New Procedures for Handling Bulk Mail

Revised 4/12/16

1)When it comes time to plan for your mailing you will need to keep in mind it can take anywhere from 1-4 days for the post office to process your bulk mail, depending on it’s size and other mailings they have to process-so think about when you want the recipients to see it in their mailbox and count backwards to determine your mail date. They can hold bulk mails for up to 3 weeks, so plan accordingly. Once this is determined contact the communications dept. to create what is being mailed and/or inform us of what you’re mailing.

2)Please allow for at least 2 weeks in order for the communication dept. to create and print your mail piece in house(printing in house will depend on the size of the mailing. Larger qty. mailers get outsourced for printing/mailing to a local printer and there is a fee involved). In the case of postcards or tri-fold brochures, please indicate on the work request form that this is being used for a bulk mailer so the bulk mail indicia can be placed on the print piece.

3)Be sure to request your mailing labels from IS, if you are not printing them yourself, and to have the “or current resident” field in place under the recipients name. THIS IS A MANDATORY FIELD AND THE POST OFFICE CAN AND WILL REJECT THE MAILER IF THIS IS NOT INCLUDED.

EXAMPLE:

Mr. Jim Smith

Or Current Resident  This line must be included or you will be charged the price of reg. mail on any incorrect pieces.

1234 YMCA Rd.

Buffalo, NY 14225

4)Provide the communications department with the department you wish for the postage to be charged to. If it is being divided into several areas, please indicate how you’d like it divided.

KEEP IN MIND: From the time the check is requested from Joe and CLEARSat the post office can take up to 2 weeks. Last minute requests will not be guaranteed as we do not carry a sizable balance in the account.

5)Once your mailer is ready to be mailed I will need to know the following in order to proceed w/ your request:

  • What is being mailed (postcard, envelope, brochures etc.)?
  • What is the physical size of the piece being mailed?
  • Are you using window or non window envelopes? They cannot be mixed.
  • What is the final quantity being mailed (200 pieces or more are required to go bulk)? No estimates allowed.
  • What is the weight of the piece being mailed? (weigh one piece)
  • When are you taking it to the post office?
  • Where they being mailed determines how the postal paperwork is completed on our end and the rate of the mail piece. Anything going to zip codes that begin with 140-143 and 147 can be mailed together, anything outside of those first three digits or to Canada I highly suggest mailing regular mail (especially if it is only a few pieces) as it will make mailing your bulk mail that much more complicated. If you have a larger quantity that falls outside of the above noted zip codes, you will need to indicate this in your zip code breakdown sheet which is online on the intranet.
  • How many trays did you fill with your mailer?

6)Once I have all of this information from you I can go online and submit the request for your mailer to be processed. A confirmation statement will be provided to me which I will then email to you. Take this with you when you take in your mailer. Your mailing will need to be dropped off at the Buffalo Bulk Mail Post Office located at 1200 William Street, Buffalo NY. It is located at the Southeast Corner of the building.

7)If for any reason you are unable to send your mailer out as scheduled or if the qty. has changed and you have already received a confirmation statement from me, please notify me as soon as possible as I will need to cancel the postal paperwork in the post offices system. They usually allow us a one week grace period from the date indicated on the mail paperwork for the mailing to actually be processed.

If you have any questions, please let me know or contact Janine Egloff @ USPS at 846-2430 or . Thank you.