Media Mail Service:
Media mailing is a cost-effective way to send educational materials. This service has limitations on the types of media that can be sent. Media Mail pricing is limited to the items listed below.
- A book (at least 8 pages).
- Audio and video recordings such as CDs and DVDs.
- We stage scripts and manuscripts for books, magazines, and music.
- Printed music. Computer-readable media containing pre-recorded information and instructions or scripts made solely for use in such media.
- Films with a width of 16 mm or less.
- Printed objective test materials and their accessories.
- A printed educational reference chart.
- Loose-leaf his leaflets and related folders containing medical information for distribution to doctors, hospitals, medical schools and medical students.
Media email packages must not contain advertising. Cartoons don’t meet that standard. Books may contain incidental announcements from other books and audio recordings may contain incidental announcements from other audio recordings. Pursuant to the United States Postal Service’s Postal Standards, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM), Section 170, Media Mail packages require a shipping address and sender’s return address, and are subject to verification by the Post Office. After such screening, packages that are not subject to Media-Mail charges may be evaluated for a reasonable price and shipped to the recipient with shipping charges paid, or the sender may be contacted for additional shipping charges.
How long is Media Mail delivery available?
Note: Vintage piano rolls are included in the USPS list of certified items.
Originally introduced as Book Rates in 1938, what later became known as Media Mail was developed to “encourage the mailing of educational materials.” As technology has evolved and so have the ways in which we share information, so has the list of items eligible for media mailings. That’s why we can now ship your old collection of Easy Listening Cassettes for the lowest possible price.
At the same time, these lowest prices are tempting for some sellers (we consider ourselves vintage magazine sellers) to circumvent the rules a bit. You don’t want to do that. As shown below, USPS takes media mail delivery rules seriously.
How often is Media Mail checked?
Media Mail delivery is unique in other ways, apart from its mission, fees and rules. It’s about being open to mail control. This means that if you send a package using media mail rates, you agree to have your content checked. The USPS periodically “spot checks” media mail shipments to ensure that only items eligible for that charge are included in the package. They are careful not to reveal how many packages are inspected or how often they are inspected. However, with millions of Media-Mail packets sent each year, it’s safe to assume that thousands of Media-Mail packets are inspected every day.
If your packaged goods are not on an approved mailing list, you may be charged with mail fraud. Alternatively, you or your customer are more likely to be charged priority postage. If a customer does not want to receive a package with an unexpected “deadline” shipping date, Media Mail should consider the following rules and restrictions before shipping her package.
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