Go North-With the USPS
THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE has teamed with Canada Post Corp. to create a cross-border service for U.S. mailers.
Canada Admail will guarantee delivery to urban areas in five to 10 business days, while ensuring return of local business reply mail and undeliverable mail, according to a notice in the Federal Register.
The announcement was welcomed by industry reps. Direct Marketing Association senior vice president for congressional affairs Richard A. Barton hailed Canada Admail as a “positive service that the USPS should have initiated some time ago and that we heartily endorse.” Advertising Mail Marketing Association president Gene A. Del Polito also praised the service, saying it was “good to see the USPS taking advantage of the freedom and flexibilities of other markets for a change that’s both good for the direct mail industry and the U.S. economy.”
Mailers seeking to use the service must have a minimum of 25,000 mail pieces that meet Canada Post’s eligibility and mail preparation requirements. Mail must be sorted based either on Canada Post’s letter carrier presort option or the national distribution guide sort option, and mailers must use Canada Post-certified sorting and address-accuracy software.
The USPS will transport mailings to Canada for entry into the Canadian mail stream. The service is limited to standard letters or oversize letters no larger than 14-7/8 inches by 10-9/16 inches, and postcards weighing up to 1.76 ounces. Mail must be entered at one of six USPS facilities-in New York; Jersey City, NJ; Buffalo, NY; Detroit; Franklin Park, IL; or Seattle.
Rates will be determined by the size, weight and level of sorting required. Prices range from 45 cents for items weighing less than 1.06 ounces to 65 cents per piece for mail weighing between 1.06 and 1.76 ounces.
Mailers may be charged an extra 3.5 cents for each piece of mail that does not meet minimum Canada Post requirements, according to the USPS.
