On March 3, the Postal Service will introduce a new Priority Mail Large Flat-Rate Box designed to meet the needs of customers for a cost-effective means of shipping larger items than the current flat-rate box allows. The new Priority Mail Large Flat-Rate Box is 12 inches x 12 inches x 5-1/2 inches, offering 50 percent more capacity than the current flat-rate box. The new Priority Mail Large Flat-Rate Boxes can be used for either domestic or international shipments. There is also a special version of the box that includes the America Supports You emblem to show support for our troops. There is a $2.00 discount when either version of the box is shipped to an APO/FPO address. The flat-rate price is based on the destination, as follows:
Note: The APO/FPO box is acceptable for domestic shipments, but it is intended for use only to APO/FPO addresses. It should not be promoted for domestic use. It is not intended for international shipments.
The new Priority Mail Large Flat-Rate Box is not subject to dimensional weight or balloon-weight pricing, incurs no fuel fees or surcharges, and can be combined with USPS.com online services like free package pickup. If postage is purchased online, Delivery Confirmation service is free. All USPS packaging has been independently certified for ecofriendly design.
Retail associates utilizing retail equipment will determine the rate based on the box and destination ZIP Code entered into the Point of Service (POS) or Integrated Retail Terminal (IRT) system. Remember: Only Priority Mail Large Flat-Rate Boxes destined for APO/FPO ZIP Codes receive the $10.95 price.
The same new Priority Mail Large Flat-Rate Box can be used for either domestic or international shipments. Like other Priority Mail International® options, the Priority Mail Large Flat-Rate Box offers a 5-percent online discount. There is also a 20-pound international weight limit.
Beginning March 3, the Postal Service will charge a premium for Express Mail delivery on Sundays and holidays. The premium will be $12.50. That’s in addition to the regular Express Mail price. Our competitors charge a rate equal to this amount for Saturday delivery.
The Postal Service is the only shipping company that delivers 7 days a week. To leverage this advantage, and as part of a larger effort to increase market share and profitability of Express Mail, the Postal Service will charge, beginning on March 3, a new Sunday and holiday Express Mail delivery premium of $12.50. The premium will be charged when customers want Express Mail for delivery on Sundays and federal holidays.
The premium for Sunday/Holiday Delivery is intended to recover the cost of delivering on days when Post Offices are usually closed.
A customer whose Express Mail shipment would arrive on a Sunday or holiday — and who wants a lower-cost option — can choose to have the package delivered on Monday or the next business day after the holiday at the regular Express Mail price. Express Mail International items received from other countries will be delivered on Monday or the next business day after the holiday.
Current rules for the waiver-of-signature delivery option shipments will apply to all Express Mail shipments including Sunday/Holiday Delivery. The Express Mail Sunday/Holiday Delivery option will also be available to customers through alternate access channels like Click-N-Ship service, Shipping Assistant, WebTools, APCs, contract postal units (CPUs), and authorized PC Postage vendors.
Express Mail Sunday/Holiday Delivery is offered at a competitive price. For many of our customers, Express Mail Sunday/Holiday Delivery service is uniquely qualified to meet their business or personal commitments. It is a value-added service designed to meet customer needs when it definitely has to be delivered on a Sunday or holiday.
Retail associates should explain to customers who have this need: “For a small fee, the Postal Service can guarantee that your package is delivered on ___.”
Retail associates will need to apply Label 25, the new yellow-and-white Express Mail Sunday/Holiday sticker, to all Sunday/Holiday Delivery Express Mail packages accepted at retail counters.
The new Sunday/Holiday Express Mail sticker measures 3-1/2 inches x 3 inches, and a roll of 250 stickers will be distributed to all Post Offices prior to launch. Offices will be able to order additional stickers through eBuy. Offices without eBuy access will have to reorder through the MDC.
