Magazine Subscription

For many of us I'm sure, we have a few or several subscriptions to US magazines especially those who live here in the US. We know how expensive it is to buy retail that's why we subscribe, right? Aside from a few photo magazines I subscribe to (one I can get for free), I like Saveur, National Geographic and Smithsonian.

About two months ago, I checked Ebay and sure enough there are several sellers of magazine subscriptions (new or renewal, even gift subscriptions). I checked the prices and they are really low. I had apprehensions so I tried a few. I bought Disney Adventures for my kids (regular- $15/year; Ebay -$3 to $5/for 3 years, I was able to buy it for $5, didn't see the $3 until I already bought one), Nick Jr. (regular -$14.85 for 15 issues; Ebay-$2.50 for 3 years) and Saveur (regular -$30/year; Ebay-$9.00 for 3 years). I opted for the three year subscription which some sellers are offering so I can maximize the savings and I don't have to think about renewing it for quite some time. The amounts I paid are the total, no shipping and handling! Some sellers charge but check the overall cost first. They can sell a subscription for $0.99/year and charge $3.00 for s&h.

Sellers and even publishers are saying it takes 8-12 weeks before you receive the first copy. I received the Disney Adventures and Saveur magazines in about 4 weeks. I still don't have the Nick Jr. but I'll wait for another 4 weeks before I contact the seller for a follow-up. Also, I checked the shipping label for the period of subscription and sure enough the two magazines are good for 3 years each.

The deals are great, subscription cost doesn't even cover the cost of postage. I believe sellers designate a certain % to these Ebay sellers, they usually earn thru advertisers anyway and they offer low cost or almost free subscriptions as a marketing ploy. Some sellers claim they are even paid more than the cost of subscription just to sell certain magazines. More subscribers attract more advertisers.

Just search for "magazine subscription" or better yet the name of the magazine itself plus "subscription" without the word "magazine" as some sellers don't use it in their title description.

Now, before I renew some existing subscriptions, I'll check EBAY first.