Self Publishers Can Use Media Mail to ship books to their customers and save over 50% on postage costs. This is a special low rate the United States Postal Service offers for shipping books, CDs, DVDs, videotapes, printed music and sound recordings weighing 70 pounds or less in the USA. Computer drives, video games, or digital drives do NOT qualify for Media Mail rates.

The delivery time is anywhere from 2 to 8 business days. The US Postal service reserves the right to open these packages to verify they qualify for media mail. Including a price sheet for your books is allowed, however, inserting a birthday card in with the package will violate the terms and the package will be returned to you for insufficient postage.

Unlike ground or priority mail which are based on zone pricing, media mail rates are based on size and weight. If your package is less than 8 ounces, you should use first class mail because it will cost less. But most book’s size and weights will fit well within the Media Mail rate system. You can ship one or more books at a time and add services such as tracking, insurance, signature confirmation, and Cash on Delivery (COD).

Self Publishers Can Use Media Mail with Stamps.com

Stamps.com allows you organize your packages with cost codes, print your shipping labels, keep track of your shipments and expenses, and use the hidden postage feature. This special feature doesn’t print the postage cost on the shipping label. Stamps.com is a monthly service provided by United States Postal Service. The package includes some free equipment and supplies including a 5-pound USB digital scale and has a 4-week trial period.

Shown below is the Media Mail Rate Sheet (effective as of April 10, 2016). Click here to get access to the most recent rate sheet.