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."
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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.
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Michelle
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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.
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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.
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
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 ) but I don't think they should be so strict as to not be able to incluse a receipt or a card.
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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. 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. The more I think about it, the more I am pretty sure that happened- b/c I only spent $6.
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.
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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
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.
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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.
and Sam, 8 
) but I don't think they should be so strict as to not be able to incluse a receipt or a card.
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. 
The more I think about it, the more I am pretty sure that happened- b/c I only spent $6.
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