Shipping books, records, and other media with Media Mail.

The Domestic Mail Manual says only the items on its list may be mailed at Media Mail prices.¹ For resellers the relevant entries are:

• Books of at least eight printed pages consisting wholly of reading matter or scholarly bibliography.
• Sound recordings, including video recordings and player piano rolls.
• Printed music, in bound or sheet form.
• Computer-readable media with prerecorded information.
• Playscripts and manuscripts for books, periodicals, and music, and printed educational reference charts.

The manual's list also includes 16 mm or narrower film, printed objective test materials, and loose-leaf medical information pages. A vinyl record is a sound recording, but the manual does not name vinyl, so USPS decides at acceptance. When an item is not clearly on the list, ask USPS before you ship it at the lower price.

• Anything not on the list. The list is the test, not a general idea of what counts as media.
• Books with advertising. A book may contain no advertising other than incidental announcements of books, and the manual counts paid advertising and the publisher's own advertising.
• Charts written mainly as narrative text do not qualify as educational reference charts.
• Film sent to or from commercial theaters does not qualify for the Media Mail price.

Media Mail is not sealed against postal inspection, and mailing at these prices constitutes consent by the mailer to inspection of the contents.¹ Do not include other merchandise in a Media Mail parcel. The manual allows only specified additions, such as an invoice, so a parcel mixing a book with an unlisted item is a reason to use a different service for that parcel.

The manual says Media Mail is charged per pound or fraction of a pound, and that the minimum postage per piece is the price for a piece weighing 1 pound. Parcels must bear an Intelligent Mail package barcode and an Intelligent Mail matrix barcode, and carry a correct ZIP Code or ZIP+4.¹

This page does not list Media Mail prices, maximum weight, or maximum size, because the section checked does not state them and prices change. Compare Media Mail with Ground Advantage for the actual parcel in the USPS price calculator,² since the cheaper service depends on weight and destination. Media Mail has a stricter content rule than Ground Advantage, which USPS describes as accepting any mailable item.³

The packaging rules are the same as for any parcel. The Domestic Mail Manual requires packaging that withstands normal transit and handling, contents that do not shift, and a container that keeps its shape without bending, folding, or collapsing.⁴ Packaging made for records, CDs, and DVDs is listed on the shipping supplies guide, and the fragile items guide covers cushioning.

Shipping is part of every item's arithmetic. Strooply shows profit after fees and shipping for each item. To test a price before you list, use the eBay fee calculator, and see the overview of shipping for resellers for how size and weight set the price.