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Another case in point; I just ordered $160 worth of books from a seller, paid almost $19 in shipping, and they're being sent Media Mail. A quick "ballpark" check of how much that might cost shows under $4. I asked that it be sent Priority instead. Developing...

And I will take this opportunity to repeat some things that I have stated multiple times: What mailing service types are recommended/permitted is not fully clear to sellers for several reasons: (1) The Atomic Avenue shipping calculator does not tell sellers what shipping method it used to calculate the shipping reimbursement to the seller. Sometimes it is easy to tell, but sometimes the number that comes out is a real head-scratcher. More transparency there would help sellers, I think. (2) I suspect that sometimes the AA shipping calculator isn't savvy about USPS insurance thresholds or charges. When shipping via Priority Mail, insurance is free for package value up to $50... but the charges can add up once you get up above that $50 mark. IMO exactly zero AA packages should be shipped via USPS Priority Mail without being fully insured. (3) The Atomic Avenue help pages need an update. For example, the AA help pages refer to Parcel Post mailing when we were told some time ago that Parcel Post wasn't an option any more. As a seller, I can tell you that sometimes (especially with orders that are large both in terms of high $$$ and physical size) the shipping calculator undershoots by a decent amount. In those cases, I typically elect to just eat the extra postage costs. It is poor form to go to AA and ask them to bug the customer for a postage adjustment after that customer thinks that they completed their full order... and three-way email conversations (me, AA, and the customer) take time to resolve themselves, and I make it a point to get my packages in the hands of the USPS by the next business day. I will say, however, that once in a while AA substantially overshoots the shipping reimbursement. I just filled an order last night that cost me ~$20 to ship including full insurance... but the AA calculator billed the customer $36. I asked AA to make the adjustment at their end. But not all sellers do that, some will just pocket that difference and that's just uncool.

I think the cost for mailing needs to be looked at overall. I would like to see it established that books have to be shipped at least First Class and Media Mail not be used at all. I've been under the impression that comics aren't supposed to be sent via Media Mail anyway. I just paid almost $14 to get 4 books shipped (two transactions, my own fault.) and the seller has sent them Media Mail. Kind of bad form, when you think about it.

With the 2022 tax year, Atomic Avenue is required to file a 1099 form with the amount of disbursements to each US seller with sales over $600 during the year. This is typically redundant with amount reported by Paypal in their 1099-K form, as sellers receive their disbursements via Paypal. For this reporting requirement, all US sellers will be required to provide their US tax ID, i.e. social security number or EIN, in order to sell on Atomic Avenue and receive disbursements. Sellers who meet the reporting threshold (currently $600 or more in annual disbursements) will see a window requesting tax ID when they log in. Your information is SSL secured when you enter it and is stored with double encryption. We will only access this information when we file the reports with the IRS. As required, all sellers will receive a copy of this form.