Tips To Ship Books Using The USPS’s Media Mail Service

As the school season approaches, the back-to-school retail segment is expected to rise by 2.6 percent compared to last year. If you want to sell used or new books, this is the time when you can witness a major sales turnover. While booksellers normally experience a very busy time during the back-to-school period, they may still face a steady demand as book lovers continue to place orders throughout the year. You may want to review and re-consider your shipping options to streamline your processes and to improve your profit margins. The USPS Book Rate service, which is now known as the Media Mail service, allows booksellers to ship educational materials in a cost-efficient manner and the rate is determined on the basis of the item size and weight.

Media Mail rates are much cheaper than the Priority Mail rates and if you are looking to maximize the benefits of Media Mail, you may need to understand the service parameters properly. Through the Media Mail service, you can send books that stretch to at least eight pages, 16 mm or narrower film, CDs, DVDs, and other computer-readable media, loose leaflets, printed test materials, play scripts and manuscripts, and medical information documents that are meant for healthcare professionals and hospitals. The service does not permit the shipping of comic books, loose photos, and marketing materials.

The Media Mail service requires you to demonstrate honesty. When you opt for this service, you permit postal inspectors to open your parcel and check if your items really qualify for the service’s special shipping rate. So you may want to make sure that you are shipping the right items. This service is associated with slower shipping times as it is ranked low in the order of priority and so you may need to consider other options if you have to deliver products faster. Sometimes, you may find the Priority Mail’s flat rate packaging option to be a better alternative especially if you have to send multiple items or heavy books.

To conclude, the Media Mail service allows e-commerce users to ship books and other educational materials in different media formats at a much lower cost compared to what they would otherwise incur with other shipping options. However, you will need to assess your requirement and analyze the pros and cons of every option in order to be able to make a decision- a decision that will benefit you as well as your customers.