Media Medley Blog

As of May 14th, there will be 3 types of First Class mail.

1. First Class Letters (under 3.5 oz).
2. First Class Flats (13 oz and less).
3. First Class Parcel (6 oz to 13 oz).

First Class Letters are merely standard envelopes with a piece of paper, or two, in them.

Many sellers hope to ship First Class Flats due to the lower postage rates, but Paypal has ruled that option out with their Delivery Confirmation requirement of sellers.

A seller will be able to purchase Delivery Confirmation from USPS ONLY on First Class Parcel packages.
See: http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/ratesandfees.htm#wp1054032 (scroll down to Confirmation services)

Because DC is required of ebay sellers by Paypal (to be covered under the Seller Protection Policy), and USPS will only sell DC on First Class Parcel, the First Class Parcel is the method that Ebay Sellers should most likely use.

So, what if you are a seller that doesn’t use Delivery Confirmation? Can you use the First Class Flats shipping method?

Maybe, IF the envelope is shaped rectangular and the size is within the dimensions allowed.
See: http://www.usps.com/mailpro/2007/janfeb/page7.htm

HOWEVER if any of the following applies to your packages, it can NOT ship via First Class Flat:
http://pe.usps.com/RateCase2007/Notice123_PDF/Notice123.pdf

a. Has an aspect ratio (length divided by height) of less than 1.3 or more than 2.5.
b. Is polybagged, polywrapped, or enclosed in any plastic material.
c. Has clasps, strings, buttons, or similar closure devices.
d. Contains items (such as pens, pencils, or loose keys or coins) that cause the thickness of the mailpiece to be uneven (see 601.11.18, Odd-Shaped Items in Paper Envelopes).
e. Is too rigid (does not bend easily when subjected to a transport belt tension of 40 pounds around an 11-inch diameter turn).
f. For pieces more than 4-1/4 inches high or 6 inches long, the thickness is less than 0.009 inch.
g. Has a delivery address parallel to the shorter dimension of the mailpiece.
h. Self-mailers with a folded edge perpendicular to the address if the piece is not folded and secured according to 3.13.1, Folded Self-Mailer.

i. Booklet-type pieces with the bound edge (spine) along the shorter dimension of the piece or at the top, unless prepared according to 3.13.

Make a mistake in which category of First Class Mail to use, or ship a size that is smaller than the minimum dimensions allowed for each category, and there is a strong possibility the package will arrive with Priority Mail postage due. By the way, Priority Mail has some rate hikes, too. However, sellers can minimize the effects of the Priority Mail rate increase with a clear understanding of the new system. The US Domestic Priority Mail Shipping Poster at Media Medley is highly recommended to quickly grasp the knowledge that’ll speed your shipping efforts to success.

Simply put, CDs with punch holes in the UPC have been written off the financial books of their original music label companies. These CDs are no longer counted as NEW CDs, are not tallied in the record label’s sales, nor are the sales data sent to Soundscan, the data source of the Billboard charts.

When the record labels decide the selling cycle of a CD title is over, and wish to liquidate the remaining stock, the agreement the record labels and distributors often requires that the CD packaging be defaced in some way. Because the distributor wants some funds from their liquidation purchase, the music disc itself is purposely unmarked. The defacing of the music CDs can include punch holes or inking through the UPC. Or it can be a saw cut through an edge of the CD case, or a drill hole through the case and inserts. On more rare times, the corner of the front inserts can be cut away.

If the CDs retain their original seal, then these are CDs that have never been played. Media Medley attempts to be careful in not grading these as NEW, though. Our website will list them as Sealed. You’ll know NEW music CDs by their high prices since their sales must support a whole industrial juggernaut.

Every CD sold by Media Medley is sold at a deep discount and has its condition clearly marked on the page where it is listed for sale.