DMM Revision: Express Mail or Priority Mail Open and Distribute Shipments to a Destination Delivery Unit

Effective September 11, 2008, we are revising section 705.16.5.1 of Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®), to provide an option for customers to use an Express Mail® Flat-Rate Envelope or Priority Mail® Flat-Rate Envelope and Boxes for Open and Distribute shipments destined only to a Destination Delivery Unit (DDU). An Express Mail Flat-Rate Envelope or Priority Mail Flat-Rate Envelope and Boxes cannot be used to mail Open and Distribute ship­ments to a BMC, ASF, ADC, or SCF.

Open and Distribute is designed to enhance the Postal Service’s™ ability to provide mailers with expedited shipping service to designated postal facilities. In addition to USPS-approved sacks and trays, customers now have the option to use Express Mail or Priority Mail Flat-Rate Envelopes and Boxes for shipments destined to a DDU. The Express Mail or Priority Mail Flat-Rate Envelopes and Boxes must not be sealed until verification of the contents and postage has been made at a Business Mail Entry Unit.

This option provides ease of use to both the internal and external customer by eliminating the need for zone pricing and weighing the container.

Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)

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700 Special Standards

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705 Advanced Preparation and Special Postage Payment Systems

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16.0 Express Mail Open and Distribute and Priority Mail Open and Distribute

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16.5 Preparation 16.5.1 Containers for Expedited Transport

Acceptable containers for expedited transport are as follows:

[Revise text of 16.5.1a and b, reletter current item c as new item d, and insert new item c as follows:]

a. An Express Mail Open and Distribute shipment must be contained in a USPS-approved sack using Tag 157, except as provided in 16.5.1c and 16.5.1d.

b. A Priority Mail Open and Distribute shipment must be contained in either a USPS-approved sack using Tag 161 or Tag 190 or in a letter-size tray using Label 23, except as provided in 16.5.1c and 16.5.1d.

c. An Express Mail or Priority Mail Open and Distribute shipment destined to a DDU may be contained in a USPS-provided Express Mail Flat-Rate Envelope us­ing Tag 157 or Priority Mail Flat-Rate Envelope or Boxes using Tag 190.

d. Customized MarketMail (CMM) pieces may be con­tained in USPS-provided Express Mail or Priority Mail Envelopes and Boxes or in any properly labeled con­tainer supplied by the mailer.

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16.5.3 Tag 157 — Express Mail Open and Distribute

[Revise the second sentence in 16.5.3 as follows:]

***This tag or an approved facsimile also must be affixed to containers used for Express Mail Open and Distribute ship­ments prepared under 16.5.1c or 16.5.1d.

16.5.4 Tags 161 and 190 — Priority Mail Open and Distribute

[Revise the second sentence in 16.5.4 as follows:]

***Tag 161 or Tag 190 must be attached to each Priority Mail sack, in addition to the Priority Mail sack label, or con­tainer to identify it as a Priority Mail Open and Distribute shipment as follows:

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[Revise 16.5.4 item b as follows:]

b. Attach Tag 190 to sacks used as Priority Mail Open and Distribute containers to a DDU. This tag or an approved facsimile also must be affixed to contain­ers used for Priority Mail Open and Distribute ship­ments prepared under 16.5.1c or 16.5.1d.

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We will include these revisions in the next update of the online DMM on Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com and in the next printed edition of the DMM.