Postal Bulletin – Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)(October 16, 2014 )

Effective November 8, 2014, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) section 508.7.0 to expand Hold For Pickup service to include Parcel Select Lightweight and Bound Printed Matter parcels.

In order to provide mailers with additional options to have their shipments held at a designated Post Office™ location for pickup by a specified addressee or designee, the Postal Service is expanding Hold For Pickup to include shipments of Parcel Select Lightweight and Bound Printed Matter parcels. Additionally, the DMM language for Hold For Pickup service is being consolidated to eliminate unnecessary wording, without changing the actual standards.

Although these standards will not be updated in the online DMM until December 8, 2014, these standards are effective November 8, 2014.

7.2 Basic Information

7.2.1 Description

[Revise the text of 7.2.1 to read as follows:]

Hold For Pickup service is available at the time of mailing for mailers meeting the standards in 7.0, and allows mailpieces to be held at a designated Post Office location for pickup by a specified addressee or designee. When the destination Post Office has the addressee’s contact information, an email or text notice is sent that a package is available for pickup. This service provides the shipper with tracking information, including the date and time that the addressee took possession of the item. If the item has not been picked up within 5 days (3 days for Priority Mail Express), the Post Office makes a second notification attempt, and returns the item to the sender, if not picked up within 15 days (5 days for Priority Mail Express).

7.2.2 Basic Eligibility

[Revise the complete text of 7.2.2 to read as follows:]

Hold For Pickup service is available at retail Post Office locations for Priority Mail Express presented under 113.4.2 or 113.4.3. It is also available with commercial mailings of Priority Mail Express presented under 213.4.2 or 213.4.3, Priority Mail (except Critical Mail), First-Class Package Service, Parcel Select Nonpresort, Parcel Select Lightweight, and Bound Printed Matter parcels, when:

a. Mailpieces bear an applicable Priority Mail Express label (under 115.2.1 or 215.2.1) or Hold For Pickup label with an Intelligent Mail package barcode (meeting the technical standards under 708.5.0 and in Publication 199), as applicable.

b. For electronic option (for commercial mailings), mailers establish an electronic link with USPS to exchange acceptance and delivery data. If the electronic option is requested for Hold For Pickup service for all of the pieces in the mailing and the mailing consists of pieces of identical weight, then postage may be paid by any method in 7.1.1. If the pieces are not of identical weight, then either the exact postage must be affixed to each piece or postage must be paid with permit imprint using eVS (705.2.9).

c. At least one of the authorized extra services must be combined with Hold For Pickup service to be available for Bound Printed Matter parcels.

#USPS Policies, Procedures, and Forms Updates
Postal Bulletin 22400 – Oct. 16, 2014