What can you send by Media Mail?

Does this item qualify?

USPS's Media Mail list is closed: only the nine kinds of items in DMM 173.4.1 go at Media Mail prices.

• Can you ship comic books by Media Mail?

  Only with no ads. A comic needs no ads except announcements of books; an issue with other ads pays First-Class Mail or Ground Advantage prices.

• Can you send magazines by Media Mail?

  Not on USPS's list. The Media Mail list names books, not magazines, and an issue with ads fails the book standard. Ship them First-Class Mail or Ground Advantage.

• Can you ship catalogs by Media Mail?

  Only certain kinds. USPS accepts reprints of historic catalogs, catalogs with editorial matter and unpaid supplier listings, and film catalogs of 24+ pages. Sales catalogs don't qualify.

• Can you send board games, puzzles or video games by Media Mail?

  No. USPS rules that games, including board games and video games, are used primarily for entertainment, and jigsaw puzzles aren't on the Media Mail list.

• Can you ship vinyl records, CDs, cassettes and DVDs by Media Mail?

  Yes. Sound recordings qualify, and USPS classifies video recordings as sound recordings, so records, CDs, cassettes, DVDs, Blu-rays and VHS all go.

• Can software, blank CDs or flash drives go by Media Mail?

  Prerecorded media only. Prerecorded computer media and their manuals qualify; blank CDs and DVDs, flash drives, hard drives and video games don't.

• Can you ship sheet music by Media Mail?

  Yes. Printed music qualifies whether bound or in sheet form, and so do manuscripts for music.

• Can textbooks, workbooks and test booklets go by Media Mail?

  Yes: textbooks are books, USPS accepts workbooks and fill-in textbooks, and printed objective tests qualify with their answer sheets.

• Can coloring, puzzle and activity books go by Media Mail?

  Mostly no. Crossword, pattern, poster, iron-on transfer and cut-out books don't qualify; workbooks do. USPS hasn't named coloring books.

• Can a book with ads in it go by Media Mail?

  Only ads for books. Incidental announcements of books are the only ads allowed. Ads for anything else, including the publisher's own non-book products, disqualify it.

• Can binders, loose-leaf pages or printouts go by Media Mail?

  Only if they form a book. Loose-leaf pages qualify, with or without their binder, when together they make a book. An empty binder, update pages or replacement pages don't.

• Can maps, atlases, charts or posters go by Media Mail?

  Educational only. Atlases and educational maps and charts qualify; decorative posters, poster books and mostly-text sheets don't.

• Can film reels, slides or negatives go by Media Mail?

  16 mm or narrower prints. 8 mm, Super 8 and 16 mm positive prints ready for viewing qualify; 35 mm film, negatives and slides aren't on the Media Mail list.

What else can go in the box

Notes, invoices, flyers and anything that doesn't qualify.

• Can I put a thank-you note or gift message in a Media Mail package?

  Yes. A personal message or greeting with the item rides along without First-Class postage; it's weighed with the package.

• Can I include a packing slip, invoice, coupon or bookmark in Media Mail?

  Yes. An invoice or packing slip for the order is allowed, and so is loose printed matter that could go as USPS Marketing Mail, such as a coupon or paper bookmark.

• What if I ship a book and a non-media item together by Media Mail?

  Whole box pays more. Unless the extra item is a permitted enclosure, the whole package pays the higher price, and USPS can fine concealed higher-priced mail.

Limits, services and destinations

Weight, size, drop-off, boxes, extra services, Library Mail, and military and territory addresses.

• What are the Media Mail weight and size limits?

  Up to 70 lb and 108 in. in length plus girth; priced per pound with a 1 lb minimum, any fraction rounded up.

• Do you have to take Media Mail to the Post Office counter?

  With stamps over 10 oz, yes. Pieces paid only with stamps that weigh over 10 oz or are over 1/2 in. thick must go over the counter. The DMM also allows meter and PC Postage labels.

• Can I ship Media Mail in a Priority Mail box?

  No. USPS-produced boxes are only for their own product, and turning one inside out or covering the markings doesn't change that.

• Does Media Mail include tracking and insurance?

  Tracking included, insurance extra: you can buy insurance and add Signature Confirmation, but Adult Signature isn't offered.

• Can you send Media Mail to an APO, FPO or DPO address?

  Yes, with a customs form. Media Mail costs the same as anywhere in the US. A customs form is needed at 16 oz or more or if it contains goods, and some military post offices set lower limits.

• Can you ship Media Mail to Puerto Rico, Guam or the Virgin Islands?

  Yes, same price. Media Mail has no zones, so it costs the same as anywhere in the US; 16 oz or more to Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Marianas or the Freely Associated States needs a customs form.

• What is Library Mail, and can a reseller use it instead of Media Mail?

  Only with an institution. Cheaper than Media Mail, but a library, school, museum or qualifying nonprofit must be the sender or addressee, and books need a qualifying pair.

When something goes wrong

Inspection, postage due, and undeliverable and refused packages.

• What happens if USPS inspects a Media Mail package and it doesn't qualify?

  Postage due. USPS may open any Media Mail package. If postage is due, it can charge your label account, return the package, or collect from your buyer.

• What happens to undeliverable or refused Media Mail?

  Return isn't free. With no endorsement it's forwarded postage due to a new address for 12 months, or returned with return postage charged at the Media Mail price.

Why the list is so short

USPS ruled video games and board games out on that ground: they're used primarily for entertainment. Anything not on the nine-item list pays another price however educational it looks, and USPS may open any Media Mail package to check (DMM 173.2.2).