Michael Woolf wrote:

> The above written with sadness at the US Post Office decision to
> prohibit the use of Media Mail for international shipments, which,
> coupled with their policy changes that now make air shipment the
> only available means of shipping from the USA, have made a very real
> impact on the availability of items from the US.

All is not lost.  There is still an international media mail shipment
option available for piano rolls.  The M-bag service, while no longer
available for surface mail (only for airmail) is still the cheapest
option for paper media and piano rolls.

I just mailed a 22-pound parcel of 35 rolls from the US to England
for about $63.  This averages out to a little under $2 per roll for
the shipping.  The largest box I can cram into a M-bag will hold about
35 rolls.

Search the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) web site for M-bag.  There is
a country chart and a rate chart for figuring the fare.  For instance,
for Great Britain, country code 3, the rate is $2.85/pound.

There is a minimum charge for M-bags which will cover up to 11 pounds,
so be sure you send no less than 11 pounds to get the most bang for
the buck.

Not all post offices will have the M-bags on hand, but if you ask
them to procure them from their hub, they will get them for you.  There
are only two forms for the M-bag: an address tag which is attached to
the neck of the bag, and the other is a customs declaration.  On the
declaration where it asks for number and type of media, write "35 paper
music rolls - (media Mail)".  Obviously the number may vary, but use
the other words as written.

Whereas the U.S. Media Mail defines piano rolls as recordings rather
than paper music, the M-bag regulations refer to printed words on paper
as the qualifier.

Be sure to affix a shipping address label to the parcel in the M-bag,
and in the upper right corner paste a sticker that says "postage paid
by M-bag."

For your first visit to your local Post Office, take along a printout
from the USPS web site with the pertinent information regarding the
M-bag and how it relates to paper music rolls.  Also take along a piano
roll with printed lyrics for 'show and tell'.  If you run into a clerk
who is ignorant of the regulations, you will be able to prove that
piano rolls are eligible under the USPS definitions for acceptable
media for the M-bag.

Good luck!
Tom Lear
Tujunga, California