It depends on where you are tbh. We have a lot of customers who explicity ask us to never send anything via FedEx even if it’s the cheapest because in their area FedEx is slow, loses things, treats packages poorly, etc.
DHL in the past for us has been the best balance of speed and price. But if their speed has been getting worse lately and price isn’t a huge savings anymore it may be worth re-examining.
Fair enough. I think if you present fed ex with a reasonable deal and work it out, everyone will benefit. Problems with them seem to be the exception, not the rule.
That’s what’s silly too… on the link I provided, they don’t mention comics in the rules. It’s like they got mixed policies and rules on different pages where they need to combine them to make sure everything is aligned. 
At this level of governance, you’re no longer dealing with statutes or case law, you’re dealing with USPS administrative rules. It’s an important distinction because governmental agencies have broad latitude to interpret their own rules once promulgated without review of a court. So, in a sense, Poyo, you’re not wrong.
If my comics came with a flare, I would pay that rate.
I don’t think that’s the worst that happens. I got a letter from the US Postmaster General once for using Media Mail and just paying the difference when caught. They dinged me enough to notice. They were threatening some pretty heavy-handed consequences- i.e. a massive fine and a jail term I’m sure they had no intention of pursuing, but still scary. I’m no big-time seller. Imagine how pissed they’d be at TFAW.
Book publishers had a strong lobby when the rules were written. Comic book publishers did not,
If you read the free Priority Mail boxes and packaging they give you for free, they claim it is USPS property and must be used as described. I guess we should return all those used boxes after we open back to USPS, since they own them.
Need to take that TFAW out of the pile…
They can have that too if they’re really needing packing materials that badly.
What I think is funny is, when someone throws something into the trash and then it’s set out at the curb for pickup, it becomes public property right? Anyone can pick through and take legally. Police don’t have to get a search warrant… is the beaten up and used priority mail packaging still owned by USPS? It states that on the packaging. Is throwing it away a crime now? They certainly make it seem so.
I wouldn’t say illegal. I do not believe you’d get prosecuted. I believe if they discover you are in violation of usps policy they either send it back to you, hold it until the difference is paid, or charge the recipient COD.
No officer is going to show up at your door with an arrest warrant.
We can’t even get the police to show up for theft off our doorsteps now here in Austin. Anything that’s either a fine or small misdemeanor, they just don’t care anymore.
The postmaster general literally threatened to do this to me for using Media Mail. It happens.
The USPS also has arrest powers. They wouldn’t even need the police. Just a regional postal inspector.
I don’t understand why a seller would want to ship media mail anyways. It’s slow, unreliable, subject to inspection, and for some reason just ends up getting beat-up on the way here. Just not worth the cost saving. If the buyer wants it at their risk, then fine, but I hate when I’m charged first class postage and it is shipped media mail. Received a book shipped media mail today that was bent out of shape. Now the seller is going to lose money and I have to look for another book.
I use media mail for everything and have never had a problem, why would you think media mail would get beat up any more than any other package? It does take longer but I never care how long it takes to get a book typically and buyers seem to just want the most cost effective option.
Edit: by ‘everything’ I mean comic related stuff, trades, singles issues and hard covers. I use priority mail for slabs.
That’s where you’re wrong, just smoke a little something special and they will be sure to track you down immediately or even just be the ‘wrong’ skin color…
Not here in Austin…
