videogame shipping cheaper

[nesman85]

i was at the post office today to mail a box of games and the lady asked me what i was sending. i told her that they were games and she said that games and books get a special low price and it only costed me 1.86 to send it. :)

[norkusa]

Yeah, its called Media Mail and will probably take a month to be delivered (if it arrives at all).

[CrazyImpmon]

In my case, media mail usually are about the same as first class in term of speed. Rarely do I have anything take more than a week to any part of the lower 48 states.

The worst service I had with post office was not with media mail or anything expected, it was with Priority mail package. From Bowling Green, OH to my place, I should have gotten them easy in 2 days but the package ended up taking 15 days from post mark. :P

[ventrra]

The worst service I had with post office was not with media mail or anything expected, it was with Priority mail package. From Bowling Green, OH to my place, I should have gotten them easy in 2 days but the package ended up taking 15 days from post mark.

I've noticed that about stuff I've bought on eBay. From Detroit, MI to Muncie, IN takes 18 days by Priority Mail, 2 days by Media Mail.

I think the USPS should have a sign that says, "Priority Mail is NOT our priority" or something.

[spoon]

LMAO

yeah, I hear that one

"Priority mail?, throw it in that cart over there"

the cart has garabage pail stickers and other assorted 80's related stuff. Cobwebs, and other things that dont have a definition.

[Savedman]

I have found that prices for different items depend entirely on who you talk to on any given day. My town isn't all that big so I see the same people in there all the time but one guy told me that games CAN be shipped media rate and another guy told me that they can't. The next time I went in I got the same guy that told me that I can't get media rate so I told him that the package contained software and he said that was fine. Then others don't care at all what is in the package. They'll ship it whatever way you want and don't ask any questions!

I also have had no problem with media rate. Seems to take just as long as first class.

[Sylentwulf]

Depends where it's going, I live in the northeast, and things from texas, arizona, and california taske FOREVER to get here, especially by media mail., PA is the best state for me to get things from, they always get it here FAST.

[maxlords]

Well, the deal with Pirority is this:

The PO sets Priority Mail aside and sorts it separately. Usually, they'll have one or two people in a town of 20,000-30,000 and all they do all day is sort Priority Mail. Everyone else sorts regular mail and does other stuff.

Now, this would be very efficient, but over the last few years, more and more packages are getting sent via Priority Mail. Because the PO hasn't reallocated their resources, the same one or two people in a smaller town are still sorting ALL the Priority packages, and we're talking about a small roomful EVERY day, which as you might imagine, gets frustrating for only a couple people. It ends up that it takes longer to sort all the priority crap than it does to sort normal mail and it slows down the Priority shipping. Still, about 3/4 of Priority packages arrive on time, and not all that many arrive as late as you guys have had stuff show up. But you really have to consider the volume of packages that they are dealing with. And it depends on what routing center a package goes through whether it goes faster or slower. Because of the way the routing is done, I could get packages via Priority to my door faster from NYC to Oregon than I could from LA to Oregon. It's weird, but true...every time.

The prices, however, SHOULD be all the same, and if they're not, that's a problem with the POs, cause mine were always the same price for packages of the same size and weight going to the same area. There are price divisions done for size, weight, and zip code, as it costs a bit more to ship something to different Priority Zones, depending on the zone.

Hope that clears it up a bit! :)

[Achika]

Thank god for delivery confirmation.

[y-bot]

Videogames CAN be sent Media Mail. Anything can be sent media really if you just tell them it is software. You can also add Delivery Confirmation ($.55 instead of $.45) and insurance the same as Priority Mail. Here is what it says on the USPS website:

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.

Media Mail Rates

Weight not over (pounds) Rate
1 $1.42
2 1.84
3 2.26
4 2.68
5 3.10
6 3.52
7 3.94
8 4.24
9 4.54
10 4.84

I have had postal employees tell me wrong information many times. If they question your package take it back home and findthe right inormation on the USPS website, print it out and bring it with you. Works every time.

Y-bot

[hades]

I've noticed that about stuff I've bought on eBay. From Detroit, MI to Muncie, IN takes 18 days by Priority Mail, 2 days by Media Mail.

I think the USPS should have a sign that says, "Priority Mail is NOT our priority" or something.


I guess I'll bite... I worked at the Post office for a few months as a summer job waiting to go back to college and I can tell you for a fact. When the priority truck comes in, you drop what you're doing and go over and do priority. I've seen quite a few people get yelled at for still doing the other parcels instead of heading to the priority bins :-)