Magazine Delivery

[Geoff Ringle]

MAGAZINE DELIVERY

I have been studying the delivery issue since I hired on in May. As a former advertiser, I was aware that there was potentially a 4 week spread from the time the first magazines are delivered until the last are received.

There is no easy answer here. We are dealing with the US Postal Service, the only game in town, there is no alternative.

Here are some facts and issues:

All magazines are trucked (the same day) from St Croix Press to the distribution center in Eagan, MN. All periodicals are treated like first class (in this facility) and leave the facility within 24 hours.

The USPS is a HUGE distribution system, there are bound to be bottlenecks and distribution centers with “issues” somewhere along the line.

To upgrade the entire club to pre-sorted first class is not recommended by the publisher. It’s more expensive with little or no improvement in delivery time.

We are looking at offering those members with serious delivery problems an opportunity to upgrade (for an extra fee of $20-25 per year) to “true” first class mail - mailed in an envelope, with metered postage & first class markings.
This upgrade would be an expensive and major undertaking and can not be implemented without further study and planning.


GOING FORWARD – IMMEDIATE CHANGES

Starting with the winter issue international subscriptions will be mailed in a water proof Tyvek type envelope. This should reduce or eliminate complaints regarding wear & tear and moisture damage associated with mailing in a paper envelope.

Synchronized with the mailing of the winter issue, we will launch a thread on the AMCA forum called “Magazine Delivery Dates”. We will ask that AMCA members go to that thread as soon as they get their issue, follow the email link and tell us the date the magazine arrived, home town, state and zip code. We will use this information to see if there are patterns or problems in particular parts of the country or if this appears to be an issue with individual post offices. With real delivery time information we may be able to resolve issues directly with the USPS.



TO RESOLVE DELIVERY PROBLEMS

1. Club members that have a delivery issue (slow delivery or damage) should first contact their local post office and ask them to investigate.

2. In the case of non-delivery please contact Marilyn Hostetler to resolve the problem.
Note: The number one reason for non-delivery is lapsed membership.

Marilyn Hostetler
Membership Manager
P.O. Box 400
Mound, MN 55364-0400
Phone: 952-472-2622
E-mail: amca400@mac.com

3. If your magazine arrives damaged please contact Marilyn.

4. In the case of routinely slow delivery, contact me, Geoff Ringlé, with all of the mailing label information and date of delivery. Please try to provide your zip + 4 postal code. I will work with you to find a solution to the problem.

Geoff Ringlé
Business Development Manager
203 Afton Ave
Trenton NJ 08618
Phone: 609 396 5744
geoffamca@aol.com

[Paps]

Excellent Solutions !! Paps

[chiefj48]

seems like you are on the right track! thanks for all the good work!

[Baytown]

Thanks Geoff

Thanks from Australia Geoff.
The Tyvek envelope is the way to go.
I really appreciate the efficient follow up from the new team on this issue (as will other members who do not use the web site to talk to other members.
Good on you.

Ken.

[RSmith]

$6 more PER issue

"We are looking at offering those members with serious delivery problems an opportunity to upgrade (for an extra fee of $20-25 per year) to “true” first class mail .... "

This is surprising to say the least. If AMCA members would like
First Class mailing .... it will cost the member $25 a year MORE?

Or $6 for each issue ..... ABOVE what is already paid PER issue?

It that right?

[74moto]

Great news !

Thanks for the Tyvek bag!
This will certainly help the mags not beeing a mess like they have sometimes been when I got them.
Thanks guys !
Juha

[LouieMCman]

Thanks, I'm glad the national finally recognizes (and responded) that there is a problem. What I would like to see is "further study and planning". Penalizing members higher costs is not a fair answer, it's hard to believe that the dues would almost double just to pay postage. But how would we know unless someone studies the issue? Another question is the first class postage is "not recommended by the publisher" quote. What does the publisher care how the mag is mailed? Or does that mean the AMCA doesn't want first class mailing? Anyway thanks again for addressing the problem.

Louie Hale
AMCA #3449

[RSmith]

Postage Cost

To help solve the First Class postage question, I just took
the latest AMCA magazine to the Auburn Hills, Michigan,
Main Post Office, on Auburn Road.

At the Service Counter I had "Terry" give me the First
Class mailing price for 10,000 identical magazines.

She told me it didn't matter if it was 1 or 10,000, the
First Class price is the same.

For FIRST CLASS mailing, from New York to California,
the price is $2.63 for EACH magazine.

If AMCA wanted to ship each via PRIORITY 2 - 3 DAY
mail, the price was $4.80 each.

So I am not sure what this (below) is all about -

"We are looking at offering those members with serious delivery problems an opportunity to upgrade (for an EXTRA fee of $20-25 per year) to “true” first class mail - mailed in an envelope, with metered postage & first class markings. This upgrade would be an expensive and major undertaking ...."

[Chris Haynes]

[QUOTE=RSmith;71489]To help solve the First Class postage question, I just took
the latest AMCA magazine to the Auburn Hills, Michigan,
Main Post Office, on Auburn Road.

Did you ask for Bulk Mailing rates??? You can't get the Bulk rates at the counter. You have to go to a distrubution Post Office to get them.

[*JU]

So I am not sure what this (below) is all about -

"We are looking at offering those members with serious delivery problems an opportunity to upgrade (for an EXTRA fee of $20-25 per year) to “true” first class mail - mailed in an envelope, with metered postage & first class markings. This upgrade would be an expensive and major undertaking ....

"

I used to pay $18.00 a year extra to get different club's publication sent to me 1st class. It was a much small/lighter publication than the AMCA's. It's more work to divide up a shipment into two different classes. You have to expect to pay more for it than the straight price of the postage.
JU

[RSmith]

Bulk mailing

I did ask the Postal employee, at the
Service Desk about "Bulk" prices, but she
said there are several types - Non-Profit,
Advertising only, Catalog Bulk ....

So I asked for First Class, (which she
said is processed before any bulk mail,
but behind Overnight and Priority Mail.
And First Class mail is returned to sender,
if it is NOT delivered, while Bulk mail is NOT)
and she also checked Priority Mail for us.

AMCA has committed to spend hundreds
of thousands of dollars, for other things
that 7 - 10 members may never see or
benefit from. While First Class mailing,
for a first class magazine and a first
class group, could be done.

The Postal person suggested we try
First Class shipping for perhaps TWO
issues .... to see how it goes? This isn't
something that AMCA would be "locked
into" forever.

[Lonnie]

For the latest USPS rates, you can go to www.usps.com and go through the prompts to review the retail and business rates. Be aware that with the new law enacted last year to govern the USPS mean that you can expect to see the rates increased annually at an overall rate not to exceed the Consumer Price Index. The increase is an aggregate of all combined rates, meaning that the rate in one class of mail may be below the CPI while another may be above the CPI as long as the rates overall do not exceed the CPI. In other words, expect the mailing costs to increase each and every year going forward.

In all cases the business rates are lower than the retail rates (the over-the-counter rates).

Geoff, there are postal discounts available to all mailers for finer sortation. The printer may be able to inquire with a co-mingler in order to be able to take advantage of those rates. Typically, a co-mingler will split the savings with the mailer and that is how they make thier money. It is a big business and any business mailer of a significant size should be aware of this. The problem is that many printers, unless they are large high-volume (like Primedia, etc.) printers do not have anyone on staff who is truly knowledgable on the USPS discounts.

[mmoore]

She told me it didn't matter if it was 1 or 10,000, the
First Class price is the same.

For FIRST CLASS mailing, from New York to California,
the price is $2.63 for EACH magazine.

If AMCA wanted to ship each via PRIORITY 2 - 3 DAY
mail, the price was $4.80 each.

this does not cover our international postage costs tho. do we upgrade just the states or include our members (friends in my case) that live in other countrys? we are getting more and more members all the time. lets report our arrival dates and start trying to figure this out a they stated. once we identify the cause of the problem then we can find solutions. I suggest a new temporary forum title to keep it visable on the main page so it dosent get buried and remind us and a note in the mag to do so. do we ship them or does the publisher do so? if they do do they ship, all on the same day? what is the time frame from the first mailed to the last? how many do we ship (14,000?) the main problem I see is the ads, as some things will go fast. maybe put the ads online? (and in print). If we go two tier mailing there is more work sorting. lets try to remember to do this. I hope that they will post here the date they plan on mailing and go from there.

[23JDCA 808]

The First Class International rate would be about $8.40 for the AMCA magazine. Where I work, we do all of our off-shore mailing this way and handle it inhouse. (a customer deservest to get what they are paying for) Technically, nothing else gets through. ...bill in oregon