CLIFF NOTES
1) Wanted to ship game wrapped in bubble wrap Media Mail
2) Postal worker said computer games don't qualify, and neither does bubble wrap
3) Postal manager said they do.
4) I saved $2 over parcel post
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I swear, I have the worst luck with postal employees.
I go to mail a copy of Half-Life 2 that I sold that I had wrapped in bubble wrap and put in a box. Stand in line and when I get to the front ask the worker how much to send the package. She give me a list for Priority and Parcel Post. Both were $4+.
Didn't want to pay that much, so I asked how much Media Mail was. With a slightly suspicious look on her face she asks me what was in the box. I told her it was a computer game. Her reply was that games did not qualify for Media Mail unless they were "educational". I of course disagreed and asked her to show me the regulations for Media Mail.
The document she produced did cover what items were acceptable, and sure enough "precorded computer media" was right there on the bottom. She insisted that because one of the allowed items was educational board games, that since my game was not "educational" it didn't qualify. Bringing up the point that my item only had to meet *ONE* of the items, it didn't need to be an educational item, 16mm film, book, etc - just the computer media. She give up on that point.
Then she decides to inspect my packing job. Asking what else was in the box I replied, "bubble wrap". She then informs me that bubble wrap is not allowed to be sent with media mail items. Only padded envelopes can be used. Again I ask her to verify this. She responds with a document saying "newspaper used as packing material cannot weigh over 1lb". Since the bubble wrap I use is neither newspaper or heavier than 1lb, I tell her she is just making stuff up.
She gets even more upset at this point and runs to grab her manager. He comes back and pulls out the DMM (or something). After spending 10 minutes looking through this book, he tells her nothing says that a computer game shipped in bubble wrap doesn't qualify, and to let me ship the package. She of course didn't say a word to me while she finished my transaction.
Silly maybe? I only saved $2, but it was kinda fun to try and make this lady prove herself. Still can't figure out why she made such a big deal out of it..... oh well!
1) Wanted to ship game wrapped in bubble wrap Media Mail
2) Postal worker said computer games don't qualify, and neither does bubble wrap
3) Postal manager said they do.
4) I saved $2 over parcel post
-----------------------------------------------------------
I swear, I have the worst luck with postal employees.
I go to mail a copy of Half-Life 2 that I sold that I had wrapped in bubble wrap and put in a box. Stand in line and when I get to the front ask the worker how much to send the package. She give me a list for Priority and Parcel Post. Both were $4+.
Didn't want to pay that much, so I asked how much Media Mail was. With a slightly suspicious look on her face she asks me what was in the box. I told her it was a computer game. Her reply was that games did not qualify for Media Mail unless they were "educational". I of course disagreed and asked her to show me the regulations for Media Mail.
The document she produced did cover what items were acceptable, and sure enough "precorded computer media" was right there on the bottom. She insisted that because one of the allowed items was educational board games, that since my game was not "educational" it didn't qualify. Bringing up the point that my item only had to meet *ONE* of the items, it didn't need to be an educational item, 16mm film, book, etc - just the computer media. She give up on that point.
Then she decides to inspect my packing job. Asking what else was in the box I replied, "bubble wrap". She then informs me that bubble wrap is not allowed to be sent with media mail items. Only padded envelopes can be used. Again I ask her to verify this. She responds with a document saying "newspaper used as packing material cannot weigh over 1lb". Since the bubble wrap I use is neither newspaper or heavier than 1lb, I tell her she is just making stuff up.
She gets even more upset at this point and runs to grab her manager. He comes back and pulls out the DMM (or something). After spending 10 minutes looking through this book, he tells her nothing says that a computer game shipped in bubble wrap doesn't qualify, and to let me ship the package. She of course didn't say a word to me while she finished my transaction.
Silly maybe? I only saved $2, but it was kinda fun to try and make this lady prove herself. Still can't figure out why she made such a big deal out of it..... oh well!
