Question: What can be shipping using media mail?

Hi,

I'm currently involving in a guide for guide trade with another person here on CAG. When the person shipped his guide to me, he said the post office clerk said he couldn't ship it using media mail. So he ended up shipping using priority mail. Today I went to the post office and asked for the reason why he couldn't ship his guide using media mail. The lady said people have been abusing media mail and that those guides don't qualify for media mail. Also, she said music CDs, movie DVDs, and video games can't be shipped using media mail either unless they are educational. I was really surprised that music CDs, movie DVDs, and video games can't be shipped using media mail because I've been using media mail a lot to ship those items in the past.

Does anyone know if it's true that CDs, DVDs, and video games can't be shipped using media mail?

Thanks,
Mookiemeister

Right from the USPS

Media Mail®
Small and large packages, thick envelopes, and tubes can be sent using Media Mail. Contents are limited to books, film, manuscripts, sound recordings, video tapes, and computer media (such as CDs, DVDs, and diskettes). Sometimes called "Book Rate," Media Mail cannot contain advertising. Media Mail is less expensive than Parcel Post.

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Nothing about educational.

Find a post office that doesn't care or is very lenient, luckily that describes my local one.

Does it even matter? Just lie.

[quote name='Quackzilla']Does it even matter? Just lie.[/QUOTE]

Well... media mail can be opened and inspected. So if you lie about the content and it's not suppose to be shipped using media mail, I think you can get into a lot of trouble if they find out.

I'm more concerned why the lady told me that the CD/DVD/video games not able to ship using media mail all-of-sudden. Because I've been trading for quiet a while and have been using media mail many times. I also ordered CD/DVD/video games from online stores and they've been shipping using media mail for a while.

Is this something we should be concerned about? If we ship CD/DVD/video games using media mail, and someone at the post office open the package for inspection, will they confiscate those items that are not suppose to be in media mail?

[quote name='Doylerulez']Right from the USPS

Media Mail®
Small and large packages, thick envelopes, and tubes can be sent using Media Mail. Contents are limited to books, film, manuscripts, sound recordings, video tapes, and computer media (such as CDs, DVDs, and diskettes). Sometimes called "Book Rate," Media Mail cannot contain advertising. Media Mail is less expensive than Parcel Post.

Click to expand...

Nothing about educational.[/QUOTE]

Hmm... but some guides have advertising on the back page. I'm looking at the Nintendo Power guides (Paper Mario) and on the inside back cover, they advertise the Nintendo Power magazine. Also, many DVDs have inserts that are advertising something. So does it mean those items can't be shipped using media mail? But other CD/DVDs that don't have advertisting can be shipped using media mail?

Because of eBay, I am at the post office every day. I ship tons of things media mail. On the outside chance they open one of your packages marked media mail that doesn't contain "media mail", your "punishment" will be having to pay the difference between the media mail and the next highest shipping method, such as parcel post or priority mail.

[quote name='soggierules']Because of eBay, I am at the post office every day. I ship tons of things media mail. On the outside chance they open one of your packages marked media mail that doesn't contain "media mail", your "punishment" will be having to pay the difference between the media mail and the next highest shipping method, such as parcel post or priority mail.[/QUOTE]

I would prefer to pay the appropriate amount of postage instead of getting fined after they open my package for inspection for insufficient postage. It would be nice if we could have some consistency from the post office workers. In the past, they've asked me what the content of my package when I want to ship using media mail. And when I told them CD/DVD, they always say it's fine to ship them using media mail. But today this lady said it's no ok to ship CD and DVD using media mail anymore. Is this a new policy? Or is this lady not told that CD and DVD are acceptable media mail item?