Effective December 28, 2023, the Postal Service™ is revising the Administrative Support Manual (ASM), parts 213 and 274, to give effect to provisions branding USPS Ground Advantage™ as a combination of First-Class Package Service® with USPS Retail Ground® and Parcel Select Ground®, and further segregating the USPS Ground Advantage product into retail and commercial price categories as referenced in the international mail categories sealed and not sealed against inspection.
These revisions align with the revisions to mail cover regulations found at 39 C.F.R. 233.3 that were filed with the Federal Register on December 1, 2023.
Administrative Support Manual (ASM)
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2 Audits and Investigations
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21 General
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213 Mail Covers
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213.3 Definitions
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[Add new 213.3c(4) to read as follows and renumber current items 4. through 11. as 5. through 12.]
(4) USPS Ground Advantage Retail items.
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[Revise 213.3d(7) to read as follows and delete 213.3d(8) in its entirety. Renumber items 9. through 12. as 8. through 11.]
(7) USPS Ground Advantage Commercial items.
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27 Security
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274 Mail Security
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274.2 Opening, Searching, and Reading Mail Generally Prohibited
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274.23 Definitions
274.231 Mail Sealed Against Inspection
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[Add new 274.231b(4) to read as follows and renumber current items 4. through 11. as 5. through 12.]
(4) USPS Ground Advantage Retail items.
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274.232 Mail Not Sealed Against Inspection
[Revise 274.232b(7) to read as follows and delete 274.232b(8) in its entirety. Renumber current items 9. through 12. as 8. through 11.]
(7) USPS Ground Advantage Commercial items.
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The Postal Service will incorporate these revisions into the next edition of the online ASM, which is available on the PolicyNet website:
n Go to blue.usps.gov.
n In the left-hand column, click Essential Links, and then click PolicyNet.
n Go to the right-hand side under “Published Forms and Directives.”
n Click Manuals.
The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet website is blue.usps.gov/cpim.
— Deputy Chief Counsel,
United States Postal Inspection Service, 12-28-23
