The average length of time from mailing to receipt is 9 days. Many packages get to you much faster; some will take more time.

• MediaMail is an inexpensive and remarkably reliable way to send books around the country (the USPS has an excellent record of delivering PBS books!). It is not, however, the fastest shipping method.
• MediaMail packages take a variable amount of time traveling between PBS members--some arrive in 4 days, some take a few weeks.
• PBS allows nearly 4 weeks after a book is marked mailed before declaring the book to be "lost in the mail" if it has not been marked received by the requestor.

What causes the delays?

• Weather.   Blizzards, floods, hurricanes, power outages - they can all affect mail.

• Distance.
  • Books going to or from Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands or APO/FPO addresses tend to take longer than ones traveling within the continental U.S.
  • You can tell from which area i the US the book was mailed by looking at the en route transaction in My Account:  the state of origin is listed there on the right
  • Distance does not always delay packages: we have heard reports of some packages crossing the country in 2 days, and others taking 2 weeks to travel between town 100 miles apart.


• Terrorism alerts.
  • When the terror alert level is elevated, USPS tends to be more cautious about packages.
  • Anything labeled Media Mail is subject to being opened and searched, which may postpone it slightly.
  • But it should arrive in good condition. The USPS has assured us that if a Media Mail package is opened it will be resealed before forwarding.


• Its particular route.
  • Some postal hubs are more congested than others; if your book must pass through one of these, it may slow down its progress. Think traffic jams.


• Who knows?
  • We heard of one book that took a merry journey heaven-knows-where before showing up at its destination several months later, only a couple of states over from where it started. Who knows where it was all that time? USPS ain't telling.
  • Thank goodness this is quite rare--the USPS has a really superb record of delivering PBS packages!

Related Links:

If you are sending or requesting a book from/to outside the continental/contiguous US...
I received a book that was 'lost in the mail'