Media Mail Shipping
The USPS offers Media Mail shipping service that is designed especially for mailing media and educational products, at a cheaper cost than regular shipping. Books, manuscripts, as well as recordings such as CDs and tapes can be sent by people and institutions in the United States at discounted Media Mail rates. The rate starts at $4.13 for an order up to one pound in weight.
At any time over the process of shipping, the Postal Service retains the privilege to open and examine any Media Mail product. The Postal Service costs its sender or recipient the extra freight if they discover things that do not qualify.

Media Mail Shipping Rates
The Media Mail shipping has the right to open and examine all Media Mail parcels. The starting price at the post office is $4.63. Weight determines Media Mail rates. It costs a fixed $2.80 for the first pound, no matter where it goes. Additionally, the cost is $0.53 per pound. Any shipment that weighs more than one pound is going to be adjusted up.
Media Mail Shipping 2024
Sending instructional materials via Media Mail is an affordable option. Shipping companies often alter their rates, products and services, and goods, usually at the beginning and middle of the year.
Media Mail Shipping Calculator
To find out the costs for Media Mail shipping, utilize the USPS Price Calculator.
You must know some variables for calculator, like:
- the package weights
- the worth of the products being mailed
- the areas with ZIP codes for the shipping and recipient destinations in order to obtain an exact price.
Books and DVDs are among the instructional resources that can be shipped using the Media Mail rates. The least expensive method of shipping books and educational resources is via USPS Media Mail shipping.

Media Mail Shipping Label
A Media Mail shipping label can be purchased online, from which you can choose the option to indicate that your item is eligible for Media Mail. Remember that Media Mail can only carry a maximum of 70 pounds in load and is intended exclusively for the shipment of educational items like books, recordings of sound, and printed music. When shipping, ensure that your package meets the requirements by checking the criteria.
Media Mail Shipping Times
Compared to 1–3 days for Priority Mail or 2–7 days for First Class Mail, USPS Media Mail takes 2–10 days to reach its intended location. Media Mail shipping packages can be examined to check for authorized items without a search warrant, which is one of the main reasons why they take longer than other USPS services.
Media Mail Shipping to Canada
International deliveries are not eligible for Media Mail. Only shipments shipped from or within the United States of America are eligible for Media Mail, since Media Mail shipping is a domestic service provided by the USPS.

Media Mail Shipping Rates July 2024
Here is the Media Mail shipping rates for July 2024
Mailpiece Weight | Commercial Increase | Retail Increase |
0-3lb, Zones 1-4 | $0.30 | $0.40 |
0-3lb, Zones 5-9 | $0.70 | $0.90 |
4-10lb, Zones 1-4 | $0.45 | $0.55 |
4-10lb, Zones 5-9 | $1.25 | $1.45 |
11-25lb, Zones 1-4 | $0.75 | $0.95 |
11-25lb, Zones 5-9 | $2.75 | $3.25 |
26-70lb, Zones 1-4 | $3.00 | $4.00 |
26-70lb, Zones 5-9 | $7.00 | $8.50 |
Media Mail Shipping Rules
The USPS offers Media Mail, an affordable shipping option designed especially for distributing educational goods. There are particular qualifying restrictions for the items being sent with this kind of service.
You can send the following packages by Media Mail shipping:
- Books
- Manuscripts
- printed music
- sound recordings
- instructional
While some media types are prohibited. Comic books don’t fit this description. In addition, Media Mail shipments are limited to packages weighing no more than 70 pounds. If your package weighs more than 70 pounds, you might want to ship it with FedEx or UPS, which transport shipments up to 150 pounds in weight.
Media Mail Shipping Requirements
The kind of material that may be shipped using this service is limited. Only the following items are eligible for Media Mail rates:
- Books with a minimum of eight pages, as well as videos and audio recordings on CDs and DVDs.
- It may include manuscripts and play screenplays for books, magazines, and printed music.
- It could be computer-readable media having prerecorded data and scripts or instructions created especially for use with that type of media.
- Films with a width of sixteen millimeters or less, printed instructional reference graphs, and objective assessments and their attachments are all possible.
- Medical information can be distributed to physicians, hospitals, medical students, and medical schools through loose-leaf pages and their folders.
- Books, sound recordings, magazines, CDs, DVDs, and printed music are examples of media.
Advertising may not be included in Media Mail shipments. In the same way that sound records can include incidental releases of other audio recordings, books can include incidental notifications of other books.
According to the guidelines in Section 170 of the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM), Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Media Mail items are subject to Postal Service examination and must include both the sender’s return mailing address and the recipient’s address.
After this kind of examination, items that are not qualified for the Media Mail rate can be evaluated at the correct rate and delivered to the receiver with the postage that is owed, or the sender might be notified for extra postage.

Media Mail Shipping Box
You can send allowed books, media, and educational resources at a reasonable price with Media Mail. The package needs to be in a box that meets certain size requirements or in a sealed envelope that is no bigger than 12 by 15 by ¾ inches. Keep in mind that the kinds of material that may be sent are limited.