Fun; go to the post office 1st. Let them give you their opinion. You said that it was packed well & there wasn't much damage to the box. The $250 Barbie I got came with a slight ding on the box; opened the box & took photos as I opened it because I had a weird feeling; the box had a slice in it. I took it to post master who said there was no way the damage happened while inside that box. You do not need the receipt; the way it works is the shipper has to file the claim. I opted out because the seller was fairly new; I could have been out the barie & my money since post master said it would be tied up for a while & his opinion was that they would not pay for it. Do yourself a favor; take it all to your local post office & see what they say. Your seller may be trying to get his money back on a shipped damaged item. I don't know how it could have been broken with the way it was packed unless dropped from a great height. The outside box doesn't look particularly damaged so it wasn't run over with a truck, either.

Well Stacy that's good to know that it's the post office doing it. That way I dont have to speak the mailman. I know this is not a big deal but it happens with every single one of my magazines and it's one of those little irritants in life. In the grand scheme of things I know it's petty. And yes, at least I'm getting it. I can see bending it and putting a rubberband around it but to HARD crease it just ruins it. I'll call the post office today and voice my complaint. Truthfully though, I think in the future, I'd rather buy my magazines at the grocery store and have a flat magazine that will lay nice on my coffee table than get $$ off on a subscription and get it all mangled. Maybe I should write the magazines and tell them to stamp DO NOT FOLD on their outer covering? Nah, they'd think I was an old woman with nothing better to do than complain about a folded magazine!! hahahaha!! I guess I am huh?

That sounds about right for light packages, but once you start adding weight they do get pricier. I use PayPal's semi-secret "Create a Shipping Label" page, and generally spend about $3 per envelope (it includes a slight discount over USPS's published rates)... but if I put in 13oz, it says $5. 13oz would be a lot of seeds, though! You'd likely be fine just taking a guess and paying $3.25. I've never had USPS reject a pre-paid label.

The USPS has been handicapped by too much politicization (especially in the last 4 years), underfunding, and an employee union that hinders change, cost rationalization moves and flexibility. And poor management. Like other government-related services (yes, I know it's quasi-independent), you get what you pay for and don't get what you don't pay for. I'd bet that the union would come to the table and negotiate better terms on a win-win basis if a commitment were made to boost subsidies. The savings that could be wrung out of thoughtful restructuring of operations plus providing added funds could substantially improve service. It's like far too many governmental and other non-private sector organizations - poorly managed, bloated staff, not the best employee base, limited ability to dismiss or discipline poor performers. For now, USPS seems to have too many unmotivated and underperforming employees who in addition need to deal with organizational problems. Better management, better oversight, could do wonders. It's an essential service that needs to be better. Like potholes in a busy highway, we can't continue to do nothing as problems mount. Oh, and they need to fire all the cheaters and liars, the kind who say they've left a delivery near a gate when everyone can see it's near the front door. ;-)