The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I shipped several large boxes full of cylinder records from Michigan to California. When the boxes arrived at the Temecula, CA post office all of them were opened and inspected. They wrote "Not Media" on the outside of the boxes, but luckily someone realized the mistake later and didn't try to up charge me. You have to realize most young people have never even seen a vinyl record before, so what are they going to think when they see a Blue Amberol?

I always write: "Contents- Antique Sound Recordings" on boxes of cylinders and "Contents: Antique Phonograph Records" on boxes of obvious records. I hesitate to mark ANYTHING USPS as "Fragile" because they seem to take it as a challenge.

Incidentally, as an aside, stating your overseas shipments as "used phonograph records, exchanged between collectors" as a description for overseas packages will often get your recipient out of having to pay duty or VAT.

Here is the label that I have been using for the past six years. I think what I'm going to do is print out a copy of the postal regulations page, and then a Wikipedia definition page that identifies the cylinder record and the 78rpm record as musical recordings This could be my enclosure sheet. . Addressed in large letters at the top: "to the postal inspector"

Can you legally declare war against the post office without going through congress first?

TinfoilPhono wrote:...I once bought a clock on eBay, it was sent Media and took forever, but it wasn't caught even though the gong chimed every time the box was moved even slightly.

LOL!

Garret

TinfoilPhono wrote:
Although cylinders and discs are obviously "media" even if postal authorities don't understand that, I would never use Media Mail to ship old records, especially not valuable old records.

I can understand why the post office would crack down. The service is definitely abused. I once bought a clock on eBay, it was sent Media and took forever, but it wasn't caught even though the gong chimed every time the box was moved even slightly.

I will gladly use Media Mail for the less breakable records like Diamond Discs and Blue Amberols. I will also use Media for well-packed 78s. However, I pretty much refuse to ship any kind of wax cylinder via Media.

Gee, I thought it was funny enough when an eBay seller sent me a pair of boots via Media Mail, but a gong clock?!?

Well, the boots have a tag and the clock has printed numbers, so actually they are literature, right? Marc.

If you put a note to the buyer inside with the package, that might have made it no longer qualified for Media Mail.

bigshot wrote:If you put a note to the buyer inside with the package, that might have made it no longer qualified for Media Mail.

That was true back in the "special 4th class mail" days, but does not appear to be true anymore (or at least it does not appear to be enforced).

Well, bad news. My postmaster talked to the customer's postmaster and straightened it all out. AT LEAST WE THOUGHT! He went to the post office there, and AGAIN was refused a refund.....they claimed that they 'though' they saw a t-shirt in the box with the record! What a bunch of baloney. I just went ahead and refunded the fellow the $10.......... I mean, how much trouble should *anybody* go through for what the USPS is CLEARLY in the wrong for. I'm not gonna drag a fellow collector through the dirt for $10. Now the fight is mine, and I'm gonne burn *MY OWN TIME* to get the $10 back.

This headache hasn't turned me off from Media Mail. I just think that I need to prepare the boxes better for postal inspection. Pictures, Wikipedia definitions of 78rpm records, and the like. QUALIFIERS.