Do magazines qualify as media mail?

About two months ago I had occasion to mail four boxes of books and magazines across the United States, and much to my surprise a box that contains mostly books but a few magazines does not qualify for the book rate/ media mail rate (at least according to the postal clerk who conducted my transaction). read more

Magazines and catalogs, because they contain advertising, do not qualify for Media Mail rate. Items shipped via Media Mail are NOT sealed against inspection and may be opened at any point through the USPS processing system to determine if they qualify for Media Mail rate. read more

Items that DO NOT qualify as Media mail: Advertisement of any kind. (magazines do not qualify due to the advertisements). Homemade CDs or DVDs. read more