Media mail

[kens-bin]

Today USPS would not allow me to ship vinayl records Media mail as I have always done ! Is this new ? Said not educational ! I said it is music with history of group and notes to learn and they said to bad ! Anything I can do ?

[glyph01]

@kens-bin 

Should only be vinyl records/sound recordings and nothing else included, no documents ,as in, advertising/personal correspondence. "with history of group and notes to learn", shouldn't of said that as that could be construed as educational. Go to a different post office. What happened? What made them ask? I always ship vinyl records via media mail.

https://about.usps.com/notices/not121/not121_tech.htm

[nobody*s_perfect]

Items do not have to be educational in order to be shipped via Media Mail.  The Domestic Mail Manual section on Media Mail eligibility has 10 categories of eligible items; the word "educational" is used in 2 of those categories (reference charts and testing materials), so clearly it doesn't apply to the others.  There are a few USPS publications and guidelines that use the word educational, but it is not actually a requirement.

https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/173.htm#ep1113509

This handy chart put together by USPS for staff reference specifically says that records are eligible (way at the bottom) with no "educational" requirements.

https://liteblue.usps.gov/news/link/2013/04apr/Media-Mail-Guidelines.htm

I'm curious whether your PO applies this faux "educational" standard to other MM items such as books and movies?

[glyph01]

@kens-bin 

ignore this bit:

"with history of group and notes to learn", shouldn't of said that as that could be construed as educational.

I mistook whether they meant it has to be educational or not.  But sound recording media such as vinyl records can be mailed with media mail. Perhaps print out the page of the link I gave and take it to the post office.

Technically, the info linked does not say "vinyl records" but says " Sound recordings and video recordings, such as CDs and DVDs." But everyone has been shipping vinyl out via media mail for ages!

Even Pirateship says:

https://support.pirateship.com/en/articles/1393790-how-do-you-use-the-usps-media-mail-shipping-servi...

[buyselljack2016]

A while back there was a poster here on the boards that insisted that any "media mail" had to be educational even though it was pointed out several times that he/she was trying to apply something that was referenced to only a couple of areas, to all areas.

It was his/her ultimate goal to educate every Post Office that it was a violation of the DMM guidelines to ship anything that was not educational via Media Mail.

Perhaps your PO was one that was educated. Maybe he/she got a job with USPS.

[kens-bin]

They always ask when I do media mail and my response was always the same ! They did not open and look ! I had books as well and she ask and said only educational books and I said history so she sent those media mail! Sad part is I had deadline so I lost money today

[kens-bin]

Great info ! Yes I shipped Bible's today and she said only educational books and I said they are history books and so she shipped those media mail ! 

[lja440]

I work for USPS and deal in vinyl records as well as other media.

LPs, 45's, 78's ALL DO QUALIFY FOR MEDIA MAIL SHIPPING.

I do not know who at the PO would say that they don't. It is clearly stared that sound recordings qualify.

[lja440]

Talk to the Postmaster, that clerk needs education material (aka the DMM).

[lja440]

Bit off topic but you can also argue that music IS educational material as songs reflect the time in history that they were written and performed in. Songwriters and bands are in a sense not only entertainers but historians. 

[kens-bin]

Thank you for your reply ! I tried the history part and they still refused but I have enough info now and going back Monday to solve the issue

[kens-bin]

Thank you ! They have always ask when I send media mail ! I only said history and music notes after they rejected media mail and I only had vinyl in box ! I explained after they said it had to be educational that jacket has history and music notes ! I had a rough time with books that day as well but they ended up shipping the books media ! 

[Anonymous]

Your postal clerks definitely need to be retrained... Last month I sent 22lbs of vinyl to a forum member via media mail, the post office had long lines and no parking available so I drove around back and placed my box on a nutting cart and left - took about 30 seconds, a few hours later it got an acceptance scan.

[a_c_green]

---

@buyselljack2016 wrote:

A while back there was a poster here on the boards that insisted that any "media mail" had to be educational even though it was pointed out several times that he/she was trying to apply something that was referenced to only a couple of areas, to all areas.

---

Here you go. Enjoy! 

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Archive-Shipping-Returns/Almost-everything-sold-on-eBay-is-NOT-ELIGIBL... 

---

@buyselljack2016 wrote:

It was his/her ultimate goal to educate every Post Office that it was a violation of the DMM guidelines to ship anything that was not educational via Media Mail.

Perhaps your PO was one that was educated. Maybe he/she got a job with USPS.

---

Perhaps he did, as, sadly, he is Not A Registered User here anymore, but his words live on in the archives. 😊