To obtain a high-resolution image of these stamps for media use only, email john.g.friess@usps.gov.

WASHINGTON – The best deal in shipping just added a bit more cushion as the U.S. Postal Service has introduced the first Express Mail Padded Flat Rate Envelope.

The new envelope measures 9 1/2-by-12 1/2 inches and can be ordered exclusively online and free of charge at usps.com beginning Aug. 2. It is ideal for sending merchandise that requires a little extra padding to almost anywhere in the country – overnight – $17.75 for commercial or online customers.

“The Express Mail Padded Flat Rate Envelope is just like the Priority Mail version – only it gets there faster,” said Gary Reblin, vice president, Domestic Products. “It’s a great option for shippers who need to get lightweight items to their destination overnight because it offers businesses and consumers the great combination of convenience, speed and value. Flat-rate pricing saves time and effort on mail preparation and makes it possible to more accurately predict shipping costs.”

The Express Mail Padded Flat Rate Envelope is the latest addition to the expanding Express Mail Flat Rate product line, which also includes an Express Mail Flat Rate Envelope and an Express Mail Legal Flat Rate Envelope, both retailing for $18.95, and a new Express Mail Flat Rate Box launched last January retailing for $39.95.

This new product builds on the success of the Priority Mail Padded Flat Rate Envelope, which rapidly became a hit with e-commerce shippers looking for a lightweight fulfillment option. The padded envelope has become USPS’ second most popular shipping product, next to Priority Mail Regional Rate Boxes.

Express Mail service offers a money-back guarantee (some restrictions apply) and overnight delivery to most U.S. addresses, including Post Office Boxes. Express Mail is delivered 365 days a year with no Saturday delivery charges, residential surcharges or fuel surcharges. Sunday and holiday delivery is available to many ZIP codes for a modest premium.

Free Package Pickup and delivery status information using the Track & Confirm tool are available at no cost when shipping online at usps.com.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation — 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office™ Boxes. The Postal Service™ receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com®, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. In 2011, Oxford Strategic Consulting ranked the U.S. Postal Service number one in overall service performance of the posts in the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.

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