Items You Cannot Ship with USPS Media Mail
USPS Media Mail is a cost-effective shipping service that is specifically designed for shipping educational materials such as books, audio and video recordings, printed music, manuscripts, computer-readable media, and some others. Since Media Mail packages are subject to inspection, it is important to know what items you cannot ship with Media Mail in order to prevent delays and higher postage fees.
The United States Postal Service introduced Media Mail (then known as book rate shipping) in 1938 to encourage the distribution of educational materials throughout the country. This domestic service allows to mail qualifying media materials at significantly reduced rates. Media Mail can be used to ship quite a broad range of educational media:
- Books that are at least 8 pages long
- Audio and video recordings such as CDs, DVDs, and tapes
- Scripts for plays and manuscripts for periodicals, books, and music
- Camera film (16-mm or narrower; not blank)
- Computer-readable media with prerecorded information of educational intent
- Medical loose-leaf pages and binders intended for distribution to medical students, medical schools, hospitals, and doctors
- Printed music in bound and sheet form
- Printed test materials and their accessories
- Printed educational reference charts
Media materials that are not intended for educational purposes cannot be shipped with Media Mail. Here is a list of items that do not qualify for Media Mail:
- Entertainment media, including, but not limited to, newspapers, magazines, comic books, puzzles, board games, etc.
- Video games
- Digital drives and computer drives
- Blank media and stationery items such as blank paper, unused notebooks and journals, empty binders, blank tapes, CDs, DVDs, etc.
- Books that lack text such as coloring books, cut-out books, sudoku and crossword puzzle books, etc.
- Most types of cards, including greeting cards, collectible cards, playing cards, Tarot cards, etc.
- Any type of media that contains marketing or advertising (however, qualifying books are allowed to contain incidental announcements of other books and qualifying audio recordings are allowed to contain incidental announcements of other audio recordings).
You also cannot combine educational media with non-educational items in the same package and ship it with Media Mail. The only non-educational items that can be included in Media Mail packages are those that are directly relevant to the educational media you are shipping, for example, instructions for use, explanatory notes, corrections, bills or invoices, etc.
But how will the USPS know if a Media Mail package contains non-eligible items? Unlike other package types, Media Mail packages are subject to inspection by postal workers. Of course, not every package gets inspected, but there is always a chance that your shipment will be chosen for a random inspection.
What consequences will you face for sending non-eligible items with Media Mail? First of all, your package will be reclassified as Priority Mail, and you (or the recipient) will have to pay the difference between the Media Mail rate and the Priority Mail rate. The delivery of your package may be delayed until the appropriate postage is paid. Sometimes such packages are not reclassified but instead are returned to sender.
In rare cases, those who attempt to send non-eligible items with Media Mail are charged with mail fraud and fined. You probably won’t be charged with mail fraud if you make an honest mistake, but obviously intentional and/or repeated misuse of Media Mail is likely to be viewed seriously and punished appropriately, so taking risks and mailing non-qualifying media with Media Mail to save a couple of dollars on shipping is not worth it.