Usps Book Shipping In 2022 (Price, Delivery Times + More)
USPS apparently offers shipping services that will ship anything. When it comes to shipping books, USPS’ Media Mail service is an excellent option.
USPS offers several options for customers shipping books as of 2022. In addition to Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express, the postal service provides highly reduced shipping rates through its Media Mail program. Media Mail delivers your package in 2 to 8 business days. On average, it costs 50% more than the other shipping options.
What’s the Cheapest Method to Ship a Book with USPS
Media Mail, which is USPS’s cheapest shipping option, allows you to send books by USPS. Media Mail can be used to ship books for less than 1 pound. That’s more than many individual books. It costs only $3.19.
As a comparison, Priority Mail pricing starts at $7.95 and goes up depending on the size and weight of the package.
Media Mail can be seen as more expensive than Priority Mail at 50%,
Shipping a Book with USPS: What Is the Cost?
Media Mail pricing starts at $3.19, and increases based upon weight per pound.
For packages weighing less than 2.6 pounds, you’ll need to round it up to 3 pounds.
You can also see a breakdown below of Media Mail’s shipping rates by weight
Media Mail packages may weigh as much as 70 pounds. However, I have only listed shipping costs up to ten dollars in order to save space.
Why is USPS Media Mail such a cheap option?
Media Mail is affordable for many reasons. You can get it heavily subsidised by USPS.
Also, it’s slower than other shipping methods, includes only the most basic options, and is subject to compliance checks. We’ll now look more closely at each one.
Since over 80 years, USPS has subsidized Media Mail.
Since 1938 when President Roosevelt established the program, it has been encouraging people to mail educational materials via the mail.
USPS purchases books and educational materials for a loss. Media Mail can be accessed at such a low price because of this.
Media Mail costs less than other methods of shipping, and is therefore more affordable. Media Mail typically arrives within 2-8 business hours, though it is possible to take longer.
A Priority Mail package delivered on cross-country trips will arrive four times quicker than a Media Mail mail package.
Media Mail’s third advantage is its low price.
Priority Mail has up to $50 worth of insurance. Priority Mail can send or return it for free. Media Mail gets only a oneway 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.
Finally, Media Mail is cheap because it’s the only class of mail the postal service can legally open and verify the contents.
The USPS will open your package and find out that you are not sending just books.
USPS could technically assess you for mail-fraud. It’s likely, however that your package will be returned to you or held by USPS for the postage due from the recipient.
If that’s the case, you or the recipient will have to pay the difference between the Media Mail rate and the First-Class or Priority Mail rate.
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.
Does USPS Actually Check Media Mail?
Although the USPS checks Media Mail for accuracy, it is not always as thorough as you might expect. USPS’s process is more spot-checking rather than a thorough review.
USPS can’t check each Media Mail package every day because of this. USPS receives more than 173,000,000 pieces of First Class mail every day.
USPS has no time to review the content of Media Mail packages.
With that in mind, USPS probably inspects several thousand pieces of Media Mail packages each day.
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.
As long as the package meets USPS standards, there are high chances that your package won’t be flagged.
How do I package books to ship with the USPS
To ensure your books make it to their destination undamaged, follow the steps below:
Wrap the book in bubble wrap or clear plastic bags and secure the ziplock if it is a bag. If your plastic bag doesn’t have a zipper lock, close the flap and tap it tightly so it will not open.
The next step is to wrap the books in a corrugated cardboard sheet. This will protect them against any damage during shipment.
For extra protection, wrap the books in bubble wrap or packing peanuts.
Find out more by reading our post on USPS Laptop Shipping, USPS Guitar Shipping, and How Fast is USPS Media Mail.
USPS Media Mail makes it easy to ship books. Your package will arrive promptly and costs less than half of other services.
.Usps Book Shipping In 2022 (Price, Delivery Times + More)