Chapter 2: Our Customers
Priority Mail International is available to over 190 countries and offers delivery within 6 to 10 business days on average. Customers receive a 5 percent discount when postage is paid online at usps.com or through authorized PC Postage vendors. The same Postal Service-provided Priority Mail packaging used domestically can also be used for international shipping, including the flat-rate envelopes and boxes. Tracking is available to major destinations in Asia, Canada, and Europe, and limited indemnity is provided at no additional charge for parcel shipments.
First-Class Mail International is a reliable and economical means of sending correspondence, documents, and lightweight merchandise weighing up to 4 pounds. Shape-based pricing, introduced with the May 12 price change, aligns the First-Class Mail International price structure with domestic First-Class Mail structure implemented in May 2007. There are now separate prices for letters, large envelopes, and packages.
operations
International Service Centers (ISCs) distribute and dispatch international mail received from a designated service area to specific foreign countries or to gateway exchange offices. There are currently five ISCs: New York, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Each of the five centers has been recognized for global leadership in international mail processing with an International Post Corporation (IPC) Certificate of Excellence award. This award is based on a year-long certification process, which includes on-site checks to verify compliance with 140 items. Certification is awarded for a 3-year period, with continual IPC validation to assure that performance levels are maintained.
The IPC is a cooperative association of 24 postal operators in Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific dedicated to improving the quality of international mail, managing payment systems, and providing platforms for chief executives and their top teams to exchange views.
Universal Postal Union
The Postal Service achieved several key accomplishments at the Universal Postal Union (UPU) 2008 Geneva Congress. Over 80 percent of the U.S. proposals were approved, and most of the others were referred for further study. Highlights include the passage of operational proposals to accelerate use of electronic data interchange for customs clearance of postal items, adoption of quality of service programs, and elimination of the prohibition against correspondence such as greeting cards in parcels.
The UPU Congress also endorsed creation of a Global Monitoring System that will use radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology to measure destination operator performance delivering inbound international mail. In the future, this process will connect with the payment of terminal dues and facilitate speedier identification of weak links in the flow of international mail.
The terminal dues proposals adopted at the UPU Congress amounted to only gradual increases, which is consistent with the Postal Service goal to maintain affordable international pricing for mailers. Several developing countries will join the Target System, the UPU’s more advanced cost-based terminal dues regime currently composed of all industrialized countries including the United States.
The UPU Congress also approved continuance of the Consultative Committee, which is composed of 19 private sector members. UPU member countries were encouraged to seek the advice and expertise of the Consultative Committee and to explore opportunities for public/private partnerships in their respective countries. Finally, the Congress adopted an entirely new Postal Payment Services Agreement to modernize the exchange of electronic and paper postal payment orders.
The United States received a large number of votes for its election to the UPU Postal Operations Council and Council of Administration, reflecting the international postal community’s trust and confidence in the United States in general, and the United States Postal Service, in particular.
Military Mail
The Department of Defense is a key customer using the Postal Service international distribution and transportation services. Overseas military mail is mail matter delivered to APOs (Army and Air Force Post Offices) and FPOs (Navy and Marine Corps Post Offices) not within the United States. This mail service is an extension of the domestic mail service and includes all mail addressed to or mailed from a military unit located outside the United States or between two military units overseas. The Postal Service is committed to providing top operational service to American service men and women stationed overseas.
Customs
Mail entering the United States from abroad arrives first at the U.S. Postal Service. The Postal Service then sends packages to U.S. Customs for examination and assessment of any duty owed. Customs processing is required for all parcels, including those sent from overseas military postal facilities (APO/FPO). The Postal Service is working closely with the UPU, IPC, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to streamline and improve these processes. The Postal Service is supporting the introduction of advance manifesting requirements for mail shipments to improve security, deter criminal activity, and enhance the efficiency and speed of clearance operations.