This week the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) approved a USPS request to allow mailers to use credit to pay for their mailings. However, this won’t affect most mailers for awhile.

Whether you pay for your mailings with an Imprint permit, meter, or even a CAPS account, today you must hand over your funds to USPS when or before you mail. For most mailers, this won’t be changing any time soon. Only mailers who are using Intelligent Mail Full-Service and have a Negotiated Service Agreement (NSA) with USPS will be eligible for the credit option. For the majority of these mailers, this NSA will include a promise to increase mail volume over the next three years. So the way most mailers and mail service providers pay won’t be changing.

However, this does show a bit of USPS’s hand. Requiring mailers to pre-pay is cumbersome. Offering limited payment options isn’t encouraging mailers to come out of the woodwork. This week’s announcement may be just the beginning. There has been talk of other payment methods including Paypal, invoices, and possibly credit cards. While these options may be far off on the horizon, this credit option is an important first step.

direct mail · Full-Service · Intelligent Mail · mail entry · mail preparation · permits · PRC · USPS

Mailers can breathe a bit easier for the first half of 2012 – USPS announced yesterday that they will not be closing any facilities or post offices until May 15. Over 200 sorting facilities and 3,000 post offices were on the chopping block. Now USPS has the time to fully investigate and plan for these closures. The information about sorting facility consolidation was especially lacking, and didn’t include information for mailers who deposit mail and receive discounts at those locations. Expect these closures to resume starting this summer, but hopefully this will allow for enough education, both in and outside the post office, to help them go smoothly.

closures · consolidation · direct mail · mail preparation · postmaster · USPS

With the flurry of holiday shopping, parties and cards, don’t forget to ship your parcels out in time! USPS has a handy list of dates to ensure your gifts make it there on time:

* For all but Military APO/FPO/DPO using ZIP 093

A full list is available on the USPS website.

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