United States Postal Service Frequently Asked Questions _________________________________________________________________ For Questions or Comments regarding this FAQ please contact customer@email.usps.gov _________________________________________________________________ 1. Why doesn't the Postal Service offer a service guarantee for International Express Mail? 2. How can I get a ZIP Code directory? 3. Why can't I get my mail delivered earlier in the day? 4. How come vendors can mark up the price of stamps when they resell them? 5. Where can I buy stamps when I don't have time to stand in line at the post office? 6. FORWARDING: How come the Postal Service forwards mail for only one year? and Why don't you forward it indefinitely? 7. Why does the Postal Service have minimum size standards? 8. I am trying to find the address of a friend, can you help or provide the change of address information? 9. What happens to nondeliverable mail? 10. What Criteria Determines Eligibility of Subjects for Commemoration on U.S. Stamps and Stationery? 11. How can I Have my Name added to the Postal Service's Auction List for "Loose-In-The-MailItems"? _________________________________________________________________ 1) Why doesn't the Postal Service offer a service guarantee for International Express Mail? Although domestic Express Mail service does provide a promised time and date of delivery with a full postage refund if we fail, no such service guarantee is made for International Express Mail. It is not possible to provide the time-of-delivery guarantee that we do for domestic Express Mail because the U.S. Postal Service loses control over the handling of each International Express Mail piece when they are turned over to another foreign postal administration. A wide variety of postal and customs handling procedures which can impact how quickly the piece will be delivered take effect when International Express Mail is turned over to foreign postal administrations. As a consequence, it is not possible to provide a time of delivery guarantee. Instead, we publish service standards of the normal expected time of delivery as a guide for our customers. In most cases, if the item does not have to go through customs, it will be delivered in 2 days to Canada and major European countries. Delivery to the Pacific Rim countries and other destinations generally takes 3 days. If an item must go through customs in the designating country, 1 day should normally be added to the delivery time to allow for customs clearance. Table of Contents 2) How can I get a ZIP Code directory? The "National Five-digit ZIP Code & Post Office Directory," Publication 65, is available for purchase at $18.00 per copy through all main post offices, classified stations, and branches. Some very small units may not stock Publication 65, but can provide the customer with copies upon request by ordering them from their parent facility. Copies may also be purchased through the mail from our National Customer Support Center by requesting Publication 65, or through the U.S. Government Printing Office using GPO Stock No. 039-000-00282-5. The U.S. Government Printing maintains 24 book stores in 20 major cities through which issues of Publication 65 may be purchased over the counter. A limited edition of hard cover directories, such as the ones currently found in postal lobbies is also available for purchase at $23 per set. ZIP + 4 Code State Directories, are also available at $18.00 per set. Customers wishing to purchase the directory through the mail may do so by sending a check or money order Payable to "US Postal Service" in the amount of $18 for each regular soft cover copy or $23 for each hard cover version to: NATIONAL FIVE-DIGIT ZIP CODE DIRECTORY ORDERS NATIONAL CUSTOMER SUPPORT CENTER 6060 PRIMACY PKWY STE 101 MEMPHIS, TN 38188-0001 To order by mail from the U.S. Government Printing Office, send a check or money order payable to the "Superintendent of Documents" to: SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS US GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 710 N CAPITOL ST NW WASHINGTON DC 20402-1575 Cities where U.S. Government Printing Office Bookstores are located: Washington, DC (2) Houston, Texas Laurel, Maryland Jacksonville, Florida Atlanta, Georgia Kansas City, Missouri Birmingham, Alabama Los Angeles, California Boston, Massachusetts Milwaukee, Wisconsin Chicago, Illinois New York, New York Cleveland, Ohio Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Columbus, Ohio Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Dallas, Texas Portland, Oregon Denver, Colorado Pueblo, Colorado Detroit, Michigan San Francisco, California Seattle, Washington Additionally, the U.S. Postal Service licenses private publishers to reproduce and sell this directory in retail establishments or by direct mail. The U.S. Postal Service does not determine the prices at which its licensees sell directories. Table of Contents 3) Why can't I get my mail delivered earlier in the day? The top priority of the Postal Service is to provide mail service in the most efficient manner possible because, all of our costs are reflected in postage rates customers must pay. Delivery costs are one of our biggest expenses, so you can be assured that careful thought is given to the structure of each route. A customer's location on a carrier's line of travel determines the time of day mail is delivered. Carrier routes are established to provide each carrier a full eight hours of work daily. This, of course, precludes providing early delivery of mail to every customer because, no matter how we structure a route, somebody must be last. We do, however, carefully consider the volume of mail for each route so that we can deliver the greatest amount of mail at the earliest possible hour. With the largest fleet of delivery vehicles in the world, to minimize vehicle and fuel expenses we must also pay special attention to energy conservation measures. When the price of gasoline goes up one cents per gallon our total gasoline cost rises more than $1 million. Therefore, when structuring a route, we must balance our goal to deliver as much mail as possible as early as possible with the need to minimize the travel distance a route must cover. We do regret the inconvenience to customer who would like, but cannot receive, early mail delivery. For those customers we offer alternative delivery services, such as post office box service or window caller service, that provide access to their mail earlier and throughout the day. Table of Contents 4) How come vendors can mark up the price of stamps when they resell them? The U.S. Postal Service has no control over the pricing policy of private entrepreneurs. Since they must pay full price for the stamps they buy for resale, they may, of course, charge a higher price in order to earn a return on their investment of capital and effort. Their prices are, no doubt, established on the basis of their needs and on economic market forces. Table of Contents 5) Where can I buy stamps when I don't have time to stand in line at the post office? You don't have to stand in line to buy stamps anymore. You can buy stamps through our Stamps by Mail, Stamps by Phone, or Stamps by Computer programs. Stamps by Mail order forms are available at your local post office, you can order stamps by telephone with a credit card by calling 1-800-STAMP24; and Prodigy users can access the US STAMPS file to order stamps on line by using the FIND command. Stamps can also be purchased from Postal Service vending machines in post office lobbies and other retail locations, or from many retail stores that now sell stamps at face value on consignment - look for the EASY STAMP logo at places where you shop. Table of Contents 6) FORWARDING: How come the Postal Service forwards mail for only one year? Why don't you forward it indefinitely? First-Class Mail, such as cards and letters, is forwarded for one year only. Second-class mail, including magazines and newspapers, is forwarded for 60 days from the effective date of a change-of-address order. Publishers are required to subscribe to our address correction service wherein they receive change-of-address information directly from the Postal Service. So, normally, your second-class publications will not need to be forwarded for longer than 60 days. Forwarding of third- and fourth-class mail varies greatly depending on the level of service guaranteed by the sender. After the one year period for forwarding First-Class Mail has expired, mail addressed to the former address is returned to the sender. At one time, we returned all such mail simply marked, "Forwarding Order Expired." However, at the request of mailers who wanted an opportunity to update their address lists, we programmed our computers to retain the new address for an additional six months and set a procedure for providing the sender of mail with the new address so they can update their records. With this procedure, we now are able to provide updated address information to mailers so they need not necessarily lose contact with friends and associates who moved more than one a year ago. We have received many compliments from individuals who appreciate this added service. We understand why customers may question why we don't just continue forwarding mail on to the intended receiver indefinitely. The answer is, quite simply, that at some point we, as an organization, must stop forwarding mail and rely on the customers to inform correspondents of their new address. Forwarding mail indefinitely would have an negative effect on subsequent mailings because there would be no incentive for the customer to ensure the proper address is used. Two out of every five Americans change their residence every 5 years. The Postal Service currently redirects mail for over 42 million American families and businesses changing addresses each year. Last year, we forwarded over two billion pieces of mail. As you can imagine, it is an extremely labor-intensive and costly endeavor. It costs over 30 cents to forward each letter. The annual cost associated with handling mail that is undeliverable as addressed is $1.5 billion. Under our current procedures we purge an average of five million forwarding addresses from our files each month. Retaining these change-of-address orders indefinitely would be an astronomical, and very costly task. The cost to forward mail is reflected in the rates we charge, and the majority of our customers do not want to see rates increased to pay for more and more forwarding for individuals who choose not to notify correspondents of their current mailing address. Even if customers were willing to pay higher rates for extended forwarding service, there is a limit to the amount of computer information we can effectively store and retrieve. Table of Contents 7) Why does the Postal Service have minimum size standards? We cannot effectively process mail smaller than our minimum size standards without causing damage to mail processing equipment, other mail pieces, and/or the small mail pieces themselves. Pieces that are smaller than our minimum size standards tend to be unstable when processed on mechanized and automated mail sorting equipment. As a result, these pieces get caught in mail processing equipment and damage the equipment as, well as other mail pieces. Their small size makes them difficult to handle manually also. In order to be mailable a piece must be at least be rectangular in shape, at least 3 1/2 inches high, 5 inches long (5 1/2 inches for international mail), and at least .007 inch thick (about the thickness of a postal card). Mail pieces not meeting these standards are returned to sender - usually under separate cover in a larger Postal Service envelop, with postage due charged to the mailer for the handling costs involved. Table of Contents 8) I am trying to find the address of a friend, can you help or provide the change of address information? The Postal Service does not maintain address lists of individuals and organizations. We no longer supply the change of address information of individuals who have moved, with only one exception. Address information may continue to be provided in response to specific written requests from process servers when needed for the service of legal documents and to federal, state, and local government and law enforcement agencies for official duty purposes and in response to court orders, and process servers. Address information for individuals under court ordered protection is provided only in reponse to a court order. There is no charge for this service. Process servers who are not employed by government agencies are required to complete and sign an inquiry form. This form is available at all post offices. Table of Contents 9) What happens to nondeliverable mail? If mail is nondeliverable as addressed, or the address cannot be determined, we make an attempt to determine who the sender is and return the piece. Sometimes we cannot determine who the sender or intended recipient is. In these cases the article is sent to one of four mail recovery centers where it is opened in an attempt to identify either the sender or intended recipient. If this can be determined, the item will be delivered or returned. If, after opening, we still cannot identify either the intended recipient or sender, the item is held for a period of time in the event a claim or mail loss report is filed by one of the parties. If, after a period of time, the item remains unclaimed it is either disposed of or auctioned. Postal Service Mail Recovery Centers handle approximately 80 million pieces of mail annually. Most of this mail is diverted to these centers because of improper or illegible addressing, or because the packaging used by the sender is insufficient to prevent damage to, or loss of, the contents of the package. Publication 2, Packaging for Mailing, offers tips on preparing packages for mailing and is available at your local post office. Table of Contents 10) What Criteria Determines Eligibility of Subjects for Commemoration on U.S. Stamps and Stationery? The U.S. Postal Service and the members of the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC) have set certain basic criteria for determining eligibility of subjects for commemoration on U.S. stamps and stationery. these criteria were first formulated about the time of the Postal Reorganization in the early 1970s, and have been refined and expanded gradually since then. The following are the 12 major criteria now guiding subject selection: 1. It is a general policy that U.S. postage stamps and stationery primarily will feature American or American-related subjects. 2. No living person shall be honored by portrayal on U.S. postage. 3. Commemorative stamps or postal stationery items honoring individuals usually will be issued on, or in conjunction with, significant anniversaries of their birth, but no postal item will be issued sooner than ten years after the individual's death. The only exception to the ten-year rule is the issuance of stamps honoring deceased U.S. presidents. They may be honored with a memorial stamp on the first birth anniversary following death. 4. Event of historical significance shall be considered for commemoration only on anniversaries in multiples of 50 years. 5. Only events and themes of widespread national appeal and significance will be considered for commemoration. Events or themes of local or regional significance may be recognized by a philatelic or special cancellation, which may be arranged through the local postmaster. 6. Stamps or stationery items shall not be issued to honor fraternal, political, sectarian, or service/charitable organizations that exist primarily to solicit and/or distribute funds. Nor shall stamps be issued to honor commercial enterprise or products. 7. Stamps or stationery items shall not be issued to honor cities, towns, municipalities, counties, primary or secondary schools, hospitals, libraries, or similar institutions. Due to the limitations placed on annual postal programs and the vast number of such locales, organizations, and institutions in existence, it would be difficult to single out one for commemoration. 8. Requests for observance of statehood anniversaries will be considered for commemorative postage stamps only at intervals of 50 years from the date of the state's first entry into the Union. Requests for observance of other state-related or regional anniversaries will be considered only as subjects for postal stationery, and again only at intervals of 50 years from the date of the event. 9. Stamps or stationery items shall not be issued to honor religious institutions or individuals whose principal achievement are associated with religious undertakings or beliefs. 10. Stamps or postal stationery items with added values, referred to as "semi-postals," shall not be issued. Due to the vast number of worthy fund-raising organizations in existence, it would be difficult to single out specific ones to receive such revenue. There also is a strong U.S. tradition of private fund-raising for charities, and the administrative costs involved in accounting for sales would tend to negate the revenues derived. 11. Requests for commemoration of significant anniversaries of universities and other institutions of higher education shall be considered only in regard to Historic Preservation Series postal cards featuring an appropriate building on the campus. 12. No stamp shall be considered for issuance if one treating the same subject has been issued in the past ten years. The only exceptions to this rule will be those stamps issued in recognition of traditional themes such as Christmas, U.S. Flags, Express Mail, Love, etc. Ideas for stamps subjects that meet the criteria may be addressed to the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee, c/o Stamp Management, U.S. Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, Room 4474EB, Washington, DC 20260-6756. Subjects suggestions should be submitted at least three years in advance of the proposed date of issue to allow sufficient time for consideration and for design and production if the subject is approved. The selection of subjects for U.S. postage stamps and stationery is a difficult task, since only a limited number of new commemorative items can be issued annually. To help in the selection process, the Postmaster General established the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC) over 30 years ago to recommend subjects and designs. Members are appointed to the Committee by the Postmaster General. They reflect a wide range of educational, artistic, historical and professional expertise. Once a subject is approved, the Postal Service relies, to a great extent, on the design coordinators for the Advisory Committee in selecting artists to execute the designs. Stamp designing is an unusual art form requiring exacting skill in portraying a subject within very small dimensions. Due to the demands of stamp design and reproduction requirements, it is our policy not to review nor accept unsolicited artwork. Table of Contents 11) How Can I Have My Name added to the Postal Service's Auction List for "Loose-In-The-Mail Items"? ---------- End of Document