USPS Media Mail

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by The_Shocker, Jul 27, 2020.

  1. giantleech

    giantleech Lord of all fevers and plagues

    Aaaaaannnndddd Media Mail has gone up $0.12 a pop (from $3.33 to $3.45) for your everyday normal LP package weighing in at up to 2.0 pounds or less.

    Don't get me started on the skyrocketing international rates.
     
  2. Joseph.McClure

    Joseph.McClure Forum Resident

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    I mailed a CD media rate and it went from $2.80 to $2.89 (not that I'm complaining).
     
  3. giantleech

    giantleech Lord of all fevers and plagues

    Yes, Media Mail at 0.1 to 8.0 ounces jumped $0.09. Turning up the heat on the frog in the pot incrementally each and every year (though they're wasting no time and giving the frog the blowtorch treatment with international rates, it seems.)
     
  4. ScramMan2

    ScramMan2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland OR
    Well at least we had the Holidays to watch media mail stall from coast to coast.

    Now we get to pay more for the privilege!
     
    fluffskul likes this.
  5. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    If you can just be patient, you'll actually be "paying for the privilege" of watching those problems actually get closer to solved. Those who already paid for the privilege of getting people to screw up the Postal Service, had their shot.

    I know, it's a hit on your change purse that you're going to have to fork over another whole nine cents, but don't forget, if you didn't want Media Mail to be the lowest priority of all the problems you'd be facing with your deliveries this past year, but you are aware that the USPS has other, bigger issues to iron out first, right? You can't be so obsessed with how much it costs to get a rekkid from here to there, that you can be oblivious to the sorting issues, the management issues, and the pension-funding issues that have already been put into Mr. Zip's bag, which have to be sorted-out first.

    Yes, I know, that nine cents could have paid for one more bite of a Clark Bar, but now you have to pay it to fund the one institution in the country that isn't a for-profit courier who takes their profits and funds people in charge who really don't care about the deliveries at all. Or, maybe you can just be happy with the rekkids you already have that you can listen to, while the rest of us watch your problems get solved in the order in which the need solved. Can't you, for once in your life, put your needs into the perspective of what the rest of your neighbors need in their mailboxes?
     
    grouploner, Russ Lee and Alan G like this.
  6. _cruster

    _cruster Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tacoma, WA
    I'd be a lot more comfortable with the price increases if service times hadn't simultaneously tripled.
     
  7. jhw59

    jhw59 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Rehoboth Beach DE.
    I'll be selling some discs in the near future but I won't be using media mail as I don't want my buyers to wait forever for their merchandise.
     
  8. giantleech

    giantleech Lord of all fevers and plagues

    Why not offer the option of either media mail or 1st class? Many customers appreciated having the option to either receive items quickly or save money (on shipping costs) that they can maximize and spend those savings on shipping cots elsewhere.
     
    cwitt1980 likes this.
  9. wza97

    wza97 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northern Virginia
    The deliberate sabotage is frustrating. I ordered something from Arlington, Virginia, probably less than 5 miles from here (no pickup option). I'm thinking this can't take more than a couple days. Maybe it won't, but somehow it's in Greensboro, NC today. Makes sense.
     
  10. Rorsontherun

    Rorsontherun Forum Resident

    Location:
    Uruguay
    Luckily my package (Which had been in transit since April 17 in New Orleans) appeared in the Jersey Distribution Center.
    I hope it arrives safely to the state of Florida
     
  11. rjh_54

    rjh_54 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Still waiting on a media mail package that I ordered two weeks ago from the next state over from me. It was last scanned as having departed the post office it was dropped off at on April 26.
     
  12. bresna

    bresna Senior Member

    Location:
    York, Maine
    I had a discogs seller claim that they shipped a single CD via Media Mail on April 5th. I still haven't received any tracking info or any replies to my queries for an update so I opened a ticket. I am giving the seller another few days before I try to get my money back from the seller (via PayPal). If this doesn't work, it'll be the first time a discogs sales went sour.
     
  13. cwitt1980

    cwitt1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    Carbondale, IL USA
    Well they probably did. I've had that issue. Someone bought a cd from the store I work at and it's been about a month. It'd be a coincidence if it's you! (plazarecords1, by the way). Granted, this was very common months ago. It's still happening. Anyways, I strongly suggest that you don't blame the seller. Ask them if they know anything. Certainly if they don't respond or react in a negative way, then putting their store in jeopardy is something you can consider.

    Honestly what I've seen since Christmas is probably a 'new normal' for the post office. They don't care. I see Media Mail get to places within days (like three sometimes). I see First Class being handled like it is Media Mail. I'm starting to not even see a point of difference with mailing a cd First Class or Media. They take about as long. The thing I notice is where stuff goes. Certain centers just gather it up and those packages just sit. If you're lucky, your package doesn't travel that way. It'd be great if someone started an ongoing updated app of crappy USPS centers holding up mail.


    Edit: I reread your post. They should at the very least have tracking. That's just ignorant that they don't.
     
    GentleSenator likes this.
  14. Joseph.McClure

    Joseph.McClure Forum Resident

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    Did they at least give you a tracking #?
     
  15. cwitt1980

    cwitt1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    Carbondale, IL USA
    I agree. Or at least it appears they will get it more quickly. I'm not sure about you, Leech, but I feel like there's no difference with Media or 1st Class mail anymore. Have you had this experience with shipping times?
     
  16. PaulSmt

    PaulSmt Member

    Location:
    USA
    Our government wanted to encourage the distribution of things related to art, which is why media mail is so cheap.
     
    fluffskul likes this.
  17. quicksrt

    quicksrt Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Reading and education actually. It was once called "Book Rate" in fact.
     
    fluffskul, Dave and chazz101s like this.
  18. PaulSmt

    PaulSmt Member

    Location:
    USA
    Our government wanted to encourage the distribution of things related to art, which is why media mail is so cheap. However, I use priority mail because I value time more than money. In general, I now use only DHL. The main advantage of this type of delivery is that you can track the location of your parcel using Sendungsverfolgung Post/. This is a great solution, because thanks to it you can feel at ease. In the end, you know that it will definitely be delivered to you. Good luck to you! I hope I helped you.
     
  19. Rmbottojr

    Rmbottojr Forum Resident

    Location:
    New England
    I’ve had good luck with media mail speed lately, but I probably just jinxed myself
     
  20. Riktator

    Riktator Surfer of the Audio Waves

    Location:
    Pugetropolis
    When I occasionaly sell some items on Ebay, I always use priority mail. I always list a reasonable starting price, so figure that the extra cost of postage paid by the buyer isn't a gouge and gets them their item faster, while I get tracking, insurance, and satisfaction that it should get there promptly. I had a potential buyer message me whining about the cost of shipping, blah, blah, blah, and would I consider media mail. Okay, I made the adjustment and offered it as a second option. The jerk didn't even bid. The ultimate buyer chose media mail, then bitched because it took so long. Go figure. Now, if you want what I got, pony up for the priority mail.
     
  21. Chee

    Chee Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver
    Priority mail used when media is available on an item is a joke. You get tracking on media.
     
    chazz101s likes this.
  22. Riktator

    Riktator Surfer of the Audio Waves

    Location:
    Pugetropolis
    Damn...lost another potential buyer...
     
  23. Ken Dryden

    Ken Dryden Forum Resident

    Use media mail at your own risk, literally. A seller is under no obligation to replace or refund damaged, stolen or lost purchases sent by media mail.

    Using media mail, I sold one CD that bounced around for a couple of months last year in tracking, then eventually was returned to me as a torn open, empty padded envelope, in a sealed USPS bag, with a sticker noting how it was received at some point. I had no claim without insurance.

    I made the mistake of shipping a box to Myrtle Beach, SC, with $50 of CDs, returning them to a vendor without insurance. They took 42 days to get from East Tennessee to their destination.

    I received an order from the same vendor recently, sent media mail without insurance. The postal carrier rang my doorbell and handed me an obviously wet carton, with one corner partially torn open. It was obvious once I opened it that it had sat in a puddle for some time, probably due to some idiot leaving a bin of packages out in the rain during loading or unloading. The bottom CD, which was still sealed, had a soaked tray card. I told him that I wanted insurance on future orders, which I will gladly pay for. Even $50 of insurance is likely to encourage better handling.

    Decades ago when I managed a jewelry catalog showroom, the home office in Houston sent jewelry in large boxes, never insured for over $1000. The only one that was ever stolen during my tenure was when somebody at another store transferred a $500 gold chain and stupidly put it into a padded envelope instead of a box. When my assistant manager signed for it, he didn't look over the package and after the carrier had departed, he realized someone had slit it and it was empty. We couldn't file a claim because of his failure to check it.

    I no longer ship on Discogs without insurance, if a potential buyer is upset, too bad. I am not eating the cost of refunding a purchase and shipping due to the gross incompetence of some USPS employees. Selling music is just to help me downsize certain things from my collection or to eliminate duplications or titles that I have upgraded, I am not a high volume dealer who can write off the business expense for goodwill.
     
  24. Chee

    Chee Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver
    I just sent some records at 9 pounds 14 ounces media mail a thousand miles $8.86......took 6 days....imagine 9 pounds 14 ounces priority cost. Rip city.
     
  25. R. Totale

    R. Totale The Voice of Reason

    Simply not true.
     
    SJP likes this.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine