U.S. Postal Service Mid-Year Changes

The USPS is at it again – trying to make things easier for their customers and partners.

You may already be aware of the changes taking place (or that have already taken place, depending on when you’re reading this) on July 28, 2013, but if you are not you’ll want to check out our USPS News and Information page to get the lowdown. Or, better yet, watch our short (15 minute) webinar titled USPS Changes, July 2013, hosted by our very own Jessica Foth.

In a nutshell, the USPS is:

• Renaming Express Mail to Priority Mail Express
• Renaming Express Mail International to Priority Mail Express International
• Showing estimated delivery times, or special text on Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express labels
• Offering free USPS insurance coverage on Priority Mail packages:
  • $50 on Commercial Base packages
  • $100 on Commercial Plus packages

Other changes include:

• Electronic Delivery Confirmation International Service is now available to 14 countries including Canada – for a list of countries visit our USPS News and Information webpage. Folks, this is a big deal and really beneficial……
• Products eligible for Electronic Delivery Confirmation International are: First-Class Package International Service, Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelope and Priority Mail International Small Flat Rate box
• All 4×6 type shipping labels will now include a 4-digit Carrier Route Code. If you customize your labels with a logo or image, be sure to check that the positioning of your image does not overlap with the Carrier Route Code.

This is all good news because it will make things easier for users, but the really good news is that these changes do not in any way affect postage prices! Let me repeat, no price increase.

For Endicia customers, all of these updates will be available for download in a new version of your Endicia software on July 28. If you use a downloadable client then updating to the new software is optional, for now. If you use an Endicia service through an API or through one of our Integrated Partners, you may see some changes right away.

For more news and tips, check out our FedEx vs. UPS vs. USPS shipping rates comparison page.