posted on November 3, 2006 10:06:22 AM new
Hey guys,
In previous threads, people have mentioned a media mail shipping service offered by USPS, but I can't find any info. about it now (I think something like "bag" was included in the name of this service...does that ring a bell for anyone?).
Also, I just bought a book from a seller in the UK, and it looks like the shipping is going to be a fortune, since the book is heavy. Does anyone know if someone from the UK can ship a book to me in the US at a media mail rate?...I don't care if it takes several weeks to arrive from the UK.
posted on November 3, 2006 10:18:43 AM new
Intl MBAG,the postal clerk will go to the back office and bring out a green canvas bag and put the books in the bag for you.
You'll have to cut and paste because I'm still too dumb to remember how to post live link here.
Did you ask your UK seller about the possibilty of media shipping? That's probably what I would do. I would also be prepared for a response of "sorry, but I can only ship as noted in the listing" because even if such a service exists, the seller may not wish to offer it to you. For whatever reasons.
posted on November 3, 2006 05:28:53 PM new
For sending one book at a time, an MBag may not be feasible. And as far as I've ever heard, there's no such thing as international media mail. Closest thing to it would be slow boat to China (economy surface rate).
posted on November 6, 2006 11:04:35 AM new
Thanks so much for all the helpful info., guys. One more question--how do I find out how much mail sent via the M-bag costs? I can't find any info. on the USPS website, nor did I find any when I did a simple Google search. Is it a flat rate?
posted on November 6, 2006 11:19:29 AM new
http://ircalc.usps.gov/intl_bulk_speed.asp?CID=12268
THIS IS FROM USPS WEBSITE UNDER INT SHIPPING-VOLUME MAILING,
MINIMUM WEIGHT IS 11 LBS,YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR 11 LBS .
posted on November 6, 2006 11:36:31 AM new
My brother in England sends me books by "paper rate", it is cheaper, but does take a long time, and a few have got lost. Here in Canada, there is no such thing as media rate.
posted on November 6, 2006 02:35:52 PM new
I ship a lot of big lots of books on Ebay, and ship via MBag overseas quite frequently. A very good rule of thumb is basically that MBag, virtually to any international destination, is almost exactly $1 per pound of actual weight. Sometimes it wavers very slightly, but I don't think I have ever seen it vary more than maybe 10% from that rule. At times, a 40 pound box of books will cost $35-$40 to ship, depending on where it's going.
SOME OTHER POINTS TO REMEMBER: (1) MBag can take 6-12 WEEKS to arrive, so be aware of that. I have even had a few take longer.
(2) Don't ship MBag to Canada, regardless of weight-- Surface Mail to Canada is just as cheap or cheaper than MBag and takes less time to arrive.
(3) Usually, don't ship MBag any package weighing 4 pounds or less. If the package weighs less than 4 pounds, it can go via "Letter Post" Surface rate to any country for the same or less cost than MBag. MBag is great for large quantities of books, not so great for small quantities.
[ edited by kshoops on Nov 6, 2006 02:37 PM ]
