http://www.messenger-inquirer.com/news/kentucky/7324895.htm

My SIL had told me about this, but I'd not seen any press releases on it yet. The link above is to a local paper in my area. I'm not sure you can read it as you have to subscribe for free, so if you can't see it & don't want to subscribe to it, let me know. Here are a just a few quotes from the article.

"Packages being mailed at the low-cost media mail rate through the U.S. Postal Service will get past the counter unopened. But before those hit the mail trucks en route to destinations, many will be opened and searched to ensure all items enclosed meet the strict criteria for media mail."

"Typically, media mail postage is about half the price of regular parcel post. Books, periodicals, printed tests and their accessories; educational charts, videos, 16-millimeter or narrower film, music in printed form or on tape or compact disc; and loose leaf medical information with or without binders are considered media mail."

"On the first day of the random inspections in Kentucky, a package was discovered that contained facial creams and another box contained videos with a personal card included, she said.
The videos were sent at the media mail rate, but the package was sent postage due 37 cents for first class postage for the card, she said.
"Customers should write on the outside of the package that there is first class mail enclosed, so the proper rates can be charged," Hale said. She said a small note can be included with media mailings without additional charges, but not letters or cards or other nonmedia mail items."

they have been doing this here for the last 3 months.

I wonder if this happened to me. I mailed two books to a mama here in one package. When it arrived, only one book was in it. Upon closer inspection, there was a tear in it that had been retaped carefully enough not to be noticed initially. I mean all were books but I wonder if someone needed/wanted to one that was missing. That sucks. But, I suppose it sucks more that people are abusing it.

Originally posted by Rainedazze
they have been doing this here for the last 3 months.

They've been doing it here for a while also. I'm shocked that the press here is just now printing an article about it. My SIL told me when she first started at my post office back in March/April. So I've been careful about what & how I send things. She'd have no bones about opening one of my packages if she thought I sent something one way when it should be another, even if I wasn't family.

I'm glad you posted this. I had no idea. I'm the mom who got the package with the missing book and I really didn't suspect it had been opened at first, but I bet this is exactly what happened. :(

they have had a sign posted at our PO (for about 3 months) that they will be checking media mail packages as well as opening any packages that they suspect might be priority mail or express mail packaging turned inside out.

That's really crappy that they can open your mail.

But I have to admit, I would have never considered a card in with a bunch of books would cause you to have to pay a higher rate.

Originally posted by JodiM
That's really crappy that they can open your mail.

But I have to admit, I would have never considered a card in with a bunch of books would cause you to have to pay a higher rate.

Anything to make more money... Like they don't get enough as it is. My SIL makes a lil over $40,000 a year sitting in a post office basically not doing much of anything. I know from time to time, she has to do 'something' but she'll admit that it's not that hard work. She has a very small post office also, so there's not much to do. She's been keeping herself busy by painting & rearranging things. I know the bigger offices they do earn their money, but in ones like ours, I think she's over paid!

I got a package a week ago from a mama here, she sent me 5 or 6 vegetarian cookbooks, the envelop was torn (obviously by human hand) and arrived stamped with "Delivered without content" and all the books are gone :(

She sent them media mail and there were only the books in there.
And now it's a big pain to fill out all of their 10 thousand forms to try to get the books back :mad:

They've been doing the media mail check here since a few months. I think it's good because they was so much abuse (I received boy's clothes sent media mail :rolleyes: ) but I don't think they should be so strict as to not be able to incluse a receipt or a card.

I had 2 envelopes with books, and one with a video and 2 pair of boys pants wrapped around it to protect it. I asked them to stamp it fragile since there was a video tape in it. I was thinking about it later, that I got out of the post office pretty cheap. I had all 4 kids with me and they were screaming and going crazy and dumping the 2 year old over in the stroller.:juggle: The more I think about it, the more I think that they may have gotten mailed media mail! I need to find my receipt I guess.
:confused: The more I think about it, the more I am pretty sure that happened- b/c I only spent $6.

hhmmmm-

Kathy

Yeah I think they are doing this because so many people abuse Media mail. To me that's the worsed part of it all.

Ive never abused Media mail ever. Im also glad I never abused the priority mail bags. Actually I almost always find my own packaging even if it's going priority mail. I just dont plan ahead enough I guess.

To me it is disgusting that things are missing, especially when it's an ebay thing or something how can you prove you actually sent it all and some didn't get stolen at the PO?

The fact that they sent back a card! Give me abreak, so if you send someone a video for their birthday or something you have to send a card seperatly, that's bull cr*p. Oh, can you tell I'm irritated ;)

and the rest of us pay.

It's well within their right to ensure that their services are being used as they are advertised. But it does suck that things go missing, and that insurance on a package is basically worthless anymore due to abuse.

I'm guessing with the amount of shipping generated by online auctions - there has been a huge increase in people shipping inappropriately.

I'm glad to hear a small note can be included in media mail...I've done that lots of times.

Originally posted by Dancing~Giraffe
and the rest of us pay.

It's well within their right to ensure that their services are being used as they are advertised. But it does suck that things go missing, and that insurance on a package is basically worthless anymore due to abuse.

I'm guessing with the amount of shipping generated by online auctions - there has been a huge increase in people shipping inappropriately.

I'm glad to hear a small note can be included in media mail...I've done that lots of times.

what she said!! WE so need a "NAK" icon!!!

I didnt mean to say that it wasnt totally crappy about losing stuff.

Really the PO is all I have for mailing things since it's too expensive and more of a pain to use anything else so it just bugs me that people take advantage.

I wouldnt do business w/someone again if I knew they abused the PO.

I was informed a few months ago that all media mail pkgs are to be brought to the PO open so that they can see check the content. Apparently folks are sending items media mail to get the cheaper shipping, only the items being shipped are NOT media as defined by the USPS.

MEDIA for most folks' use would be books, magazines, pamphlets, CD's, DVD's, vhs and beta tapes, any audio or visual media, basically.

Originally posted by Stacy
magazines, . ]

AFAIK, Magazines are NOT considered media mail.

OH CRAP?! Then is VHS NOT media mail? I just sent a bunch this way today. I noticed it used to be "book rate" and was switched to "media," so I thought they'd actually moved along with technology (okay, at least a little).

They are so going to get checked, I just wrapped the tape in brown paper so it's totally obvious it is a video tape. Since when is video tape NOT media?

dumbass PO. I wish I could be done with them. :rolleyes:

Vidoes ARE considered media - so don't worry about that.

Books and magazines are NOT though - they are supposed to go "book rate" or "bound and printed material". It's higher than media, but not as high as parcel post, determined by zone.

Originally posted by Dancing~Giraffe
Vidoes ARE considered media - so don't worry about that.

Books and magazines are NOT though - they are supposed to go "book rate" or "bound and printed material". It's higher than media, but not as high as parcel post, determined by zone.

Really? I thought books were media.. lol opps..I wont be doing business with myself from now on!!! urgh!!!

ok now that's confusing!

I mean obviously clothing/diapers/jewerly are NOT media but I assumed books were. See what I get for ASSuming? :joker:

They always tell me that there's a possibility that they'll be opened and checked. I always reply that I don't care as long as it gets put back together properly and reaches the recipient without delay.

Erin

Originally posted by Dancing~Giraffe
Vidoes ARE considered media - so don't worry about that.

Books and magazines are NOT though - they are supposed to go "book rate" or "bound and printed material". It's higher than media, but not as high as parcel post, determined by zone.

They don't have "book rate" here anymore. If you say "book rate", they'll say "Oh that's called Media Mail now". Whatever works for them works for me!

Erin

Oh good, thank you. That article didn't say VHS/DVD...

Book rate is the old term for what the USPS now calls Media Mail. They're one and the same but Media Mail covers more forms of 'media' like VHS tapes, DVDs, etc. Thank goodness I live in a small town. I'd be more than livid if I had to bring all my Media Mail packages (over 50 a week) to the PO unopened!

This junk about them opening the packages and then the envelopes arriving with missing items is horse hockey. I wish there were other options for cheap shipping on light items. I hate monopolies :mad:

Books are allowed to be sent media mail:

from the usps web site:
Media MailŪ service is a cost efficient way to mail books, sound recordings, recorded video tapes, printed music, and recorded computer-readable media (such as CDs, DVDs, and diskettes). Media Mail can not contain advertising except for incidental announcements of books. The maximum weight for Media Mail is 70 lbs.

Originally posted by ~MamaCharly~
To me it is disgusting that things are missing, especially when it's an ebay thing or something how can you prove you actually sent it all and some didn't get stolen at the PO?

The fact that they sent back a card! Give me abreak, so if you send someone a video for their birthday or something you have to send a card seperatly, that's bull cr*p. Oh, can you tell I'm irritated ;)

Your PO receipt will prove that you sent items. It will have a zip code and a weight on it.

Jessica

Ok, so if I send something media mail it often takes forever and gets the *&%$ whipped out of it. Therefore, I tape them like crazy. Hmmm....I am should bring them unwrapped so they can see what is in them and then tape at the post office? I guess what is so frustrating is that I have to tape like crazy to protect my package but they either want to see it unwrapped or will open it and mess up all of my tape. Who really makes sure if it gets put back together properly? Can you tell I am a little frustrated? I have had many problems with my mail arriving intact and really have issues with them messing with it as I have not received on missing item that I reported. It is all so confusing. If the postal workers here weren't so rude and indifferent and treated my mail a little better I might be more understanding. Ugh! We dump a lot of money into mailing things and now have yet another opportunity for someone to "lose" an item.

Originally posted by MosaicMama
I'd be more than livid if I had to bring all my Media Mail packages (over 50 a week) to the PO unopened!

I'd be annoyed too, but not as much as the workers would be I mail quite a bit each week and I think if I showed up at the PO with all of my packages open they would probably shoot me.

I wish there were other options for cheap shipping on light items. I hate monopolies :mad:

:dito:

a couple of years ago i sent dh to the post office with $80 and A LOT of packages. i remember thinking it would be about $60 to ship them all. this was when we lived in a small town in texas and they had just hired their holiday help. one of the newbies checked dh at the counter and he told her, as always, cheapest method.

when he got home he told me it was only 20-something dollars. nice surprise but i thought i had just estimated wrong.

about a week later i was looking at the receipt for a customer when i saw every single package had been sent book rate :eek:! i just knew the feds were going to come get me but they never showed up, whew!

oy, i am glad i do my own postage now :p .

media mail is the old book rate. magazines do not go book rate, they go bound printed.

c/p from www.usps.com:


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bound Printed Matter

Description

The maximum weight for Bound Printed Matter is 15 pounds. Rates are based on weight, shape, and distance. The maximum size is 108 inches in combined length and distance around the thickest part.

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.


it is different than media mail (aka book rate), another c/p:

Media Mail (Book Rate)

Description

Used for books, film, manuscripts, printed music, printed test materials, sound recordings, play scripts, printed educational charts, loose-leaf pages and binders consisting of medical information, videotapes, and computer recorded media such as CD-ROMs and diskettes. Media Mail cannot contain advertising.

The maximum size is 108 inches in combined length and distance around the thickest part.

Mark each package "Media Mail" in the postage area.

About bad things happening to mail...the postal clerk once told me that the package should be able to withstand being dropped from her counter (and she demonstrated) or it's not fit for shipping. I try to keep that in mind when I am packaging and choosing between an insured parcel company or the USPS.

Erin :)