a few dollars.
We are going to give it a try and if it turns out it's not worth it, I will get out.
posted on October 28, 2004 10:50:31 AM new
Most of my books go media mail even from up in Alaska. I let people know up front that although it's cheaper it could take 3 weeks to reach them. Most opt for media. Some choose priority.
Remember with Electronic delivery confirmation there is a thickness requirement for the media mail. You may have to put some peanuts in the package to gain the desired thickness.
If I send a book priority and it's over 1lb if I'll see if it fits in a flat rate envelope I send it that way.
Oh yes...Magazines can't go via media mail...they don't qualify because there is advertising in them.
[ edited by ewora on Oct 28, 2004 10:51 AM ]
posted on October 28, 2004 11:05:44 AM new
The thickness rule applies to FIRST CLASS MAIL -- I've never read anyplace concerning "thickness" and Media Mail:
You can use Delivery Confirmation with:
First-Class Mail® Parcels - Envelopes and small packages weighing 13 ounces or less. Applies only to boxes or envelopes measuring at least 3/4” at thickest point.
Priority Mail® - Cost effective delivery in an average of 2-3 days.
Package Services Parcels - Send small and large packages, envelopes, and tubes. Includes Parcel Post®, Media Mail®, Bound Printed Matter, and Library Mail.
posted on October 28, 2004 11:56:43 AM new
I agree with all the others--use media mail. I've never lost a book in 5 years using media mail. ONly one MM package arrived torn, but I'd wrapped Saran Wrap around the book before shipping in bubble envelope, and the book was undamaged. MM has also been faster lately for me--but watch out for the holiday season. All shipping gets slooooower.
posted on October 28, 2004 12:13:11 PM new
I offer both Media Rate & Priority shipping to buyers. 9 times out of 10 they choose Media rate (I do say in my auctions how long the two rates take).
Magazine sales can be erratic if you don't have something really special.
I do find that sports books generally do well. And "non-mainstream" sports do especially well. I had quite a bidding war a few months back for a Lacrosse book.
I also find that books do a lot better when you take the time to list chapters or describe contents.
And finally: be accurate in your description of the book's condition. You don't have to use professional terms, but do describe condition of cover, tightness of binding, any marks or dog-earred pages, etc.
____________________
"Bad temper is its own scourge. Few things are more bitter than to feel bitter. A man's venom poisons himself more than his victim." --Charles Buxton
posted on October 28, 2004 02:05:37 PM new
Buy your own shipping supplies and factor the cost into the shipping fees - you'll get more bids, the buyers will pay less -- it's simple and everybody is happy.
posted on October 28, 2004 02:48:26 PM new
buy padded envelope or jiffy bags in bulk,they are not that expensive.
parrothead sells on ebay or email him at
[email protected]
i buy my tapes from him,he has been selling on ebay for 10 years
-sig file -------Life is one big happy 'All You Can Eat' buffet .
posted on October 28, 2004 03:02:47 PM new
I use media mail almost exclusively, and it is a good idea to offer. Unless your book can fit in a flat rate priority mail envelope, a several pound package is a lot via priority mail, but much lower via media mail. Electronic tracking as some have said is only 13 cents, and is worth the expense. I don't ship domestically anymore unless I can track.
Also, just as a FYI, magazines will NOT qualify for media mail rate. That doesn't mean people don't do it, but it is against the rules. You could run into problems if a post office checks your packages.
Friends don't let Friends say stupid things like Friends don't let friends vote Republican!
posted on October 29, 2004 09:02:52 AM new
Though magazines do not qualify for media mail, I believe that they do qualify as "BOUND PRINTED MATTER". Usually just about the same price as media mail.
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong:
From usps.com:
----
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.
posted on October 30, 2004 08:36:35 PM new
The easiest, fastest and cheapest way I have found to wrap books is in corrugated cardboard. I can buy in 250 ft. rolls and from 12 -24 inches wide. I get the 18 inch wide. There is a business here that sells everything you need to pack with. I figure it costs around $.10 to .15 per book. Just cut it a little less than 1 inch longer than you need and cut the ends off just long enough to staple. First tape it shut length ways then staple 3 times on each end and cover the staples with tape. This saves the mail carrier's skin on the sharp staples. Most people who I mail books media mail to receive the book within 4 days. Priority mail is way to expensive for books. Here are some fast photos to show the wrapping in case my explanation is hard to understand.
posted on October 31, 2004 07:19:39 AM new
Hi Paws,
I use the same method but I dumpster dive for the product. Would you be so kind as to divulge your source? I would love to order it over the web and have it delivered to my home. It would save me some considerable time so I could list more products.
posted on October 31, 2004 03:30:08 PM new
miscelly...........
I don't know what shipping would be on the cardboard but here is the phone number. I am in Midland, Tx so that might tell you if the shipping would be high to your area.
posted on November 1, 2004 05:56:57 AM new
For all you smartypants out there: Magazines cannot be sent as bound printed matter either. Anything with advertising in it is not allowed as BPM. Or so my postal clerks tell me, and we know they are never wrong.
posted on November 1, 2004 06:33:06 AM new
Thank you Paws for the info. I will try to find that product in Southern California. I think that U-line would probably have it or have you ever looked for it on Ebay. I purchase my padded envelopes from a great source that saves me having to drive to my original source.
As far as magazines, I had been told by the post clerks where I mail, that I was to use Bounded Matter. Not a problem so far. And I do mention that shipping method in my listing info, so there we not be any surprises.
posted on November 1, 2004 07:21:31 AM new
Pelorus,
It's that items sent via Media Mail can't contain advertising.
Bound printed matter is just the opposite.
If you go to USPS.com and read the definition of "bound printed matter," it's a specific requirement that the "matter" being sent MUST contain advertising:
"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."
The definition is sort of convoluted, but BPM is basically the category for magazines and catalogs.
Popn - BPM has a limit of 15 lbs. per box. When I'm sending out complete years of my father's model railroading magazines, I go down to the local supermarket. The cashiers are always busting open boxes of plastic shopping bags. Those bags come in plain, brown cardboard, cube-type boxes - perfect size for one or two years of magazines, within the 15 lb. limit. Very clean - no writing on the box, just a sticker that peels off easily. I just need to cut dividers for the sides, to hold the magazines in the center of the box, and I also cut flat dividers to make wrapped bundles of each year of magazines.
If you know about BPM, it will give you an advantage in the market because most sellers on eBay don't know about it.
On big boxes that come near that 15 lb. limit, BPM is a big savings. I've sent boxes that were 14.5 - 14.8 lbs long distances for $5 or $6 and change.
With individual books, magazines, and videos, I buy padded mailers from Parrothead.
The other poster is right - it's not that expensive to buy in bulk from Parrothead. With the bigger mailers - for the 8 1/2 x 11 soft covers - I figure it costs about 70 cents a book; about 50 cents for the smaller mailers.
I buy a lot of books on eBay for my mother.
So I see what other sellers do, too. Most also use the padded mailers.
My experience has been that MM packages travel pretty fast these days. I think the delivery confirmation expedites them.
I'm in NYC, and I'm not far from LaGuardia Airport, so being in a major hub probably helps, too.
Most of my MM deliveries have been
arriving ahead of the schedule I get when I do the USPS calculator - not 5 to 7 days, but 3 or 4, to most points, including NYC to Texas and Florida. The one thing that does take a full week is NYC to points in California and Oregon, but 7 to 10 days seems to be the max for the cross-country deliveries, excluding LA, which gets there faster, probably because the PO is flying planes directly from here to there.
I've had only three people who asked for Priority Mail. Versus Media Mail, there wasn't that much of a difference on delivery time, but Media Mail is a big savings.
My BPM deliveries have taken a little longer - more like a week - and I think that's because they've been big, heavy boxes.
posted on November 2, 2004 12:18:33 PM new
<b>Miscellany</b>, I have located 'b' flute just bylooking at packaging materials in the yellow pages and calling.
In Texas, I hit the jackpot. Found a company in Abilene that made weekly deliveries to our small town.
Here in AZ, my husband found a place called "Discount Packaging". Nicest business people I have met here. It seems more expensive than in Texas, but I haven't bought any in probably a year and a half.
To me, it is the easiest way. I never liked boxes. Somehow my books never fit into whatever box I had.
I do wish I had one of those great staplers. I found one at the GW, but when I got home, I realized the spring thingey that holds the staples in has the end broken off.
I do miss dumpster diving, though. I am a little afraid to try it here in AZ.
