LOL--- just had this happen for first time--- had a request for a book and when I printed the address label, the recipient lived in my same town, actually just a mile from me.  Does media mail travel faster if it's going a very short distance?

A couple of years ago I received a book from another member here in Tampa.  The label was printed around 11 am one day and the package was in my mailbox (w/ DC)  the next day.  So it can happen.

I've also see the media mail go all the way to the hub on the other side of the state before coming back to town.  

I've had a few requests either to or from people within my own neighborhood.  They arrived pretty instantaneously.  One member and I realized we had very similar tastes in books and should just meet up in a local coffee shop to exchange in the future!

I once had a book take 3 wks to travel 5hrs from me.  So you never know. If it gets put on the wrong truck it would take wks.  Or it could get there in a day.

I think I'd PM and ask if they'd mind meeting up or having it dropped off at their house. I'd try that to see if I could save a couple bucks in shipping.

I've had lots of books ordered from folks in the same general metropolitan area (although only a couple from people right in the same suburb) and almost always they arrive the day after being sent regardless of whether it's first class or media. However, if you live in a small town, it's possible as others have said that the mail all gets sent to a distribution center in a bigger town and then goes out to where it's going from there, so it may take more than just one day.

If you want, as Amee suggested you can PM the person and see if they mind you hand-delivering...some folks aren't comfortable with people coming to their home, so maybe even meeting in a coffee shop or something, if the person seems like someone you'd like to meet. But always PM...don't freak them out by just leaving it on their doorstep! LOL

Cheryl

I've met people at the library.  Safe place, somewhere I'm happy to wait.

A few years ago it took 2 weeks for a book to come to me from an address about 1/2 mile away.  She hadn't used DC so I don't know where it travelled.  Looks like most folks' experience has been on the "yes it's quicker" side, though, so my experience may be a fluke.

Media mail can be odd, even within town limits. Sometimes it just takes a long time. They don't throw it on the truck and it sits around. I would just drop it in their mail box wrapped up like you would mail it. I've done that and have ones left for me too.

If the person lives not too far, I won't use the PBS postage. Just print the label and have the post office tell me which is cheaper. There have been times when they said first class was cheaper and I crossed out the Media Mail section.

Allene

I had one book going 5 miles, It traveled from NY to Georgia and back to NY.  Makes me think that if it didn't happen they wouldn't need a rate increase.