Share This Article
Usps Book Shipping In 2022 (Price, Delivery Times + More)
USPS apparently offers shipping services that will ship anything. USPS Media Mail, a service that allows you to send books by USPS is an outstanding option.
USPS has several shipping options available for books, starting in 2022. With its Media Mail program, in addition to Priority Mail Express Express (Priority Mail Express), the postal service also provides extremely low shipping rates. On average, packages sent via Media Mail cost more than 50% less than other shipping options and usually arrive in two to eight business days.
How much is it cheaper to send a book via USPS?
Media Mail offers the best option to ship books via USPS. Media Mail is actually cheaper than USPS for books weighing less than one pound. This amount is much lower that the cost of individual books.
Priority Mail Pricing starts at $7.95 for a comparitive package and increases depending on its size and weight.
Media Mail is 50% less expensive than Priority Mail.
How Much Does It Cost To Ship A Book With USPS?
Media Mail pricing starts at $3.19, and increases based upon weight per pound.
You will be charged a shipping fee if the weight of your parcel falls below 2.6 lbs.
Furthermore, here’s a breakdown of Media Mail shipping rates based on weight:
Media Mail packages have a maximum weight of 70 pounds. But, in the interests of space, I’ve limited shipping prices to 10 pounds.
Why is USPS Media Mail so Cheap?
Media Mail is affordable for many reasons. Namely, it’s a heavily-subsidized USPS service.
Also, it’s slower than other shipping methods, includes only the most basic options, and is subject to compliance checks. Let’s examine each one.
The USPS subsidises Media Mail since over 80 years.
Since 1938 when President Roosevelt established the program, it has been encouraging people to mail educational materials via the mail.
USPS has books and other education materials on loan, meaning that they are not profitable. This is the main reason Media Mail costs so little.
Media Mail costs less than other methods of shipping, and is therefore more affordable. That said, Media Mail arrives in two to eight business days but can take longer.
On a cross-country journey, Priority Mail packages will actually be delivered four times faster that a Media Mail package.
Media Mail costs less because you don’t have to pay for anything.
Priority Mail comes with up to $50 insurance. It can also be sent or received for no cost. Media Mail however only has a one way ticket.
This means that if the Media Mail package must be sent or returned by the recipient, they will have to pay additional postage.
In addition, Media Mail insurance costs extra.
Media Mail is also cheap, as it is the only mail class that the post office can open legally and check the contents.
In other words, if you try to sneak in a few extra items in your book shipment, USPS can open the package, see that you’re not just sending books, and penalize you.
USPS may charge you for mailing fraud. However, the chances are that the mail will be returned or kept for payment by the recipient.
If it is, both you and your recipient will need to pay the Media Mail rate plus any First-Class/Priority Mail charges.
What Time Does USPS Media Mail Take to Deliver?
According to USPS, Media Mail takes between two to eight business days to arrive.
It is important to remember that the distance it travels and the busyness of USPS can make it take longer.
What does the USPS do with media mail?
Yes, USPS can verify Media Mail content, but it’s not as extensive as you think. USPS’s methodology is more of a spot check than a systematic review.
USPS has too many Media Mail packages to review every day. USPS receives more than 173,000,000 pieces of First Class mail every day.
The USPS doesn’t have the time or resources to check all Media Mail mail packages.
USPS likely inspects several thousand Media Mail pieces every day with this in mind.
That may seem like a lot at first glance, but it’s truly a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of mail sent with Media Mail postage.
So long as it conforms to USPS standards your package is unlikely to be flagged.
How can I ship books with USPS?
The steps below will help you ensure that your books make it safely to their destinations.
Put the book in a clear plastic bag or bubble wrap and close the zip lock if using a bag. The zip lock on a plastic bag does not have to be used. Instead, you can fold one end over and seal it with tape so that it doesn’t come open.
The next step is to wrap the books in a corrugated cardboard sheet. This will protect them against any damage during shipment.
Then, place books in a box with packing materials like bubble wrap, packing peanuts, or craft paper for added protection.
You can read more about USPS shipping laptops, USPS shipping guitars, and USPS media mail speed.
USPS Media Mail can be a good option when shipping books. Not only are rates more than 50% cheaper than other services, but your package will still arrive in a timely manner.
.Usps Book Shipping In 2022 (Price, Delivery Times + More)