Can you ship vinyl records, CDs, cassettes and DVDs by Media Mail?
USPS's rules: Yes
Yes. Sound recordings qualify for Media Mail, and USPS classifies video recordings and player piano rolls as sound recordings, so vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, DVDs, Blu-ray movies and VHS tapes all go at Media Mail prices: $4.39 up to 1 lb, $5.13 up to 2 lb and $7.34 up to 5 lb. A recording can travel with incidental announcements of other recordings and with guides or scripts prepared solely for use with it. A video game on a disc doesn't count: USPS rules video games ineligible in any form.
Rates verified on
The rule, in USPS's words
Quoted from the official pages linked below each quote, checked Oct 19, 2026.
“Sound recordings, including incidental announcements of recordings and guides or scripts prepared solely for use with such recordings. Video recordings and player piano rolls are classified as sound recordings.”
“Video and sound recordings (including tapes, albums, and CDs/DVDs)”
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.
| Package | Media Mail | Ground Advantage online, Zones 1-9 | Ground Advantage at the counter, Zones 1-9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| DVD box set, 15 oz | $4.39 | $7.33 to $8.95 | $10.05 to $13.65 |
| 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
- One LP packed at 1 lb 4 oz: Media Mail rounds any fraction of a pound up, so it pays the 2 lb price, $5.13.
- A DVD box set at 15 oz: $4.39. Ground Advantage online would be $7.33 to $8.95.
- A 5 lb box of CDs: $7.34, against $10.35 to $20.24 online by Ground Advantage.
- A $150 rare LP packed at 1 lb 6 oz: $5.13 plus $4.50 for up to $200 of insurance = $9.63, since Media Mail includes none (tracking and insurance).
Every weight from 1 to 70 lb: Media Mail rates · Ground Advantage rates
Edge cases
- Blank CDs, DVDs and tapes have nothing recorded on them: see computer media.
- Lyric sheets, liner notes and booklets made for the recording ride along: the rule covers guides or scripts prepared solely for use with it (DMM 173.4.1e).
- The rule names no format, so 45s, 78s, reel-to-reel tapes, 8-tracks and laserdiscs count as sound or video recordings like LPs and CDs.
- Audiobooks on CD or cassette are sound recordings. An audiobook preloaded on a USB drive is unsettled: the DMM's wording for prerecorded computer-readable media covers it and USPS's ruling rules out only blank drives, but USPS's service page says digital drives don't qualify, and USPS hasn't ruled on it (computer media). Ground Advantage avoids the question.
- A T-shirt, poster or turntable part packed with the records makes it a mixed box.
What to do
- Weigh the packed box and round up to the next pound before buying the label.
- Keep everything in the box a qualifying recording, book or permitted enclosure.
Sources
Rates verified on from each official page below.
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 173: Media Mail and Library Mail prices and eligibility
- USPS: Mail and shipping services (Media Mail eligibility, Ground Advantage, First-Class Mail)
- USPS Notice 123: price list (effective Oct 4, 2026), Media Mail and Ground Advantage prices
- USPS: temporary price change for 2026 holiday shipping (Aug 25, 2026)
Free 1-page Reseller Cheat Sheet: fees on 8 platforms, Media Mail and stamp prices
What each platform takes from a $10, $25 and $50 sale, Media Mail 1-10 lb, Ground Advantage to Zones 1, 5 and 8, and the Forever stamp, on one printable page. The link appears as soon as you sign up.