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First Class, Standard Mail, or PMOD: What’s the difference and which should I choose?
In a lot of work that we’ve encountered, so much time and energy goes in to making and designing the look and voice, that clients lose sight of how the mailings get where they need to go! And believe us when we say that the Postal Service, like most government offices, is a pretty complex beast. Here’s a short checklist of how to navigate the “in’s and out’s” of mail.
- First: Don’t. Worry. We’ll help handle this beast.
- Second: How soon does your message need to get to homes? A few days? A week?
- Third: Oh, wait… you’re done! (Shoot… Where’d I put that “easy button”?)
First Class
First Class mail is processed by the USPS on a priority basis… it goes to the front of the USPS line. Locally, first class will typically be delivered in 1-2 days and nationally; all of it should be delivered by about 4 days.
If your party has moved, your mail will be forwarded at no charge for a period of 1 year. If it’s undeliverable, it will be returned to you at no charge with the reason for non-delivery.
First Class Presort
If you have 500 or more mail pieces, First Class Presort offers about a 20% postage savings!
It’s handled with the same first class priority processing, but to receive the lower postage rate, the addresses must be NCOA address updated, CASS certified, and put in to a presort order. Leave that to us, just send us your mailing list and we can begin!
Standard Mail
Standard Mail is the new term for “bulk mail”, and if you want to go way back, it used to be called 3rd class mail. Standard Mail is processed by the USPS on a “time available” basis. There is NO guaranteed delivery time, only “typical”. Local mail is typically delivered in about 3-6 work days, national mail can be 1-4 weeks… sometimes its faster… but sometimes its slower.
The “pros”: It’s the least expensive postage mode, a bit more than half the price of 1st class, which enables you to mail lots more for less. It also allows up to 3.3 ounces, all for the same low postage rate. And if your mail is heavier than 3.3, the weight surcharge increase isn’t too much more.
The “cons”:Due to the delivery time, NEVER use Standard Mail if you have a rapidly approaching event or expiration date. Standard mail is not forwarded and not returned if undeliverable. It merely goes in to the USPS recycling bin.
Nonprofit Rate
Nonprofit is simply a favored postage rate within Standard Mail. It’s processed exactly the same, so the same delivery times apply,but gets even deeper discounts that can be 70% less than the cost of first class.
If you are a nonprofit, you can apply to the USPS for these special rates by completing application form 3624.
What is PMOD?
Priority Mail® Open and Distribute is a USPS® service offering that provides an alternate method of transporting drop-shipped mail. Rather than using traditional transport methods (truck, rail, airfreight, etc.) for drop shipping, this service allows mailers to use the expedited delivery service offered by Priority Express or Priority Mail to transport the smaller volume mail to additional postal entry points. Mailers can place their prepared mail sacks or trays into special PMOD sacks or tray boxes, and tag these sacks or tray boxes with special PMOD tags. These tags indicate to the USPS that the mail inside the sacks or tray boxes is drop ship mail, and that it needs to be opened and then distributed as it would normally be processed, hence the name “open and distribute.”
Why use PMOD?
Drop shipping mail can result in some nice postage discounts, or it can be an effective way to better control the in-home delivery time of mailings. But some mailings just don’t lend themselves to the more traditional methods of transporting drop-shipped mail from the original entry point to the destination entry post offices. Drop shipping traditionally involves the use of over-the-road or rail transportation to get the mail closer to the destination point. It works very well for many types of mailings, but smaller mailings make it tougher to take advantage of drop shipping benefits without paying high minimum charges to logistics providers. Since Priority Express has next day delivery service and Priority Mail has 2- to 3-day delivery service, PMOD can be a very quick way to transport the mail to the additional entry points. This is ideal for time-sensitive mail or for delivery trouble spots.
So, whatever the method, just let us know the time frame and we’ll get the most cost effective postage rate possible to meet your deadline!
