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Help Centre - Selling - Back Issues - Packaging Advice



Selling Back Issues Guide - Table of Contents

  • Introduction to Selling (Quick Start Guide)
  • Accessing Account (inc. password recovery)
  • Listing items for sale
  • Advice on Pricing
  • Packaging Contribution & Selling Fees
  • The Order Process (as viewed by Sellers)
  • Processing Orders
  • Cancelling / Refunding Orders
  • Packaging Advice
  • Despatching Orders
  • Your Shopfront
  • Account Profile / Suspending / Closing
  • Extra ways to promote your items (coming soon)
  • (Click links above to jump to that page)


    Packaging Advice

    The method used to package magazines largely depends on the number, size and weight of magazines involved:-

    Polythene mailing sacks (essentially just heavyweight polythene bags) are universally used within the publishing industry for sending out magazine subscriptions, and are also what we at Magazine Exchange use to send out back issues. Mailing sacks are available in either clear or opaque versions, the clear version being useful if you prefer to have the recipient's address printed on a sheet within the parcel, rather than attaching a separate label to the outside.

    Mailing sacks or heavy polythene bags may be obtained very economically via Ebay, or many on-line packaging specialists.

    Plain paper envelopes are also an economical option, but aren't as tough as their plastic counterparts. Our advice would be to use paper envelopes only for the smallest orders - as soon as any bulk or weight is involved there is a strong chance that a plain paper envelope - and it's contents - may sustain damage during transit

    Padded envelopes are an excellent option for those slightly heavier or more bulky packages. Again these are very easily obtained from packaging specialists, although the cost is naturally slightly higher than plain envelopes or mailing sacks. Another advantage worth noting about padded envelopes is that, when sending items by courier rather than regular post, many courier companies offer cheaper rates for items packaged in padded envelopes rather than boxes.

    Cardboard Boxes are necessary for heavier deliveries; these are available in 'knock-down' form in a huge variety or sizes and shapes, or you can simply use or adapt an existing box for no cost (supermarkets for instance are an ideal place to obtain empty cardboard boxes for free). Cardboard can of course also be used to help re-inforce or protect smaller parcels sent in envelopes or mailing sacks - this is especially recommended for overseas deliveries which are more likely to suffer from handling and transit damage.

    CONCLUSION & IMPORTANT NOTE

    The vast majority of customer orders are for single magazine issues and for these Sellers are recommended to use clear polythene mailing sacks - these are tough, economical, almost weightless and allow the pre-prepared address sheets provided to Sellers to be used without needing any additional labels attached to the package.

    Whilst at liberty to use any suitable packaging material they choose, Sellers should consider the cost of these materials and any additional postage costs they may cause when setting their selling prices. The postage fee paid by customers and received by Sellers is based upon the weight of the purchased items only plus a fixed nominal 20p contribution towards packaging costs - thus Sellers are advised to check the shipment weight shown in the order details when packing them for despatch.



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