DMM Revision: Updates to Express Mail and Priority Mail Commercial Base Price Requirements for Information-Based Indicia Postage Meters

Effective October 5, 2009, the Postal Service™ is revis­ing Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM^®), to offer an alternative solu­tion to the requirements for mailers using information-based indicia (IBI) postage meters to pay Express Mail^® and Priority Mail^® commercial base prices.

This new method allows customers to prepare such mailings with USPS^®-approved IBI postage meters that electronically transmit transactional data to USPS and print the appropriate price marking as follows:

n “Commercial Base Price”.

n “Commercial Base Pricing”.

n “ComBasPrice”.

For Priority Mail service only, customers using this alter­native will not be required to have a confirmation services barcode with a postal routing code on their mailpieces, except when using Delivery Confirmation™ service. Express Mail customers using this method of postage pay­ment are still required to prepare their mailings with the required Express Mail shipping label.

The commercial base prices will continue to be available for Priority Mail customers who pay postage using IBI post­age meters in conjunction with an approved shipping label that bears a confirmation services barcode with a Postal Service routing code.

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

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400 Commercial Parcels

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410 Express Mail

413 Prices and Eligibility

1.0 Prices and Fees

* * * * * 

1.3 Commercial Base Prices

Express Mail commercial base prices are less than Express Mail retail prices (see Notice 123, Price List). These prices apply to:

* * * * * 

[Add item e as follows:]

e. Customers using USPS-approved IBI postage meters that print the IBI with the appropriate price marking (“Commercial Base Price,” “Commercial Base Pricing,” or “ComBasPrice”) and who electron­ically transmit transactional data to the USPS and use an approved Express Mail shipping label.

* * * * * 

414 Postage Payment and Documentation

1.0 Basic Standards for Postage Payment Options

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1.1 Commercial Base Pricing

Commercial base Express Mail postage may be paid with:

* * * * * 

[Revise item c, and add item e as follows:]

c. Information-based indicia (IBI) postage meter with an approved Express Mail shipping label.

* * * * * 

e. USPS-approved IBI postage meters that print the IBI with the appropriate price marking (“Commercial Base Price,” “Commercial Base Pricing,” or “Com­BasPrice”) and transactional data is electronically transmitted to the USPS with an approved Express Mail shipping label.

420 Priority Mail

423 Prices and Eligibility

1.0 Prices and Fees

* * * * * 

1.2 Commercial Base Prices

For prices, see Notice 123, Price List. The commercial base prices are available for:

* * * * * 

[Add item f as follows:]

f. Customers using USPS-approved IBI postage meters that print the IBI with the appropriate price marking (“Commercial Base Price,” “Commercial Base Pricing,” or “ComBasPrice”) and electronically transmit transactional data to the USPS.

* * * * * 

424 Postage Payment and Documentation

1.0 Basic Standards for Postage Payment

1.1 Postage Payment Options

1.1.1 Commercial Base Pricing

Commercial base Priority Mail postage may be paid with:

* * * * * 

[Add item e as follows:]

e. USPS-approved IBI postage meters that print the IBI with the appropriate price marking (“Commercial Base Price,” “Commercial Base Pricing,” or “ComBasPrice”) and electronically transmit transac­tional data to the USPS.

* * * * * 

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.

— Mailing Standards,
Pricing, 9-24-09