How I Ship

I use the USPS exclusively. I'm not able to honor requests for UPS or Federal Express shipments.

Please note that any publication containing advertising can't be shipped media rate, regardless of its age, and will be shipped priority or parcel post. This includes magazines, directories, catalogs, souvenir programs, yearbooks, and telephone books. Bound printed matter rates are no longer available.

Items eligible for media rate include books, records and CDs, sheet music, videos, and typed manuscripts intended for publication.

Loose printed items, such as postcards, photos, flyers, and brochures, as well as hand-written volumes (such as diaries and autograph books), are not eligible for media rates; they must be mailed priority, first class, or parcel post.

Mixed packages (for example, a book and a magazine) must be sent priority or parcel post.

How I Pack

All items are wrapped in plastic for protection against moisture. Most books shipped priority go in the post office's priority boxes and mailers. Books otherwise are mailed in cardboard boxes and protected with packing peanuts and/or bubble wrap. Some slim volumes, paperbacks, and booklets are protected with cardboard and/or bubble wrap and shipped in regular mailing envelopes.

I ship most vinyl LPs in cardboard packing boxes designed specifically for records (I use Bags Unlimited boxes), and I also include padding. Fragile 78s require larger boxes and additional protective material. Obviously, there's no guarantee that a package won't suffer extraordinary punishment during transit, but these boxes withstand normal USPS handling.

All postcards are protected in plastic sleeves and placed between two pieces of cardboard for mailing.