The US Postal Service strikes again, increasing rates as they do this time every year. The latest increase is significantly more dramatic than in the past, however, especially for our international customers.
While the postage rates are unfortunately out of our control, we have decided to help offset the increase in postage cost by slashing prices on virtually the entire Matinée catalog. All CD albums (typically priced $10 each) are now discounted from 10 to 40 percent so you can pick up some new music for less. New album prices vary from $6 to $9 with a few mini-albums even cheaper.
Similar deals are now in effect for all CD singles (usually $5 each but now priced from $2.50 to $4.50) and 7” singles (usually $3 or $5 each but now priced from $2 to $4.50).
These new lower prices are in effect at least through the end of February as we get used to the new postal rates. While our lower prices will take some of the sting out of the postal rate hike, here are some additional tips for making the most of the new rates:
1. Order multiple items together instead of one at a time. For many countries, ordering two or three 7” or CDs will cost the same or nominally more than ordering just one. If you change a quantity in the cart you can easily see the effect of adding extra items to an order.
2. First class rates apply to domestic orders up to 13 oz. at which point you bump into the higher Priority Mail rates. For international shipments, first class rates apply up to 4 pounds and there is a massive jump in postage once you exceed this limit.
3. The Priority Mail flat rate envelope is your friend! Currently priced at $5.60 (domestic) or $23.95 (international), this package can hold up to twelve compact discs or twelve 7” singles. A mix of 7” and CDs is also possible in one envelope but you should limit the total number of items in this case to about ten to best protect the contents. Please note that 10″ and 12″ records cannot ship in a Priority Mail flat rate envelope so please ignore this option if your order contains such items!
4. The Priority Mail flat rate boxes are potentially the best bet for larger orders. The medium flat rate box is currently priced $12.35 (domestic) or $59.95 (international) and can hold up to 35 7” singles, 30 CDs in jewel case, 40 CDs in digipak, or 80 CDs in minijacket or eco-wallet … or a combination of these formats. The large flat rate box is currently priced $16.85 (domestic) or $77.95 (international) and is even larger. Both flat rate boxes can accommodate 10” records but not 12” records. For reference, all of our CD albums are in digipak except matcd008, matcd009, matcd015, matcd018, matcd024, matcd033, matcd034, matcd035, matcd039, matcd040, matcd046 and matcd056 which are in jewel case. Starting with matcd062, all CD albums are in eco-wallets which in addition to looking very smart are also incredibly light and have no plastic tray. For CD singles, all releases from matinée 015 through matinée 049 are in slimline cases (about the same size as a digipak), and all releases from matinée 051 through matinée 084 are in slim cardboard minijackets. If these catalog numbers mean nothing to you, please see the catalog page for details.
5. We do offer media mail shipping as an option for domestic orders, but you may find the first class rate is cheaper or just marginally more expensive. Media mail is incredibly slow and not recommended for orders, especially vinyl in the summertime!
6. If you are ordering multiple releases of different formats, you may find that splitting the order into two minimizes the postage cost. This is especially true if you want just one 10” record and everything else can fit inside a Priority Mail flat rate envelope.
7. We have programmed the new rates into the shopping cart, but in some cases we may be able to save you money with an alternate shipping method than the one you selected at the time of checkout. In this case we will notify you by email and refund any excess postage paid.
8. Postage is FREE for all digital downloads so if you’re not after physical product you’re in luck!
We will continue to work with our trusted mailorder partners to give you additional options for ordering Matinée goods. Our friendly distributor is Darla Records (USA) and they ship all available Matinée releases to countless places across the globe and have a great mailorder too.
Current releases can also be obtained from our pals at Apple Crumble (Japan), Beethobear (Taiwan), Carrot Top (USA), Fraction Discs (Sweden), Hands and Arms (France), Jigsaw Records (USA), Locomotiva Discos (Brazil), Norman Records (UK), Pebble Records (UK), Rhythm Records (UK), Rough Trade (UK), Stone Records (Japan), Violet and Claire (Japan), and Vollwert Records (Germany), among others.
We will continue to explore additional international partners to help ensure availability and decent prices for our releases despite the impact of the recent postal rate increase. Thanks for your patience and hopefully your continued support … please take advantage of the sale prices to pick up some new music today!