Informed Delivery ® by USPS ® Digitally preview your mail and manage your packages scheduled to arrive soon! Informed Delivery allows you to view greyscale images of the exterior, address side of letter-sized mailpieces and track packages in one convenient location. USPS Media Mail Rates: The Media Mail cost is not always the same. Recently, USPS had revised the cost of shipping. So, you may refer to the recent price list of the USPS Media Mail rates. New rates were implemented from January 26th, 2020. As compared to the prices in 2019, the rates have increased. Media Mail® is the cheapest way to ship books, vinyl records, or other music with the United States Postal Service®. However, USPS® does not allow the package to contain anything besides the qualifying media products they've defined, and they reserve the right to inspect packages to ensure they only contain qualifying Media Mail items.
Do you have any media & education material to send? If yes, the USPS has a perfect service for you. Use USPS Media Mail service to send media & education material. However, there are few restrictions on the type of media that can be shipped. You can send books, DVDs, CDs, videotapes etc through Media Mail.
We have explained the Media Mail by answering the following queries. Read the sections below to get a complete understanding of Media Mail such as how it works, what are the restriction, what is the cost, how to ship media mail etc.
Few topics related to Media Mail are covered here;
- What is Media Mail
- Which Items Can you Send through Media Mail
- How does Media Mail work
- How to ship Media Mail
- Restrictions on Media Mail
- Media Mail Cost or Pricing
Contents
- 1 What is USPS Media Mail?
- 2 How to Ship USPS Media Mail?
What is USPS Media Mail?
Usps Media Mail Calculator
Media Mail is a cost-effective or affordable way to send medial and educational related materials. This service does come with certain restrictions on the type of media mail that can be sent. Media Mail doesn’t cost much, available from $2.66 at a Post Office. But the delivery time may take some time, you may have to wait for 2 to 8 days for your media mail to arrive.
As mentioned that there are restrictions on the type of media that can be sent such as Video games, computer drives, and digital drives do not qualify for Media Mail prices.
What can you send using Media Mail?
Following items can be shipped as Media Mail.
- Books (at least eight pages)
- Printed music and test materials
- Video and sound recordings
- Printed educational charts
- Medical loose-leaf pages and binders
- Computer-readable media
How Does Media Mail Work?
Unlike Priority Mail, First Class Mail, and Priority Mail Express, Media Mail is based on the weight & size of the shipment. The other domestic services work on the zone-based distance system.
Make sure to weigh the item properly once you’ve addressed and sealed the item. The delivery time for Media Mail is a bit longer as compared to other mail services. But it’s way cheaper, For example, a package that costs $4.59 for Media Mail would be $11.95 via Priority Mail.
How to Ship USPS Media Mail?
Now the question comes “How to Ship a Media Mail”. Find some useful steps below in brief.
- First of all, Read which items are eligible & which are not. You don’t want to send anything which doesn’t comply with USPS policies.
- Get a proper envelope or box for the item you’re shipping.
- Make sure to wrap the package properly.
- Put the address on the package correctly.
- A package should be sealed properly.
- Make a visit to your nearest post office
- Ask how much media mail is for your package.
- At last, Ship your package.
That’s it, this is what you need to do. Media Mail shipping starts at $2.72 and goes up to $0.50 for each pound over one, up to 37.22 for a 70-pound package.
USPS Media Mail Rules & Restrictions
The maximum weight is 70 lbs.
Qualified Items: Books, Printed Music, Printed educational charts, CDs, DVDs, Medical loose-leaf pages and binders, Computer-readable media.
Non-Qualified Items: Video games, computer drives, and digital drives
Read the full rules & restrictions information here: https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/173.htm#ep1113500
USPS Media Mail Cost/ Pricing
This service starts from $2.66 at a Post Office. Check out the official links below for complete pricing breakdown in terms of weight.
Pros & Cons of Media Mail
- Risks: Delivery will be slow 2 to 8 business day, a risk of inspections and damaged materials, no insurance, no compensation for damages.
- Benefits: A cost-effective service when compared to Priority Mail.
Following Add-ons are Available/ Quick Overview of Media Mail
The following add-ons or extra services can be added with Media Mail to make it more secure, trackable, and confirm the delivery.
Starting Price: $2.66 (retail & online) & $1.74 (commercial)
Shipping Time: 2-8 business days
Insurance: Available
USPS Tracking: Included
Signature Confirmation: Available (parcels only) Coda 2 serial number free.
Return Receipt: Available
Collect on Delivery: Available
Final Thoughts:
Media Mail is a suitable service to send media & educational material at affordable or economical prices. If you have media items which are eligible to send then use this service.
Keep checking USPS Guide for more important information related to USPS.
Related
* Images are only provided for letter-sized mailpieces that are processed through USPS' automated equipment
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Usps Media Mail Calculator
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Informed Delivery provides eligible residential consumers with a digital preview of their household's incoming mail scheduled to arrive soon.* Users can view greyscale images of the exterior, address side of incoming letter-sized mailpieces (not the inside contents) via email or an online dashboard. Check out our FAQs for more details.
* Images are only provided for letter-sized mailpieces that are processed through USPS' automated equipment
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