--- title: "Thank-you notes and gift messages in Media Mail" description: "Yes. USPS lets a personal message or greeting ride in a Media Mail package without First-Class postage; it's weighed with the package. The DMM rule, quoted." canonical: https://resellerindex.com/usps/media-mail/personal-note/ last_updated: 2026-10-19 publisher: "The Reseller Index" --- # Can I put a thank-you note or gift message in a Media Mail package? USPS's rules: Yes **Yes. The DMM lets you enclose a personal message or greeting in a Media Mail package without paying First-Class Mail postage, as long as it is secondary to what you're shipping, and the package pays Media Mail prices on the combined weight.** Short gift wording such as "Happy Birthday, Mother" and an inscription in the book that isn't personal correspondence are allowed too. A long letter that isn't secondary to the package would need its own First-Class Mail postage. 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. > “An incidental First-Class Mail attachment or enclosure may be a bill for the product or publication, a statement of account for past products or publications, or a personal message or greeting included with a product, publication, or parcel.” [Domestic Mail Manual 173.6.4](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/173.htm#a_6_4) · USPS Domestic Mail Manual 173: Media Mail and Library Mail prices and eligibility > “is closely associated with but secondary to the host piece, and is prepared so as not to interfere with postal processing.” [Domestic Mail Manual 173.6.4](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/173.htm#a_6_4) · USPS Domestic Mail Manual 173: Media Mail and Library Mail prices and eligibility > “A manuscript dedication or inscription not having the nature of personal correspondence.” [Domestic Mail Manual 173.6.2](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/173.htm#a_6_2) · 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 15 oz book with a 0.5 oz card: 15.5 oz, still the 1 lb price, $4.39. - A 1 lb book with a 1 oz card: 1 lb 1 oz rounds up to 2 lb, $5.13. - A 2 lb box with a handwritten thank-you on the packing slip: still $5.13. 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 - Written additions such as "Do Not Open Until Christmas" are on USPS's list of additions that need no First-Class postage ([DMM 173.6.2](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/173.htm#a_6_2)). - A letter not closely tied to what's in the box needs First-Class Mail postage paid on it ([DMM 703.9.4.1](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/703.htm#a_9_4_1)). - Candy, a bookmark charm or another small gift isn't a message: see [mixed box](https://resellerindex.com/usps/media-mail/mixed-box/). ## What to do - Keep notes short and about the order, and weigh the box with the note in it. - Paper flyers and coupons follow a different rule: see [packing slips and flyers](https://resellerindex.com/usps/media-mail/packing-slips-and-flyers/). ## Related questions - [Can I include a packing slip, invoice, coupon or bookmark in Media Mail?](https://resellerindex.com/usps/media-mail/packing-slips-and-flyers/) 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?](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. - [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 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. [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 173: Media Mail and Library Mail prices and eligibility](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/173.htm) - [USPS Domestic Mail Manual 703: military mail and mixed classes](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/703.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.