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What happens to undeliverable or refused Media Mail?

USPS's rules: Return isn't free

Media Mail with no endorsement gets Forwarding Service Requested treatment: if the buyer filed a change of address, USPS forwards it for 12 months with postage due from the buyer at the Media Mail price, and if not, it returns the package with return postage charged at the Media Mail price. A buyer can refuse an unopened Media Mail package without adding postage; refusal is one of USPS's reasons for nondelivery, so the package comes back to you with return postage charged at the Media Mail price. Once the buyer opens it, the buyer has to add postage to send it back.

Rates verified on

The rule, in USPS's words

Quoted from the official pages linked below each quote, checked Oct 19, 2026.

“Same treatment as "Forwarding Service Requested."”
Domestic Mail Manual 507 Exhibit 1.5.4 · USPS Domestic Mail Manual 507: forwarding and return of undeliverable mail
“Piece returned with reason for nondelivery attached; return postage charged at the applicable Package Services single-piece price”
Domestic Mail Manual 507 Exhibit 1.5.4 · USPS Domestic Mail Manual 507: forwarding and return of undeliverable mail
“Months 1 through 12: Package Services forwarded postage due at the single-piece price for the class of mail.”
Domestic Mail Manual 507 Exhibit 1.5.4 · USPS Domestic Mail Manual 507: forwarding and return of undeliverable mail
“Mail refused by the addressee at time of delivery.”
Domestic Mail Manual 507.1.1 · USPS Domestic Mail Manual 507: forwarding and return of undeliverable mail
“the addressee may refuse delivery of the piece and have it returned to the sender without affixing postage.”
Domestic Mail Manual 507.1.5.4 · USPS Domestic Mail Manual 507: forwarding and return of undeliverable mail
“If a Package Services or Parcel Select piece or any attachment to that piece is opened by the addressee, the addressee must affix the applicable postage to return the piece to the sender.”
Domestic Mail Manual 507.1.5.4 · USPS Domestic Mail Manual 507: forwarding and return of undeliverable mail
“The addressee may refuse any piece of Package Services or Parcel Select that has been forwarded.”
Domestic Mail Manual 507.2.3.6 · USPS Domestic Mail Manual 507: forwarding and return of undeliverable mail
“mail that is accepted and opened cannot then be refused and given back to the Postal Service for return to sender unless new postage is affixed by the addressee.”
USPS Customer Support Ruling PS-177 · USPS Customer Support Ruling PS-177: Mailpieces Opened After Delivery (updated February 2012)

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 2 lb book returned as undeliverable: return postage at the 2 lb Media Mail price, $5.13, on top of the $5.13 it cost to send.
  • A buyer who moved and filed a change of address within 12 months: forwarded, with $5.13 postage due on a 2 lb package.
  • A 5 lb box returned: $7.34 in return postage.

Every weight from 1 to 70 lb: Media Mail rates · Ground Advantage rates

Edge cases

  • "Return Service Requested" returns the piece in every case, with the new address or reason attached, charging only return postage at the single-piece price (DMM 507).
  • "Return Service Requested" doesn't cover a package the buyer opened: USPS says the endorsement's pledge to pay return postage becomes void once the buyer accepts and opens the piece (PS-177).
  • Media Mail with invalid or conflicting endorsements is treated as if endorsed Forwarding Service Requested (DMM 507.4.1.3).
  • In months 13 to 18 after a change of address, the piece comes back to you with the new address attached instead of being forwarded. In months 1 to 12, a buyer who won't pay the forwarding postage due can refuse it, and it comes back with return postage at the Media Mail price (DMM 507).
  • Every Media Mail piece must carry the sender's return address (DMM 173.2.3). A PC Postage piece with no legible return address goes back to the label buyer on payment of the return postage (DMM 507.1.5.4).
  • Shipper Paid Forwarding lets the mailer pay forwarding or return postage instead of the buyer paying postage due (DMM 507.2.3.6).
  • On insured mail, the mailer guarantees to pay return and forwarding postage unless the wrapper says not to forward or return it (DMM 503.4.3.1).

What to do

  • Check the address before you ship: a return costs the Media Mail price again.
  • Count a return trip in your shipping math on heavy boxes.

Sources

Rates verified on from each official page below.

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.