Media Mail: what qualifies and what doesn't

Media Mail is a low-cost USPS service for educational media. It's slower than Ground Advantage (typically 2–8 business days) but can save a lot on heavy books.

Allowed#

• Books (at least 8 pages, no advertising other than incidental announcements of books)
• Sound recordings and video recordings (CDs, DVDs, vinyl)
• Printed music and printed test materials
• Computer-readable media containing prerecorded information

Not allowed#

• Magazines, comic books with ads, catalogs or coloring books
• Video games and computer software (in most cases)
• Blank media, or anything packed with non-qualifying items

In Octoship, Media Mail only appears in the rate list when you tick Contains only qualifying media on the shipment. That little checkbox is your reminder to double-check what's in the box.