FORT MYERS / NAPLES, FL – The U.S. Postal System receives many questions about the mail. Here are the top five questions and answers.

What’s the ZIP Code for this address?  You’re right to ask, because every piece of mail needs a ZIP Code. Don’t guess at the number, or leave it off—no ZIP Code, or the wrong one, could delay delivery. To find a ZIP Code, just go to the Postal Service web site—www.usps.com—and click on “Find a ZIP Code.” Or, you can call 800-ASK-USPS (800-275-8777).

How much postage do I need for my package?  The answer depends on the weight of the parcel, the distance it will travel, and how fast it goes. Your local Post Office can weigh your parcel and compare services and prices for you. If you already know how much your parcel weighs, you can go to www.usps.com and hit “Calculate Postage.”  And while you’re on line, you can use Click-N-Ship service to print shipping labels, with or without postage.  Go to www.usps.com and look under “Shipping Tools” for “Click-N-Ship.” If you choose our convenient flat rate packaging, there is no need to calculate postage.

How long will it take for a letter to go to . . .? Generally, items sent via First-Class Mail to an address in your local delivery area should arrive the next day. Mail destined for addresses within 400-600 miles generally is delivered in two days. Coast-to-coast service, on average, is accomplished within three days.

How big (or small) can my piece of mail be? Parcels tend to be the biggest items mailed, and they cannot weigh more than 70 pounds. Except for Standard Post items, parcels cannot be more than 108 inches in combined length and “girth” (circumference). Standard Post packages mailed at the “oversized rate” can be no more than 130 inches in combined length and girth  As for the smallest mailable item, all mail must be at least 0.007 inch thick, at least 3 1/2 inches high, 5 inches long, and rectangular in shape.

How late can I mail a letter to get today’s postmark? Schedules vary by Post Office. If you are mailing your letter at the Post Office, ask the Sales Associate for the last pickup time.  The last pickup time is posted on all street collection boxes. Mail your letter prior to the designated time to get today’s postmark.

For answers to many other frequently asked mailing questions, get a copy of A Customer’s Guide to Mailing. Stop by your local Post Office or get a copy online at www.usps.com/customersguide.

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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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at http://about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm.

For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional, please go to http://about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf.

A self-supporting government business, 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 nearly 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, the U.S. Postal Service was ranked number one in overall service performance, out of the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world, Oxford Strategic Consulting. 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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