MailPro
News for Mailing Professionals

The Forever Stamp can be used for International mail, but would need additional postage.

INTERNATIONAL MAIL: SIMPLIFIED!

Last May, the Postal Service changed its international mail products to make them clear cut and easy to use. The changes introduced the familiar and trusted USPS domestic product names –
First-Class Mail, Priority Mail and Express Mail – into the international product portfolio.

International retail products now consist of: Global Express Guaranteed (GXG), Express Mail International, Priority Mail International and First-Class Mail International, and are available for purchase at Post Offices as well as online at usps.com. Available online tools make international mailing easier than ever, combining Customs Forms and address labels for many products shipped using the Internet. Online mailing will be easier on the budget too – with discounts for international postage purchased using Click-N-Ship at usps.com or through authorized postage vendors.

Customers purchasing postage online can qualify for postage discounts of:

• 10 percent on GXG shipments.
• 8 percent on Express Mail International shipments.
• 5 percent on Priority Mail International shipments.

The same USPS-provided Express Mail and Priority Mail packaging for domestic service can be used with International Mail as well. This includes the popular flat-rate options for Priority Mail International, including two flat-rate boxes, as well as the Express Mail Flat Rate Envelope. Customers can continue to use previous international packaging supplies as long as they remain available. USPS products are still priced lower than comparable services of other international carriers. Be sure to refer to “Addressing Standards and Customs Forms for International Mail” on page 7 in this issue of MailPro.

First-Class Mail International

This service provides a reliable and economical means of sending correspondence (letters and postcards), documents and lightweight merchandise weighing up to 4 pounds. Insurance coverage is not available for First-Class Mail International.

Priority Mail International

Available to more than 190 countries, Priority Mail International service offers six to 10 average-business-day delivery and the same flat-rate packaging options as domestic Priority Mail. There are two flat-rate box options (20-pound weight limit) – $23 for Canada and Mexico and $37 for all other countries. Limited insurance coverage is included on Priority Mail International packages. Coverage is limited to the actual value of the contents or the maximum indemnity based on the weight of the article, whichever is less. Mailers can still purchase additional insurance to many countries. When international insured service is purchased, it replaces the indemnity coverage provided on ordinary Priority Mail International packages. 

Express Mail International

Express Mail International provides reliable, three to five average-business-day delivery to more than 190 countries with money-back delivery guarantee to select destinations. Specific average-days-for-delivery information to major destinations is available through the online postage rate calculator as well as at Post Offices. Merchandise insurance up to $100 is provided at no additional cost. Additional insurance coverage may be purchased at the mailer’s option. Fees for optional Express Mail International merchandise insurance coverage are only $0.75 for each $100 or fraction thereof, up to a maximum of $5,000 per shipment – see the Individual Country Listing in the International Mail Manual (IMM) at pe.usps.com.

Global Express Guaranteed