Choosing the Right Class of Mail

• Express Mail
• Priority Mail
• First-Class Mail
• Periodicals
• Standard Mail (A)
• Standard Mail (B)

Express Mail

Express Mail is our fastest service. It offers guaranteed delivery service 365 days a year, including weekends and holidays. We also offer Express Mail International Service to nearly 175 countries and territories, and we are the only company to offer Express Mail Military Service at domestic prices to select APO and FPO addresses.

Important letters, documents, and merchandise may be sent Express Mail. A full postage refund is made for all domestic shipments delivered later than the guaranteed commitment for that particular service.

To use Express Mail Next Day Service, you can take your shipment to any designated Express Mail post office, generally by 5 p.m.; deposit it in an Express Mail collection box; call for on-demand pickup; or hand it to your letter carrier. Your local post office can give you specific Express Mail acceptance times for your area. Depending upon the destination, your mailing will be delivered to the addressee either by noon or by 3 p.m. the next day. Express Mail post office-to-post office service can also be picked up at the destination post office by 10 a.m. the next day.

If you require expedited delivery but are not sure that your correspondents will be physically at the delivery address to accept and sign for the mail, you may exercise the Waiver of Signature option at the time of mailing. We may not be able to reach some destinations overnight and, in this case, we provide guaranteed second day delivery service. You can get on-demand pickup and information on the delivery status of your mailing by calling 1-800-222-1811.

Express Mail is convenient to use. We supply you with mailing containers (envelopes, boxes, and tubes) and the necessary mailing labels at no charge. Customers find our 2-pound flat rate envelope convenient to use. Any amount of material that fits into it may be mailed in this special flat rate envelope. The rate of postage is the rate charged for a 2-pound piece of Express Mail, regardless of the weight of the material in the envelope.

Merchandise is automatically insured up to $500 against loss or damage, and, for a nominal fee, additional insurance can be purchased up to $5,000. The Waiver of Signature option cannot be used when additional insurance above $500 is purchased. Compensation for loss of negotiable items such as currency or bullion is limited to $15. Document reconstruction insurance is also available. Payment can be considered for reasonable costs incurred to reconstruct an exact duplicate of a lost or damaged nonnegotiable document. As with all claims, there are specific procedures, time limits, and qualifying conditions to be followed. Contact your local post office or your local Postal Service Consumer Affairs and Claims Office for more information.

Express Mail services also include Express Mail Custom Designed Service, Express Mail International Service, Express Mail Military Service, and Express Mail Drop Shipment and Reshipment Services. You can pay for Express Mail with stamps or postage meter strips, or through an Express Mail Corporate Account. Also, in some cities, credit and debit cards may be used. Contact your post office for details and rate information.

Priority Mail

When the overnight speed of Express Mail is not needed but preferential handling is desired, use Priority Mail. Priority Mail offers expedited delivery at the least expensive rate in the industry. The maximum weight for Priority Mail is 70 pounds, and the maximum size is 108 inches in length and girth combined. You also have the option of sending mail weighing less than 13 ounces as Priority Mail.

For proper handling, Priority Mail should be well identified. Your local post office will provide Priority Mail stickers, labels, envelopes, and boxes at no extra charge. For larger quantities (usually 50), you can also order over the phone (1-800-222-1811) or via the Internet (supplies.usps.gov). You will find our special flat rate envelope convenient to use. Any amount of material that fits into the envelope may be mailed at the regular 2 pound rate regardless of the weight of the material in the flat-rate envelope.

Priority Mail Dropship or Reship service is also available. Check with your local Postal Business Center for more information. Priority Mail can be insured, registered, certified, or sent Collect on Delivery (COD) for an additional charge. Contact your local post office for more information.

First-Class Mail

Use First-Class Mail for sending letters, postcards, stamped cards, greeting cards, personal notes, checks, and money orders. All mail weighing over 13 ounces sent as First-Class Mail will be handled as Priority Mail.

Additional services such as certificates of mailing and certified, registered, COD, and restricted delivery can be purchased for First-Class Mail. Insurance can also be purchased. However, insured articles mailed at the First-Class Mail rate must contain only merchandise or material not required to be sent as First-Class Mail.

All First-Class Mail receives prompt handling and transportation. If your First-Class Mail is not letter-size, make sure to mark it "First-Class" or use a large green-diamond-bordered First-Class Mail envelope. First-Class Mail is generally delivered overnight to locally designated cities and within 2 days to locally designated states. Delivery by the third day can be expected for remaining outlying areas.

Periodicals

Only publishers and registered news agents approved for Periodicals mailing privileges may mail at the Periodicals rates of postage. First-Class Mail rates must be paid for magazines and newspapers mailed by the general public. Call or visit your post office for more information.

Standard Mail (A)

Standard Mail (A) is used primarily by retailers, catalogers, and other advertisers to promote their products and services. Advertising by mail allows advertisers to reach existing customers or to target new customers by sending messages to specific neighborhoods or to certain demographic groups that are likely to be interested in their products. Standard Mail (A) also allows advertisers to convey a significant amount of information about their products and to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements. Churches and other eligible nonprofit organizations may apply to take advantage of the attractive nonprofit rates for their large mailings.

The minimum volume needed for using either regular or nonprofit Standard Mail (A) rates is 200 pieces or 50 pounds per mailing. The pieces must each weigh less than 16 ounces and be prepared in a manner that allows for efficient handling.

Most people enjoy receiving information in the mail about subjects that interest them, or products and services they may need or want. Some consumers, however, would like to receive less advertising mail at home. Mail Preference Service (MPS), a service of the Direct Marketing Association, is designed to assist in decreasing the amount of national nonprofit or commercial mail you receive. You may register with the name removal file by writing to:

MAIL PREFERENCE SERVICE
DIRECT MARKETING ASSOCIATION
PO BOX 9008
FARMINGDALE NY 11735-9008

Registering with the MPS will not eliminate all advertising mail. You will continue to receive mail from those companies with which you do business on a regular basis, and from charitable and commercial organizations that are not subscribers of MPS. You should inform your favorite mail order companies to keep your name and address on their "in-house" list only. Registering with the MPS reduces unwanted advertising mail addressed with your name and address. Advertising mail addressed to "RESIDENT" or "OCCUPANT" usually does not stop.

Standard Mail (B)

Use Standard Mail (B) service for parcels weighing 1 pound or more. If you enclose or attach First-Class Mail, you must usually pay additional postage for the enclosure or attachment. (Ask your postmaster about incidental First-Class Mail attachments or enclosures that do not require separate payment of First-Class Mail postage.) You can purchase insurance to cover the value of articles mailed as Standard Mail (B). (For details, see Insurance.) Parcel Post mailed within the continental United States may weigh up to 70 pounds and measure up to 130 inches in length and girth combined. Your post office also has information about lower local mailing rates and special mailing rates for books, catalogs, and international mailings.

Our delivery goal for parcel delivery is 2 to 9 days, depending on distance. For faster delivery of parcels, use Priority Mail or Express Mail.

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