Question
I know this is a shipping question but I thought I might get a faster response to my question in this more popular forum. I had a bidder from Australia win a book auction and they want it delivered via the USPS in an M-bag. I've never shipped this way before and I am thoroughly confused after reading about this on the USPS. Could someone who is familiar with this shipping process please help me out? I have 11 hardback books that weigh approximately 7lbs. Could you point me in the right direction, please???
Thank you,
Nancy
Answer
Go to USPS site. Select international postage calc. Select volume mailing - little link on right hand corner. Select economy, last choice. Add a piece for 11lbs. It will give you the rate.
Box book and address box. Get the white M-bag tag from post office. Fill it out again with address. Take it PO and they will supply bag.
Answer
I used one once and as I recall it was quite a savings and that was only for one large heavy book.
I usually mail from a little small-town PO and they did not have them on hand. They said they could arrange to get one or I could just go to the main PO. I had it boxed and ready and did not even bring the bag home, just did it there.
Answer
Since your buyer requested M-bag they probably are aware of how long it takes to receive an item. I have used it about 6-8 times over the years and can be a great savings. The minimum you pay for is 11-pounds at the M-bag cost. Be sure, however, that your buyer is aware of the amount of time it takes. I have shipped to Australia twice with M-bag and it took a minimum of 3-months each time. Also, the bag is treated pretty roughly so be sure to package well. Also, it would be worthwhile to wrap each book in a plastic sleeve to protect from any dampness, wrapped in a layer of bubble-wrap and all books placed in a very sturdy box. Be sure to address a label for the box just like you were mailing it normal just in case that it somehow gets seperated from the bag. On the label put "M-Bag Mailing - Prepaid" It is my understanding that the bag goes to the shipping dock and is placed in one of those huge containers. When the container is full it is then placed on the proper freighter and goes from there. That means many times that the container may be on-deck and not always in the "hold/hole". Therefore, it may be subject to bad-weather conditions. I have not had any problems doing an M-Bag mailing. Most folks just aren't willing to wait 3+ months for their items. Customs forms still apply. Hope this helps.
Answer
Thank you for all of the great responses!!! Much appreciated...Nancy
Answer
Originally Posted by guzzlah
I had a bidder from Australia win a book auction and they want it delivered via the USPS in an M-bag.
Nancy,
I wouldn't recommend accepting PayPal for several reasons. M-bag can be really, really slow and not online traceable so any complaint of "item not received" - you'll always lose with PayPal! Also PayPal to Australia isn't covered by the SPP so - you'll always lose with PayPal. Australian buyers can obtain Western Union money orders in USD at major post offices so that might be safest for you. Hope this helps!
Answer
We send out several M-Bags each week, so I can add a few more pointers.
Australia does seem to be one of the slowest destinations for surface mail these days, judging from the number of "where's my book" emails. (Only Italy is worse.) However, most book buyers seem to be honest and patient, so we accept Paypal on international shipments, and have had (I think) only one guy in Italy who filed with Paypal and got a refund before the book could possibly have arrived. We have refunded voluntarily once 3 months have passed without the books arriving. We do emphasize in our emails just how slow the slow boat can be.
Most postal clerks aren't all that familiar with M-Bags, unless they work near a university or airport. So you'll need to watch them to make sure they do it right.
On the package itself, write "M-Bag Postage Paid" in the upper right corner and "Books" in the lower left corner. The address label goes in the usual location.
There are two M-Bag rates: one for books and one for other printed matter. Make sure they charge you the book rate.
You'll need to fill out a M-Bag tag and a green Customs form. The Customs form and postage strip go on the M-Bag tag, not on the package. (A friend of mine just got a M-Bag back as undeliverable after two months, because the clerk put the Customs form on the package instead of the tag.)
Oh, by the way...the post office also offers airmail M-Bag service. I tried this twice, and both times the service was no faster than surface. (I suspect the mail handlers don't know that the option exists, so they just tossed them in the surface mail bin.) So, we don't offer airmail M-Bag as an option anymore, unless the buyer specifically requests it.