Quote:
Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks
I know the "other" you are talking about, but there is no way I could have guessed the rate/amount while standing there. Yes, of course, had I been prepared I probably could have looked it up before I left the house. This is what I should have done. But nooooo, I stood there and dithered and then just drove to the other PO. I have to mail another book next Wed or Thurs. I may weigh it ahead of time so that I can possibly sneak through with this very good idea of yours.
I used to mail books a lot, but I do most of that sort of thing via ebook these days. I may go prepared and give it a shot and see if it gets kicked back for having media mail on it without being done at the desk. I know I asked about it once and the guy told me they had to verify (by asking) that the item was a book/dvd/cd and a kick back anything that didn't pass visual inspection. By this I guess if you try to mail a 20 pound "book" they might refuse.
But hey, it's a great idea. Thanks.
|
If you have the means to weigh your package at home (and a computer and printer), you can use printable postage from home and skip the line at the post office. I do this all the time through
PaperBack Swap.
Since USPS doesn't have the option to print Media Mail postage from their website, you'd have to use another service. I've used
PayPal's shipping in the past. While it works with a number of label printers (though label printers require Java
), you can print shipping labels, including Media Mail, using plain paper with a normal printer.
Using pre-printed postage lets you avoid the USPS 13 oz. rule, which requires packages 13+ oz. with stamps to be handed to a USPS employee to be mailed. With pre-printed postage you can drop the package in a mailbox or if it's too large, into the parcel bin at the post office.
IIRC, PayPal charges a small fee, but it's reasonable. I also think that some online postage is discounted. I know that sometimes PaperBack Swap's postage including fees ends up being the same or slightly cheaper than what it would cost to use stamps. YMMV