Why can't media mail be used for anything?

[thisisall1word]

They say it's for "educational materials". Aren't all products "educational" by some definition? Or how are romance novels educational but not puzzles and board games? I am all for following rules. But when rules are arbitrary and unenforceable I struggle to do so.

Furthermore how is it any of USPS business what's inside the package? What gives them the right to open mail just to check if something is "educational". Mail should be treated with the highest respect for privacy and never be opened by anyone but the recipient. 

[kalyoth · Accepted solution]

You may want to check here: USPS Media Mail Eligibility Requirements as it spells out in more detail for you than the general statements you may have located about the service.

As to what is in the package & their concern: they have a legal obligation to protect their employees first & foremost as well as another legal obligation to not endanger the general public through use of their goods & services. As a service provider, in all that fine print no one cares about anymore, you agree to any & all regulations in effect at the time of your handing over the parcel to their service.

There is no right to privacy that you seek to create. There is an expectation to timely delivery service based upon what was purchased & how the parcel is described at time of handoff.

[southern*sweet*tea]

I have no idea why puzzles aren't considered educational, as many of them are.  I'm not USPS so I don't know the reason.

That said, if you don't want your mail to be subject to inspection you need to ship First Class Package aka Ground Advantage or Priority Mail.  It's been that way forever.   MM is a cheaper, discounted service that has certain requirements and USPS absolutely has the right to make sure those requirements are met before the package is delivered.

That's not to say they can't open those other types of packages - they can, they just need a warrant to do so.

[thisisall1word]

Yes, I have reviewed the requirements. From what I gather, romance novels and pop music records/tapes would not qualify as they are not "educational".  But educational is subjective which is why I call this rule arbitrary and unenforceable and violates privacy.

[kalyoth]

Further "with standards in the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM 300) 173.3.2, Media Mail Packages are subject to inspection by the Postal Service™. Upon such inspection, matter not eligible for the Media Mail rate may be assessed at the proper rate and sent to the recipient postage due, or the sender may be contacted for additional postage (DMM 604.8.1). "

[kalyoth]

Again, from USPS Web Site:

What is Media Mail® (Book Rate)?

Media Mail is for shipping media items containing books, sound recordings, recorded video tapes, printed music, recorded computer-readable media (such as CDs and DVDs).

Media Mail® service has special eligibility requirements for permissible contents. Media Mail rates are limited to the items listed below:

• Books (at least 8 pages). (romance novels qualify here)
• Sound recordings and video recordings, such as CDs and DVDs. (music records & tapes qualify here)
• Playscripts and manuscripts for books, periodicals, and music.
• Printed music.
• Computer-readable media containing prerecorded information and guides or scripts prepared solely for use with such media.
• Sixteen millimeter or narrower width films.
• Printed objective test materials and their accessories.
• Printed educational reference charts. (educational material)
• Loose-leaf pages and their binders consisting of medical information for distribution to doctors, hospitals, medical schools, and medical students.

[kalyoth]

In general, you are dealing with the current state of regulations going back over 200 years to combat service breakers within the United States Postal Service. If you do not like or agree to accept them, you are free to use ANY other service available at other rates.

[thisisall1word]

From this link :

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

It says, "Media Mail shipping is a cost-effective way to send educational materials." 

So it implies the media must be educational, no?

[kalyoth]

I have provided you specific USPS pages, that define from the very broad terms you are focused upon, what the service actually defines as eligible. I can't help you further if you are focused upon the broad advertisement of the service, not the actual definitions of eligibility & unwilling to accept that they do not need to conform to you.

YOU need to conform to their rules only. Or if refusing to do so, must seek service elsewhere. USPS does not NEED to do anything until you agree with their service & actually become a paying customer, like any other merchant.

[kalyoth]

You must have skipped over the rest of this statement:

"Media Mail shipping is a cost-effective way to send educational materials. This service has restrictions on the type of media that can be shipped. Media Mail rates are limited to the items listed below:"

[thisisall1word]

Or USPS can update their 200 year old rules for the digital age. They should replace media mail with a general low cost low priority service that can be used for anything.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@thisisall1word wrote:

From this link :

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

It says, "Media Mail shipping is a cost-effective way to send educational materials." 

So it implies the media must be educational, no?

---

No.  That summary is deceptive.  If you look at the more detailed explanation provided in the Domestic Mail Manual, you will see that the word "educational" appears specifically in only 2 of the 9 entries; it does not appear at the top of the list.  Therefore, other items such as books and music do not have to be educational and even the trashiest of novels is eligible just because its a book. Furthermore, items that are very educational but which do not fit into one of these 9 categories are not rendered eligible merely by virtue of their educational benefits.

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

4.0 Content Standards for Media Mail

4.1 Qualified Items

Only these items may be mailed at the Media Mail prices:

1. Books, including books issued to supplement other books, of at least eight printed pages, consisting wholly of reading matter or scholarly bibliography, or reading matter with incidental blank spaces for notations and containing no advertising matter other than incidental announcements of books. Advertising includes paid advertising and the publishers‘ own advertising in display, classified, or editorial style.
2. 16-millimeter or narrower width films, which must be positive prints in final form for viewing, and catalogs of such films of 24 pages or more (at least 22 of which are printed). Films and film catalogs sent to or from commercial theaters do not qualify for the Media Mail price.
3. Printed music, whether in bound or sheet form.
4. Printed objective test materials and their accessories used by or on behalf of educational institutions to test ability, aptitude, achievement, interests, and other mental and personal qualities with or without answers, test scores, or identifying information recorded thereon in writing or by mark.
5. Sound recordings, including incidental announcements of recordings and guides or scripts prepared solely for use with such recordings. Video recordings and player piano rolls are classified as sound recordings.
6. Playscripts and manuscripts for books, periodicals, and music.
7. Printed educational reference charts designed to instruct or train individuals for improving or developing their capabilities. Each chart must be a single printed sheet of information designed for educational reference. The information on the chart, which may be printed on one or both sides of the sheet, must be conveyed primarily by graphs, diagrams, tables, or other nonnarrative matter. An educational reference chart is normally but not necessarily devoted to one subject. A chart on which the information is conveyed primarily by textual matter in a narrative form does not qualify as a printed educational reference chart for mailing at the Media Mail prices even if it includes graphs, diagrams, or tables. Examples of qualifying charts include maps produced primarily for educational reference, tables of mathematical or scientific equations, noun declensions or verb conjugations used in the study of languages, periodic table of elements, botanical or zoological tables, and other tables used in the study of science.
8. Loose-leaf pages and their binders consisting of medical information for distribution to doctors, hospitals, medical schools, and medical students.
9. Computer-readable media containing prerecorded information and guides or scripts prepared solely for use with such media.

[soh.maryl]

Excellent suggestion.  But that's what it is -- an idea.  As with just about any other governmental function, or any other business for that matter, we are all required to comply or find another service or company. 

[lazarustradingco]

Nope, that will not happen…the USPS is operating at a loss and the introduction of a all-inclusive cheaper service will cannibalize their Ground Advantage service, strain their already overburdened distribution network and put them further in the red.

[mtgraves7984]

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@thisisall1word wrote:

From this link :

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

It says, "Media Mail shipping is a cost-effective way to send educational materials." 

So it implies the media must be educational, no?

---

@thisisall1word 

The (subjective) word 'educational' is the one that you can't see past. All Media Mail doesn't have to be 'educational'.