Big Deal Alert!!
Paper ONLY in Standard and Nonprofit Letters and Flats

Proposed change in content standards published in Federal Register

On Thursday, August 23, the Postal Service proposed a new rule regarding USPS Marketing Mail (Standard Mail, here on Earth.) This would apply to nonprofit mail, as well:

This proposed change would limit all USPS Marketing Mail, regular and nonprofit, letter-size and flat-size, to content that is only paper-based/printed matter; no merchandise or goods will be allowed of any type regardless of “value.” All items not eligible to be sent as USPS Marketing Mail letter-size or flat-size pieces would need to shift to another product ( e.g., Priority Mail®, Parcel Select®) to be mailed.

So if you send any front-end premiums in a letter or flat package, or do any fulfillment that currently fits in a letter or flat envelope it will not be able to mail as a letter or flat. It would appear that such items as CD’s, DVD’s, gift cards, plastic membership cards, thin items like sun catchers, pens, coins…really anything that is not paper. These items would have to move to parcel classes which are much more expensive. At ProList, we have sounded to official Big Deal siren.

Why this rule?
Ostensibly, this is to increase operational efficiency by getting irregular stuff out of sorting equipment. There are not a lot of details available, so it’s hard to say what, if any, sensible exceptions may be written into the final rule. Postal regulations are not well known for drifting towards sensible outcomes.

Fortunately, there is a comment period until October 22, 2018. If you include any non-paper items in your mailings you NEED to comment.
Here’s how:

Mail or deliver written comments to the Manager, Product Classification, U.S. Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Room 4446, Washington, DC 20260-5015. Comments and questions can also be emailed to ProductClassification@usps.gov using the subject line “USPS Marketing Mail Content Eligibility.”