Operation Comix Relief Told They Cannot Ship Comic Books Via Media Rate

An e-mail sent out by Chris Tarbassian to supporters of the effort Operation Comix Relief this morning detailed that group's efforts to retain media rate postage for the comic book it sends to military personnel. They were told on March 20 that they would no longer have this right according to an August 2008 decision by the postal service to disallow that material that specific rate. This will, as anyone that's been to the post office will testify, double or more than double what they'll routinely pay for the service they provide. The group says they have made extensive use of media rate postage until this recent notification.

Tarbassian reprinted the text of a letter he's sent to President Obama and the offices of Senators Kerry and Kennedy hoping for some sort of ruling or interpretation in his group's favor:

My name is Chris Tarbassian and I am the Founder/President of Operation Comix Relief, a non profit in Massachusetts that ships comics to our soldiers stationed outside the United States, free of charge since 2003.

Thought I am doubtful you will even see this letter I write to you as a concerned citizen who believes it is every citizen's job to care for our soldiers while they are deployed. However please note that this is NOT another letter about the Gulf war.

For years now my organization and its volunteers have raised funds to ship comics to our soldiers, following all the guidelines and rates set forth by the United States Postal Service. Never once have we tried to bypass anything, working tirelessly to raise the funds so we can ship to our soldiers.

However on 3/20 we were told that we could no longer ship using the Media Mail rate, and that our shipping rate will double. The story unfolds below as I told a supporter tonight.

In 2003 we began shipping packages to soldiers world wide using the bound printed matter rate. A few years later that rate was dissolved and no longer exists... which is why when the postal service mentioned it to me on Friday (3/27), I had to remind them it no longer exists.

Therefore the next level provided to use (that was the least expensive) was the media mail rate.

Since that time which I believe was 2004 or 2005 we have used this rate until 3/20/09.

In an e-mail provided to me by the USPS (see attachment) the reason we can't use media mail is because it is a serial publication AND has ads.

In a conversation I had on 3/23 with Ms. Rupp-Ruggeri (who seemed very disinterested) I confirmed this and was told it is however alright for me to send books like James Bond and Tom Clancy novels. Even Encyclopedia Britannica (which I have a copy of).

As I reminded her not only are all those serial publications but HAVE ads in them. Most books in book stores have ads in them. Even cook BOOKS which ironically I can send using the media mail rate.

So my next question is why are comic BOOKS being singled out (please note the attached e-mail). Indeed very odd!

Comic books come in a wide variety of ways; from the ones we are all familiar with all the way to hard bound volumes. Well interestingly enough when the Post Master of Framingham, MA (Mr. LaValle) was shown several of these on 3/20 he told me very clearly they are excluded as well and CAN NOT go media mail. The ad he said that excluded one of them...was the one to help you find a comic book store near you! It wasn't selling anything.

Also please note...we had been shipping graphic novels as wells as other types of comics prior to 3/20.

We were then offered flat rate boxes as an option. However the USPS needs to remember not every soldier I ship to may be able to receive a box, because they may not be at a base. Boxes don't fit well into backpacks and are not easy to carry!

Also, the same sized box mailed at the media mail rate is still less expensive.

Recently someone mentioned to me, that the USPS is a government agency and should be able to interoffice these packages free of charge to another government agency. Not a bad idea but that's not likely to happen.

Operation Comix Relief has always paid to ship to soldiers and has never tried to find a way around shipping, we have just tried to find be best rate to do the best for the most people. To date we have shipped over 100,000 to our soldiers world wide. All free of charge.

Comic books are used by people differently and in different way. As a matter of fact, many illiterate soldiers in WWII used them to educate themselves. To some they are another form of art. These folks find them of educational value.

This sudden (Aug 14, 08), arbitrary and biased decision that is only documented in an email needs to be seriously questioned. If real, it needs to be changed.

Please note that the email only refers to comic books. Yet I can send any other type of book including cook BOOKS.

Regardless of how the soldiers use them, it is up to us to support them not to profit off of them!

Now I understand that one of the three of you gentlemen is a comic book fan. However can any of the three of you please help correct this problem so we can continue to ship and support our soldiers.

Tarbassian urges supporters of his group to contact any and all relevant parties on the matter and provide the following contact information for the person with whom he primarily dealt.

Cher Rupp-Ruggeri
Marketing Specialist
Business Mail Entry and
Payment Technologies
USPS Headquarters
475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Room 2P846
Washington, DC 20260-0846

I hadn't heard of the new ruling. It used to be that comic book periodicals were called into question in terms of using Media Rate postage because of the number of ads they usually carried, although that likely wouldn't be a problem right now.
 
posted 8:20 am PST | Permalink
 

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