--- title: "Can catalogs go by Media Mail? USPS's catalog rulings" description: "USPS accepts reprints of historic catalogs, catalogs whose supplier listings nobody paid for and film catalogs of 24+ pages. A sales catalog doesn't qualify." canonical: https://resellerindex.com/usps/media-mail/catalogs/ last_updated: 2026-10-19 publisher: "The Reseller Index" --- # Can you ship catalogs by Media Mail? USPS's rules: Only certain kinds **USPS names three kinds that qualify: reprints of historic catalogs whose original publishers had no control over or interest in the reprint, catalogs with editorial matter and supplier listings that no supplier paid for, and catalogs of 16 mm or narrower films with at least 24 pages.** A company's own sales catalog is the publisher's own advertising, which the book standard counts as advertising, so it ships by First-Class Mail or Ground Advantage ($8.01 to $11.22 online for 1 lb). Rates verified on Oct 19, 2026 ## The rule, in USPS's words Quoted from the official pages linked below each quote, checked Oct 19, 2026. > “Reprints of historic catalogs are also acceptable in the mails at Media Mail prices for books provided that the original publishers or manufacturers had no control over or interest in the reprinting” [USPS Customer Support Ruling PS-064](https://pe.usps.com/text/csr/PS-064.htm) · USPS Customer Support Ruling PS-064: Media Mail, Books (updated January 2017) > “catalogs containing editorial matter concerning products and listings of suppliers provided that no consideration has been paid to the publisher by suppliers or manufacturers for listing in the catalogs.” [USPS Customer Support Ruling PS-064](https://pe.usps.com/text/csr/PS-064.htm) · USPS Customer Support Ruling PS-064: Media Mail, Books (updated January 2017) > “catalogs of such films of 24 pages or more (at least 22 of which are printed).” [Domestic Mail Manual 173.4.1b](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/173.htm#a_4_1) · USPS Domestic Mail Manual 173: Media Mail and Library Mail prices and eligibility ## What it costs to ship Media Mail costs the same to every US address, with a 1 lb minimum ($4.39) and any fraction of a pound rounded up. Ground Advantage, USPS's ground package service with tracking included, is priced by weight and zone: online is USPS's commercial price for labels bought online, and the counter price is retail. *USD, weight not over. USPS Notice 123 effective Oct 4, 2026; Ground Advantage includes USPS's temporary holiday prices, in effect until 12 a.m. CT Jan 17, 2027 (Media Mail isn't affected). Selling platforms and label services can have their own rates.* | Package | Media Mail (if it qualifies) | Ground Advantage online, Zones 1-9 | Ground Advantage at the counter, Zones 1-9 | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1 lb | $4.39 | $8.01 to $11.22 | $10.05 to $13.65 | | 2 lb | $5.13 | $8.39 to $13.42 | $11.30 to $19.80 | | 5 lb | $7.34 | $10.35 to $20.24 | $13.75 to $27.45 | ### Worked examples - A reprint of an early-1900s mail-order catalog, 2 lb: Media Mail, $5.13. - A current retailer's catalog, 1 lb: Ground Advantage, $8.01 to $11.22 online or $10.05 to $13.65 at the counter. - A 5 lb box of original vintage catalogs: $10.35 to $20.24 online by Ground Advantage. Every weight from 1 to 70 lb: [Media Mail rates](https://resellerindex.com/rates/media-mail/) · [Ground Advantage rates](https://resellerindex.com/rates/ground-advantage/) ## Edge cases - The ruling covers reprints. An original old catalog is still its publisher's own advertising, and USPS has no ruling that exempts it. - A catalog that advertises nothing for sale, such as a museum exhibition catalog, is judged by the book standard itself: eight or more printed pages of reading matter and no ads ([DMM 173.4.1a](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/173.htm#a_4_1)). USPS has no ruling naming it. - Film catalogs, like films, don't qualify when sent to or from commercial theaters ([DMM 173.4.1b](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/173.htm#a_4_1)). - A catalog packed loose with qualifying books may count as printed matter mailable as USPS Marketing Mail: see [what can ride along](https://resellerindex.com/usps/media-mail/mixed-box/). ## What to do - For a reprint, keep the page that names the reprint publisher: it's your evidence if USPS opens the package. - Ship current and original catalogs by Ground Advantage, or a single flexible one as a First-Class Mail large envelope. ## Related questions - [Can you send magazines by Media Mail?](https://resellerindex.com/usps/media-mail/magazines/) 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 a book with ads in it go by Media Mail?](https://resellerindex.com/usps/media-mail/books-with-advertising/) 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 film reels, slides or negatives go by Media Mail?](https://resellerindex.com/usps/media-mail/film-slides-and-negatives/) 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 if I ship a book and a non-media item together by Media Mail?](https://resellerindex.com/usps/media-mail/mixed-box/) 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. [All 25 Media Mail questions](https://resellerindex.com/usps/media-mail/) · [Cheapest way to ship books](https://resellerindex.com/guides/cheapest-way-to-ship-books/) ## Sources Rates verified on Oct 19, 2026 from each official page below. - [USPS Customer Support Ruling PS-064: Media Mail, Books (updated January 2017)](https://pe.usps.com/text/csr/PS-064.htm) - [USPS Domestic Mail Manual 173: Media Mail and Library Mail prices and eligibility](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/173.htm) - [USPS Notice 123: price list (effective Oct 4, 2026), Media Mail and Ground Advantage prices](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm) - [USPS: temporary price change for 2026 holiday shipping (Aug 25, 2026)](https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2026/0825-usps-announces-temporary-price-change-for-2026-holiday-shipping-season.htm) Subscribe: https://resellerindex.com/subscribe/ --- The Reseller Index Researched and drafted with AI assistance from each platform's and carrier's own published pages. A full-time reseller runs The Reseller Index and will edit every newsletter issue once the newsletter starts. Every number links to its source and carries the date we checked it. Spot an error? [Tell us](https://resellerindex.com/corrections/) and we'll fix it in the public corrections log. General information, not tax, legal or financial advice. Not affiliated with or endorsed by eBay, Amazon, Mercari, Poshmark, Depop, Whatnot, Etsy, TikTok Shop, USPS, the IRS or the software companies whose prices we track; their names belong to them. Each page shows the date its own rates were last checked. Sponsored placements are always labeled "Sponsored". © 2026 The Reseller Index. No trackers, no ad cookies.