We have all heard the advice from someone, perhaps a friend or fellow eBayer: "Use Media Mail to ship your stuff, It's so much cheaper."  I too have taken it in the neck for shipping costs, and have been looking for a better way.  But is Media Mail worth the risk?  In my estimation, it is NOT.  Not by a long shot. 

What Is Media Mail?

Media mail gives you the advantage of shipping up to 70 pounds of material at drastically reduced rates through the US Postal Service, but all of the contents have to qualify, and the USPS reserves the right to open the package to verify that you have followed the guidelines.  From the United States Postal Service Quick Service Guide 370, contents can include:

... books (at least eight pages), film (16 mm or narrower), printed music, printed test materials, video and sound recordings, playscripts, printed educational charts, loose-leaf pages and binders consisting of medical information, and computer-readable media. Sound recordings may include incidental announcements of recordings and guides or scripts prepared solely for use with such recordings. Books may contain no advertising other than incidental announcements of other books.

If you try to send anything OTHER than these items, or even include something else in the box, and it is discovered in transit, the package is likely to arrive POSTAGE DUE.  I had this happen to me on the receiving end of a package, which thankfully was not an eBay transaction ... but it certainly taught me a lesson.

It Happened To Me

One of my relatives sent me a book and a card for my birthday.  She had wrapped the book up and stamped the envelope on the card, but put them both in a box together and sent them as Media Mail.  En route to me, a postal employee inspected the package, found the birthday card (stamp and all) and decided that the entire package no longer qualified for the lower rate.  It was recalculated at the higher rate, and delivered POSTAGE DUE to me.  Whoah!!  Happy Birthday! 

It Could Happen To You Too

Have you ever included a thank-you card in the box along with the item that you are shipping?  How about an advertisement for your business?  These extras may NOT be considered media mail, and could jeopardize the classification of your entire shipment.

My advice is to be VERY CAREFUL when you use Media Mail, to stick strictly to the list of approved items, and to certainly not try to abuse the system by attempting to slip things by.  It could turn into a headache for your buyer, and a potential negative feedback for you in the end!

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