The USPS offers special discounts called 'workshare’ discounts' to mailers who help share the burden of the processing of bulk mail. These discounts are rewarded to mailers who prepare their mail to allow the mailing to bypass certain processing steps and expedite the mailing process through the USPS system. The USPS offers discounts for mailings that meet certain criteria for address, barcode and sortation standards and for work saving processes such as 'Drop Shipping.' The USPS has found this worksharing element to be very beneficial to their cost-cutting efforts.
What is Drop Shipping?
Drop Shipping is another component of worksharing that may benefit the mailer by decreasing the cost to mail. If the mailer has a mailing that is geographically concentrated, (such as one city, county or state), and is mailing Standard (Bulk) Mail, they can use drop shipping as an additional 'entry' discount. To Drop Ship, the mailer delivers their mailing to a postal facility closer to the destination, then submits it to the Postal Service for processing and delivery. The further downstream mail is entered into the system, the greater the postage discount.
Here is a quick look at how the USPS moves the mail.
- Mail is collected by local Post Offices from mailboxes and large mailers throughout a city
- --> it is transferred and combined at a Sectional Center Facility (SCF)
- --> it is transferred and combined at a larger Regional Bulk Mail Center (BMC)
- --> it is transferred and dispersed at a Destination Bulk Mail Center to
- --> it is transferred and separated at a Destination Sectional Center Facility
- --> and then to individual Destination Local Post Offices for delivery
- --> then delivered to Recipient Mailbox
Drop Shipping bypasses up to three stops on the origin end of the process and delivers the mail directly to a destination processing facility.
Mail Process with Drop Shipping:
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Drop Ship Entry |
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Destination Bulk Mail Center |
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Regional
Bulk Mail Center |
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Sectional Center Facility |
Destination Sectional Center Facility |
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| Local Post Office |
Destination Local Post Office |
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| Recipient Mailbox |
How much can you save with Drop Shipping?
For "entry" postage discount, if a mailer delivers mail to a Destination Bulk Mail Center, the discount can be 3.3¢ per piece and if delivers to a Destination Sectional Center Facility can be 4.2¢ per piece. The added benefit is delivery time. Depending on how far the mailing is going, there could be as much as a one week reduction in the delivery time.
If you are interested in earning more, please feel free to contact us. |
