Effective January 21, 2018, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) in various sections to clarify the payment methods for retail customers.
In the article, “DMM Revision: Retail First-Class Mail Postage Payment Methods,” in Postal Bulletin 22471, (7–6–17, page 4), the Postal Service revised part 134, Basic Standards for Postage Payment, by removing permit imprint as a retail First-Class Mail® and First-Class Package Service — Retail™ payment option. The revisions in this article:
n Remove additional references to permit imprint as a payment option for retail First-Class Mail and First-Class Package Service — Retail in various other subsections; and
n Revise part 174, Postage Payment and Documentation, to remove permit imprint as a postage payment option for retail Media Mail® and Library Mail.
Commercial customers may use retail prices for mailings paid by permit imprint under certain circumstances. However, permit imprint is not an eligible payment method for mail entered by a retail customer.
Although we will not publish these revisions in the DMM until January 21, 2018, the standards are effective immediately.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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100 Retail Mail Letters, Cards, Flats, and Parcels
101 Physical Standards
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6.0 Additional Physical Standards for First-Class Mail and First-Class Package Service — Retail
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6.2 Cards Claimed at Card Prices
6.2.1 Card Price
[Revise the text of 6.2.1 to read as follows:]
A card may be a single or double (reply) stamped card or a single or double postcard. Stamped cards are available from USPS with postage imprinted on them. Postcards are commercially available or privately printed mailing cards. To be eligible for card pricing, a card and each half of a double card must meet the physical standards in 6.2 and the applicable eligibility for the price claimed. Ineligible cards are subject to letter-size pricing.
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130 Retail Mail First-Class Mail and First-Class Package Service — Retail
133 Prices and Eligibility
1.0 Prices and Fees
1.1 First-Class Mail Single-Piece and First-Class Package Service — Retail Price Application
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[Revise the second sentence of item b. to read as follows:]
b. ***There are separate prices for stamped letters and for letters with metered postage affixed (Metered Mail price).
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135 Mail Preparation
1.0 Preparation for First-Class Mail and First-Class Package Service — Retail
[Revise the introductory text of 1.0 to read as follows:]
The following standards apply to retail single-piece First-Class Mail and First-Class Package Service — Retail:
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[Revise the text of item b. to read as follows:]
b. There are no sorting requirements for retail single-piece First-Class Mail or First-Class Package Service — Retail.
136 Deposit
1.0 Deposit for First-Class Mail and First-Class Package Service — Retail
[Delete the last sentence of 1.0 in its entirety.]
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170 Media Mail and Library Mail
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174 Postage Payment and Documentation
1.0 Postage Payment Methods for Media Mail and Library Mail
[Delete the title of 1.1, Payment Method, and move the text under 1.0. Revise the text of 1.0 to read as follows:]
The mailer is responsible for proper postage payment. Subject to the corresponding standards, postage for Media Mail and Library Mail may be paid by ordinary postage stamps or by postage evidencing system indicia (see 604).
[Delete 1.2, Affixing Postage — Single-Piece Price Mailings and 2.0, Postage Paid With Permit Imprint.]
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We will incorporate these revisions into the next online update of the DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification,
Marketing, 10-26-17
