I just got a long awaited WL book (that appears brand new) by James Patterson and the person mailed it priority!  It cost $7.90!  Why would they do that?  I think they mailed it late by 5 days, but a simple PM to me would have taken care of that and it would have gotten here in less than a month even if mailed that late!

Maybe they felt guilty for mailing it late and so upped it to priority. Was it in a priority mailer?  It's possible that they used a priority mailer thinking they could still send it media mail but found out otherwise when they got ot eh PO and decided to just send this one priority.

Also the post office will pick up your packages if you have at least 1 going priority.  This person could be house bound and mailed 1 book priority in order to have them pick up all their books. 

They could also be allowed to run their books through work and someone in the mail room sent it priority by mistake.  I can run the occassional book through my work postage meter.  But I am the one to handles that and I know how to get it to give me media mail.  My mother always puts too  much postage on whatever she mails that isn't just a standard letter charge. (I work for her)

Or it could be that they are a new member that didn't know they could mail it Media Mail. I've gotten several questions questions via LH of members saying they wanted to cancel because they couldn't afford the expensive postage. When I've asked if the mailed Media Mail they answer is always...what is that?

The member could have sent a family member to the post office and they sent it Priority simply because they did not know any better. I know I have had books overnighted to me by FedEx which really leaves me scratching my head!

I try to check and see if soemone is a new member when I "order" a book and explain about media mail shipping.  A few people responded with thank you as they were new and did not know about it.  No one ever complained that I informed them about media mail.

I got one the other day (hardcover) and they paid about $6.00 and sent it parcel post with tracking.  I looked and they weren't new, but sent them a PM letting them know they could have sent it Media Mail, and the response back was that they didn't know.  They didn't send out many hardback books, but thanked me for the information.  So that may have been the problem here.  Pat

Thanks for sharing the possibliities!

Guess what came in mail today? 2 paperback  books I'd ordered from 1 membr at same time were mailed in 2 separate packages and mailed priority costing $5.35 each !  Again, I thanked the person and let them know they coud have mailed via media mail and saved a bunch of money.

I'm with Sally on the family member theory.  So many stories on the eBay Packaging & Shipping discussion board along the lines of "I sent my husband to the post office and he...."

That's so unfortunate that those members had to pay those high prices for whatever reason. If they had only told the counter workers at the PO that they were books, they would have told them the cheapest way to send them. At least, mine do. They also figure out if it's cheaper to send First Class or media mail. I really appreciate them doing that.

 The member could have sent a family member to the post office and they sent it Priority..........

  "I sent my husband to the post office and he...."

Yep.......sent DH to the post office with a very small package, a garlic press that broke, manufacturer was sending a replacement.  Told him to mail it the cheapest way possible.

He sent it priority.........postage cost almost as much as buying a new garlic press!!

I got a priority shipped book on one transaction here and I pm'd the member.  She said she mails from her workplace, and they always send everything priority.  She also said she wasn't personally paying for the postage.  I guess it is a perk of the job.

Yuppers, probably family members.  I recently received a book with excessive postage (over $5.00).  I thanked the member and let her knowwe were under no time constraints and Media Mail would have been much cheaper. Her reply...DS mailed the book for her

Diane - that's exactly what happened to me!  I asked my husband to take a book to the post office and be sure to ask for MEDIA MAIL rate.

They talked him in to priority!

Mary F

Recently I accidently put too much postage on a book.  I use PBS Printed Postage and entered the book weight into the form--I thought I'd entered something like 12.5 ounces--but forgot the decimal point.  The form automatically converted that to pounds and entered seven pounds in the box for pounds.  Dummy=me for not paying attention to what I was doing!  I hit print and had a postage label with over five dollars of postage printed on it!!  No way I could get my money back, so I just used the label.  Gave the PO a $3 donation!  You can bet I'm now extra cautious to make sure everything is right!