DVDs can no longer ship Media Mail? (1 Viewer)

[Joel C]

I ship a lot of DVDs sold on Amazon, which reimburses me $1.84 to send that way (the cost of mailing a half-pound item media mail, I think). Postal regulations state that the old "book rate" now includes CDs, DVDs, ect. Of course, for one DVD, first class is usually cheaper, but its nice for boxed sets.

Anyway, our local post office people are telling us they all went to some class where they learned "someone had misinterpreted" the regulations and media mail wasn't supposed to cover shipment of DVDs because they have advertising for other discs on them and so forth (I'm not clear if they were also adding CDs here, I don't think so). I believe they were referring to trailers or inserts.

But postal regulations (I have a link somewhere) say you can ship items with "incidental announcements of other sound recording" and that video recordings count as sound recordings, so as far as I can see, DVDs should be covered.

Is this just something local? They claimed it's a new rule nationwide, though I can find nothing on the internet. I'll say, if it IS true, I think we can kiss free shipping from Amazon and Deep Discount DVD goodbye.

 

[Patrick Sun]

This month I shipped back DVDs to DDD via Media Mail, and since the name of the vendor was on the address label, the clerk ased me if they were DVDs, and I answered in the affirmative, and that was that, she slapped on the postal label and I paid her accordingly. I hope it doesn't change because it would make for some DVD purchase decision more painful in the future.

 

[ChristopherDAC]

Ridiculous.
As long as it is not "correspondence" there should be no problem. Now, if you were making video letters and mailing them, I might see an issue; but commercial DVDs? Your local Postmaster has got a bee in his bonnet about something. I'm waiting on some LaserDiscs which are coming book rate from Massachusetts, and it was the *preferred* shipping option for such an awkward package. As I recall, an invoice can be included; so saying that materials on a DVD, unless it is actually sent out as an ad [sounds like an AOL thing!], are disallowed is insupportable.

 

[JustinCleveland]

I'm with Chris, I send out DVDs media rate routinely and have never had a problem.

 

[Joel C]

Well, right, as do I, but this is supposedly a "new rule," or a new way of looking at the rule. Anyway, as I figured, it's just my po-dunk office for now.

 

[alan halvorson]

From the USPS page on Media Mail:



I seem to recall an older description that said Media Rate was meant for instituitional use only and not general use. But the above no longer makes a distinction.

 

[Chris_Morris]

This was used as an answer on Jeopardy last week, and specifically stated books, cds, and dvds.

Chris

 

[Philip_G]

I ship all kinds of stuff "media mail"

 

[TonyD]

i just mailed 4 dvds today.
she says, "did you say they were dvd's?"

"yes, yes i did." so she says "you know we can send these media mail, it's alot cheaper."
i said "yep the cheaper the better."

 

[Raymond Chan]

I went to the Post Office yesterday (I live in Southern California) to send several items that I was selling to Secondspin.com. I asked for Media Mail and the clerk asked what items I had. I said I had DVDs and a couple of CDs. He asked, "What kind of DVDs?" I said, "Just regular movies." Then he told me that he couldn't apply the Media Mail rate because the DVDs weren't "educational." He told me that there was a new policy where Media Mail would only be applied to educational products. I thought that was weird because I was able to ship a regular DVD via Media Mail just 2 weeks ago. I was sort of in a hurry so I went ahead and paid the Parcel Post rate.

 

[alan halvorson]

If there is a new policy on Media Mail, the USPS website hasn't been updated to reflect it. It says in one area:


There was indeed a time when the description for Media Mail read like it was mainly for educational material only. But it was rarely enforced and was eventually changed to the above. I suggest that you ask the clerk to show you specifically where it says "educational" material only.

P.S. Sometimes the Parcel Post rate is cheaper than Media Mail.

 

[Chris Lockwood]

Personally I've found it's usually about as cheap to send a CD or DVD first class as it is to go media mail.

I don't think it ever was stated just for educational stuff. MM is just the new name for the old book rate, which applied to any book, not just educational ones.