My Understanding of Media Mail
The nice thing about selling books is that I can use Media Mail to ship my products. Media Mail is a service that lets customers mail certain items for cheap, notably books. It was created to encourage the mailing of educational materials. In addition to a lower cost, you get a tracking number for free.
Which items can be shipped using Media Mail is a bit complicated, so I will try to elaborate upon the explanation given on this USPS web page.
What Can Be Shipped Using Media Mail
* Books (a minimum of eight pages)
* Sound recordings, including CDs, audio cassettes, and vinyl records.
* Video recordings such as DVDs. I would presume formats such as LaserDisc, Video CD, and SelectaVision would count, too.
* Play scripts
* Printed music books and sheet music
* Manuscripts for books, periodicals, and music.
* This is good for authors and editors to know: you can send manuscripts via Media Mail.
* Film prints, 16mm or narrower
* This comes from the days when educational movies would be shown in classrooms on physical film.
* Printed materials for tests (education)
* Printed educational reference charts
The last one I will repeat verbatim: “Computer-readable media containing prerecorded information and guides or scripts prepared solely for use with such media.”
What Cannot Be Shipped Using Media Mail
* Advertising
* No catalogs, obviously, and no magazines that contain advertising. It is common for a book to include a preview chapter from an upcoming book, or for older books to include an order form on the last page. The latter two would usually qualify as “incidental announcements of other books”, and should be fine.
* Comic books, since they contain advertising for sea monkeys and the like. However, graphic novels or trade-paperback comic books, if they don’t contain ads, are okay.
* Video Games
* Puzzles
* Blank media (blank audio tape, blank CDs/DVDs)
* Personal messages. Technically, mailing a book to a friend with a personal letter included would not be allowed. However, Media Mail does allow “a brief note that introduces the media.” I would take that to mean that if your letter was short, and focused on the book you sent, that would be fine. Allowed personal messages would also include bills/invoices, and a booklet of errata.
What is “errata”, you may ask? Back in the day, if errors were discovered in a book, it was common to ship a small booklet with future copies detailing all errors found up to that point. This booklet was called the “errata”. I have a manual for the Applesoft BASIC programming language that came with an errata booklet.
Keep It Simple, You’ll Be Fine
Keep it simple, just stick to books, audiobooks, and DVDs, and you’ll be fine.
What have been your experiences with Media Mail? E-mail me a comment and I’ll add it to this blog post.
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