Do you have to mail priority or is there media mail?

Trying to decide whether it would come out cheaper to mail four books to an APO individually or boxed together?

Postage-wise, it's just like mailing to anywhere in the US, so you can use Media Mail.  The only difference is that you do have to fill out a customs form at the PO.  But it's very easy.

It's also highly likely to take longer then the PBS time frame and go lost.  So PBS DC might be a good investment in this case.   Other than that the price is the same.

Much cheaper to bundle them together.

Cost is the same as if you were sending anywhere else in the US.

Estimate for four MMP would be around $3.

I sent a requested book to an APO address earlier this week and was told by three different counter-employees at the post office that a customs form wasn't required.  Since the requestor said it WAS required, I questioned what they were saying several times and finally a supervisor came out and said, "No, you don't need one."  Should I be worried?

Lori, the RC from the APO requestor most likely wasn't written by the requestor. The site places a RC in place for all orders coming from APO accounts.

I am not sure whether a customs form is necessary even after looking at the USPS website:

https://webapps.usps.com/customsforms/# and then clicking on "Need help" chart.

But I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

Your postal employees were most likely applying the general USPS customs forms rules and not the military's Lori. The small packages don't need one going international under USPS, but under military rules they need the big form. You probably don't need to worry as they usually do get through, I've just heard that it can slow them up without the correct paperwork attached so it might take past the lost date to get there.

Because mail prices are almost always a larger base rate with a small incrimental increase for additional weight, I can't imagine a situation where mailing 4 books separately would ever be cheaper.

Thanks so much for the responses!

Melanie - I asked specifically about the military thing, since it's going to a military recipient.  Again, everyone at the post office said it wasn't necessary because the USPS considers "APO/FPO" addresses to be domestic mail, even if they are going overseas (that's verbatim what the postal supervisor told me).  They said the only time any forms need to filled out is if there are perishables or other controlled contents inside the packages - but for regular mail and packages, customs forms aren't required.

Man, I really hope that book gets there OK!  (sigh)

I can't seem to get the link, but if you go to https://webapps.usps.com/customsforms/# and then click on the Customs Declaration Form Usage, you get the chart on when to use the forms and can print that to take to your post office if you get another one Lori. It shows Military APO/FPO address require the Form 2976-A for all packages of all values containing merchandise. A book is merchandise. Pretty much any package will contain merchandise except a letter.

Thanks, Melanie!  I'll pass this along to the folks at my local post office.

Thank you all for your helpful info