Shipping books through USPS Bound Printed Matter
Most of the time I buy shipping through Amazon and it gives me several options, I always choose the cheapest one and sometimes is USPS Bound Printed Matter instead of Media Mail. I’ve been doing this for a couple of months and never had any issues. Today I went to drop off my packages and the USPS cashier refused to send the Bound Printed Matter because, according to her, they are for another service, something about returns. I’ve been using the same postal office and never had any issues. Anyone else using Bound Printed Matter to ship books?
Thanks!
55 replies
Seller_ZDGgATBGegBqy
I use it on about 10% of my orders. I’ve been doing it for months with no problems.
BUT, I do add a line on the label that says “return service requested”.
Seller_quHEQbQeS05xI
DIdn’t know we had that as a option.
Seller_6OMUOUOVkLhf5
I would be careful to use this shipping method.
From USPS: Bound Printed Matter is defined as advertising, promotional, directory, editorial material or any combination of such material. It must be securely bound by permanent fastenings such as staples, spiral binding, glue or stitching.
Or
RMS may be OK in the items they ship. Not to say they are wrong!!
Seller_d3SC9jlio6bUS
I ship mostly bound printed. However when I’ve had to buy postage on occasion from the post office counter, that option isn’t available which leads to confusion about the service from the postal employees.
One long-time employee was so misguided on the specifics of bound printed that I didn’t even bother to attempt to correct his false assumptions.
When Amazon started offering this option earlier this year (or late last year) there were some excellent threads discussing the misconceptions of the service.
You may want to search for that thread for specifics.
Seller_7fF2HPZ7Mf9Eo
This is according to the USPS site … Bound Printed Matter (BPM) is a subclass of Package Services and must:
Meet the basic standards in 3.0.
Weigh no more than 15 pounds. Pieces might be subject to other minimum weights or dimensions based on the standards for specific prices.
Consist of advertising, promotional, directory, or editorial material (or any combination of such material).
Be securely bound by permanent fastenings such as staples, spiral binding, glue, or stitching. Loose-leaf binders and similar fastenings are not considered permanent.
Consist of sheets of which at least 90% are imprinted by any process other than handwriting or typewriting with words, letters, characters, figures, or images (or any combination of them).
Not have the nature of personal correspondence.
Not be stationery, such as pads of blank printed forms.
Consist of mailable matter that is neither mailed or required to be mailed as First-Class Mail nor entered as Periodicals (except as permitted under 2.2 or permitted or required under 207.7.9).
Some post offices say books can fall into this category while others say they do not. The same goes for sellers here online, there is no consensus among postal facilities. My Post Office says it’s more or less a regional Media Mail, books are fine.
Should you want it returned if undeliverable you need a sticker on the outside saying so, also when enclosing a packing slip there is suppose to be a sticker for that as well.
We have had no issues since Amazon started allowing use of this service, the only time we use it is when we miss changing it to media Mail.
Seller_fBZFdwrGdO0Cb
I hope that does not happen to me , I always use what the computer tells me !
Seller_JFHcOi6zlrD4s
We weren’t using it because we thought that the packages were “not returnable”…like junk mail
Then I used it a couple of times locally on cheap books & decided to ask a clerk about it
She looked it up on her phone (her PO rule book was too confusing) & said NO, promotional material, NO books
But I’m pretty sure AM sells it to us because it is legal… the words “editorial material” are the key phrase
What does that mean…editorial?..I think it means books …could be wrong…usually am
OH…phils beat me to the punch line while I was typing
Seller_zOIfUKCWiatpt
According to the USPS you may NOT ship books via Bound Printed Matter. I never use it.
