Video Games on CD are NOT USPS media mail?

[TrainableMan]

This only applies to people in the USA. We have a cheap mail option for mailing books, manuscripts, DVDs, CDs, etc. So it is apparently legal to send the disc as a blank disk but if you put a video game on it then it's no longer eligible - this is so crazy. My guess is they saw how popular video games were and decided to bump the fees but movies are extremely popular and they still qualify for media mail rates!

And also you give away your rights when you use this type postage - they can open the package for inspection at will.

Here is from the USPS website...

Media Mail is not sealed against postal inspection. Regardless of physical closure, the mailing of articles at Media Mail prices constitutes consent by the mailer to postal inspection.

Media mail is used for certain types of books, films, manuscripts, printed music, printed test materials, sound recordings, play scripts, printed educational charts, loose-leaf pages and their binders consisting of medical information, video recordings, educational reference charts, and computer-readable media. Video games, whether on CD-ROM, diskettes, or similar software, or playable systems including computers, do not meet the standards for Media Mail. Storage devices such as "portable hard drives", "thumb drives", "flash drives", "jump-drives", and "USB drives" for use with computers are not eligible for Media Mail prices. For specific eligibility please see DMM 173.3.

The maximum size of an item in combined length plus girth (distance around the thickest part) is 108 inches.

Mark each package "Media Mail" in the postage area.

 

[Nibiru2012]

I have never used media mail and never will. I did once or twice many years ago and the items arrived in very bad physical condition.

When shipping most items I use Priority Mail, especially since I have an account with the post office, which is free. I save by printing my own Priority Mail shipping labels online, savings are roughly about 15%. Plus the items arrive in about 2-3 business days anywhere in the US.

 

[Core]

I use Media Mail all the time as a member of Paperbackswap.com. For something like sending books it really is a wonderful service. However, if your package weighs around 5 ounces or less, you're better off sending it First Class, because it will cost the same or less.

I have not had any particular problems with Media Mail, and I receive as many packages shipped via that service as I send out. They do take a beating, however, so you want to package them carefully. When I package a book, for instance, I tend to use packing tape pretty liberally, and I don't put the book inside a box, so in most cases it is easy to tell what it is. If it looks like it's a book, they usually don't bother inspecting it.

I have sent video games via Media Mail before, and I was under the impression that they met the criteria. I could have sworn that they used to. Nevertheless, when it comes to video games I am more comfortable shipping them First Class or Priority anyway.