Am I the only one worried US media mail will get eliminated in near future?

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by 12" 45rpm, Mar 30, 2021.

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  1. Combination

    Combination Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Orleans

    It's insured to $50 automatically, not $100. You have to kick in extra if you want insurance beyond $50.
     
  2. ScramMan2

    ScramMan2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland OR

    What a joke. It didn't get picked up until today.

    Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 7:40 AM PDT

    F*** FedEx home and the horse they rode in on.

    From now on I'm going to look for a FedEx drop box near me. They get picked up every night around 6. If they still have those around. Maybe DeJoy plucked them up also.
     
  3. torcan

    torcan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    I don't understand why shipping internationally from the US has been so expensive the past few years. I'm more of a 45 buyer. At one time I could order several 45s from a seller and only pay about $4 shipping for the whole thing. Since about 2014 or so, it now costs several times that - sometimes for just two or three records. I don't get why it has to be so high.

    I'm also pissed at how much it costs from the "Global Shipping Center". I don't know why that has to be so high. You'd figure if they made it more competitive with regular postal rates they'd actually get more business. In recent years I've hardly ordered anymore, but if it's something I've been looking for I'll take the occasional plunge and eat the (unreasonable) shipping.

    Why can't more sellers just use the post office (which is still cheaper) rather than the Global Shipping Center? You'd certainly get more repeat business if you used the cheaper shipping option for international orders.
     
  4. quicksrt

    quicksrt Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Canada is so close to the US, that it made sense to keep the cost low. It is almost not international shipping it is so close. At some point, the USPS decided that raising postage costs was a way to keep the system floating. And I guess they decided that Canada would be priced more in line with other more distant countries.
    Because with internationally shipped orders there is much less protection for the seller. Without a signature or true delivery confirmation, all a buyer has to do is tell PayPal it never arrived, and the seller is out of that item and the HIGH shipping cost they eat as well. With orders sent within the US there is cheap delivery confirmation that will protect a seller if the item says delivered even if the buyer says not.

    The Global Shipping Center arrangement takes the risk off of the seller, but costs the buyer so much.

    You seem to not be aware that most sellers cannot afford to lose some of their items + the outrageous shipping costs if the buyer says it never arrived. And that some buyers do know how to grab an istem for free, and know pp will get them their money back nearly instantly if they claim item not received. Or the fact that sellers have no protection unless they get signature confirmation. Even Registered Mail which is expensive, and the most secure, does not protect the seller if buyer shows up at the post office, shows their ID, signs on the line, picks up the package (all on camera), goes home, and claims they never got it. Paypal will not bother calling a post office in France or Italy and try and see the signature. They want a proof of delivery that shows up online. Most con artists will not show up and show ID at the post office with a camera on them and then claim they package must have gotten lost. But Paypal is all the seller cares about and paypal does not care about Registered mail that was signed for when delivered to buyer.

    I hope this made sense, and clarifies the issues with international sent packages. For sellers, it is very high risk unless online tracking is paid for, or that outrageous Global Shipping Center is utilized.

    International Priority Mail has tracking, but again high price for that. You would not want to pay that either.
     
    SJP likes this.
  5. Quakerism

    Quakerism Lean into what frightens you.

    Location:
    Rural Pennsylvania
    If Media Mail does get scrubbed, then I’ll have to evaluate my participation in the classifieds. By the time I figure in costs of quality shipping materials, record cleaning supplies, new covers and sleeves, transportation costs and assorted other costs of sharing vinyl as a hobby.....I already lose money on a $3.45 average Media Mail charge. I guess I’ll jump that ditch when I come to it. I can sell most premium vinyl I come across through local networking and there would be no paper trail to follow. I wonder if money transfer systems would take a serious hit if this comes to pass?
     
  6. AlmanacZinger

    AlmanacZinger Zingin'

    Location:
    The Land of Zaat
    Books especially. Media mail has been a God Send for me in that regard.
     
  7. giantleech

    giantleech Lord of all fevers and plagues

    That, too.
     
  8. torcan

    torcan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    It's just a shame that honest people like me are indirectly penalized because of this. I would be ordering more if fewer people used this process.

    I certainly never leave any feedback for anyone who goes thru the Global Shipping Center.
     
    McLover likes this.
  9. quicksrt

    quicksrt Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Yeah, and too bad honest sellers have been taken for an expensive ride as well. It's one thing to lose your item, and kiss it goodbye, but to lose $50 to $90 shipping costs really sprinkles salt into the wound.
     
    McLover likes this.
  10. ScramMan2

    ScramMan2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland OR
    I know how to get around this now. It's never going to happen again. From now on unless the customer gives me a UPS or FedEx account number I'll be all USPS. Media Mail included. It's not going away.

    Nice that the customer can't even give me a simple thank you.

    Life goes on.
     
    Quakerism likes this.
  11. InStepWithTheStars

    InStepWithTheStars It's a miracle, let it alter you

    Location:
    North Carolina
    Due to vehicle troubles and being unable to get to my usual post office during their increasingly narrow hours, I mailed some CDs recently using a different USPS branch which didn't offer media mail. The options were about $1.80 for (I forget what the shipment type was called) or $9 for Priority. Went with the cheaper one. Three days later they all showed up in my mailbox. The actual cost of postage was $3, so they were returned for insufficient postage. The clerk said there wouldn't be an issue. Well, there was. I had to mail them from my normal post office later on. Fortunately they only charged me the difference, they didn't charge me the full amount (which, after previous experiences at this particular post office, I was expecting). This clerk said that the other branch had no clue what they were doing and that this was not an uncommon occurrence.

    I dunno. All I can say is that if I have to either start charging $9 for postage to a town 40 miles away, or take the same package to the post office twice in order to pay the correct postage, I'm done selling. And it will be real interesting if buying internationally ends up saving money on shipping. 90% of what I want is not in the US, anyway. On the plus side, this kind of thing could potentially cure my OCD by turning the hobby I love into a constant headache. Although that's not really a good thing either, this hobby is one of my favorite things about being alive and that's quite pathetic.
     
  12. SJP

    SJP Forum Resident

    Location:
    Anaheim
    @InStepWithTheStars , I hate hearing that you are feeling this way about shipping and this hobby in general. I have some advice that might help.

    First of all, your clueless postal outlet appears to have originally charged you the letter rate based on weight. Unfortunately, CDs are not machinable and therefore must be sent the package rate. I'm glad they only hit you up for the difference.

    From there, a payment made to you via PayPal for goods & services will allow for the purchase and printing of labels at home. Furthermore, you can apparently click a button and arrange for home pick-up of your packages. I've never done the latter because I happen to have a competent post office about a mile from home. Also of importance is that the PayPal shipping rates for first class mail are discounted, just as eBays rates are when purchasing labels online. Media mail is not discounted.

    If someone pays you via PayPal friends & family, no label option pops up so you would have to go to a post office to mail your package. I've heard of work-arounds but haven't needed to bother with that.

    Keep in mind that to send the average CD via first class mail, the pricing is regional AND weight based. Sending a CD within your region might be as low as $3.02 (in my experience, 4 ounces to CA) and seems to top out at $3.93 to go across country in a 5-8 ounce range. Media mail pricing is not regional so you are looking at $2.89 for up to a pound (current rates, of course).

    Hope this helps. You may not even be looking at selling a lot in the future but in the event something comes up that you choose to part with, this might help you to dial in the shipping part of the equation.
     
    InStepWithTheStars likes this.
  13. InStepWithTheStars

    InStepWithTheStars It's a miracle, let it alter you

    Location:
    North Carolina
    Thanks. Provided shipping costs don't jump up in the future, this sounds like it might be the way to go.
     
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