---
title: "Does Media Mail include tracking and insurance?"
description: "USPS Tracking is included with Media Mail; insurance isn't. You can buy insurance and add Signature Confirmation, but not Adult Signature. Fees inside."
canonical: https://resellerindex.com/usps/media-mail/insurance-and-tracking/
last_updated: 2026-10-19
publisher: "The Reseller Index"
---

# Does Media Mail include tracking and insurance?

USPS's rules: Tracking included, insurance extra

**USPS Tracking is included with Media Mail at no charge, but insurance isn't: the DMM's extra-services table includes $100 of coverage with Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail and Ground Advantage, and Media Mail isn't on that list.** You can buy insurance for Media Mail, $2.80 for up to $50 of coverage, $3.50 up to $100 and $4.50 up to $200, and add Signature Confirmation, $4.15 electronic or $5.15 at retail. Adult Signature isn't offered with Media Mail, and USPS doesn't guarantee its delivery time.

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.

> “USPS Tracking is provided at no additional charge for all eligible products except USPS Marketing Mail.”

[Domestic Mail Manual 503 Exhibit 1.4.1](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/503.htm#a_1_4) · USPS Domestic Mail Manual 503: extra services (insurance, tracking, signature)

> “Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, and USPS Ground Advantage include $100.00 of insurance coverage”

[Domestic Mail Manual 503 Exhibit 1.4.1](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/503.htm#a_1_4) · USPS Domestic Mail Manual 503: extra services (insurance, tracking, signature)

> “The USPS does not guarantee the delivery of Media Mail or Library Mail within a specified time.”

[Domestic Mail Manual 173.2.1](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/173.htm#a_2_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 | 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 $40 textbook, 2 lb: Media Mail $5.13 plus insurance $2.80 = $7.93. By Ground Advantage online it's $8.39 to $13.42, with $100 of insurance included.
- A $150 box set, 3 lb: $5.86 plus $4.50 = $10.36.
- A 1 lb book with electronic Signature Confirmation: $8.54.

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

- An insurance claim needs at least one USPS processing scan or proof of insurance ([DMM 503.4.3.1](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/503.htm#a_4_3_1)).
- Coverage goes up to $5,000 ([DMM 503.4.3.1](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/503.htm#a_4_3_1)), and a claim pays the item's actual value up to the coverage bought ([PS-171](https://pe.usps.com/text/csr/PS-171.htm)), so insuring a $40 book for $200 doesn't raise the payout.
- Certified Mail isn't available with Media Mail; DMM 503 lists it for Priority Mail and First-Class Mail ([DMM 503](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/503.htm#a_1_4)).
- Proof of mailing without a signature: a Certificate of Mailing on PS Form 3817, bought at a Post Office counter, is available for Media Mail, $2.45 ([DMM 503](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/503.htm#a_1_4)). Registered Mail isn't, and a return receipt comes only with COD, insurance over $500 or Signature Confirmation Restricted Delivery.
- Signature Confirmation on Media Mail needs a parcel more than 3/4 in. thick at its thickest point, unless it's a machinable parcel in a rigid box that keeps its shape ([DMM 503.8.1.2](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/503.htm#a_8_1_2)).
- USPS quotes 2-8 days for Media Mail and 2-5 for Ground Advantage ([USPS](https://www.usps.com/ship/mail-shipping-services.htm)).

## What to do

- For an item worth more than the Media Mail savings, compare Media Mail plus insurance with Ground Advantage, which includes $100.
- Buy insurance at one source only: USPS doesn't allow combining postal insurance from more than one ([DMM 503.4.3.1](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/503.htm#a_4_3_1)).

## Related questions

- [What are the Media Mail weight and size limits?](https://resellerindex.com/usps/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.

- [What happens to undeliverable or refused Media Mail?](https://resellerindex.com/usps/media-mail/undeliverable-and-refused/)

  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.

- [What happens if USPS inspects a Media Mail package and it doesn't qualify?](https://resellerindex.com/usps/media-mail/inspection-and-postage-due/)

  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.

- [Do you have to take Media Mail to the Post Office counter?](https://resellerindex.com/usps/media-mail/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.

### USPS package rules beyond Media Mail

- [How much insurance is included with Ground Advantage and Priority Mail?](https://resellerindex.com/usps/rules/included-insurance/)
- [How much is USPS Signature Confirmation, and when is Adult Signature needed?](https://resellerindex.com/usps/rules/signature-confirmation/)

[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 Domestic Mail Manual 503: extra services (insurance, tracking, signature)](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/503.htm)
- [USPS Domestic Mail Manual 173: Media Mail and Library Mail prices and eligibility](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/173.htm)
- [USPS Customer Support Ruling PS-171: Insured Mail (updated March 2001)](https://pe.usps.com/text/csr/PS-171.htm)
- [USPS: Mail and shipping services (Media Mail eligibility, Ground Advantage, First-Class Mail)](https://www.usps.com/ship/mail-shipping-services.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)

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