Simpler Way to Ship Gets Simpler

New Prepaid Forever Priority Mail Flat Rate Packaging Redefines Shipping

WASHINGTON, May 9, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Building on the simplicity of flat-rate shipping and value of Forever postage, the U.S. Postal Service today announced a new way to ship that lets customers lock in future postage at current prices using select Priority Mail Flat Rate packaging.

Prepaid Forever Priority Mail Flat Rate packaging ushers in a new approach to shipping designed to match the preferences of an increasingly agile, value-oriented marketplace. Available for online ordering at usps.com/shipping/prepaid.htm, Prepaid Forever Priority Mail Flat Rate packaging is the only prepaid packaging option currently available in the domestic shipping market.

"By offering Forever postage on Priority Mail Flat Rate packaging, customers now have the convenience of a prepayment option that establishes an even simpler way to ship," said Gary Reblin, vice president, domestic products. "It takes the overall value of Flat Rate shipping to a new level."

Prepaid Forever Priority Mail Flat Rate Packaging is offered at retail prices for the following Priority Mail Flat Rate products in 3-, 5-, 10- and 25-count packs:

With Prepaid Forever Priority Mail Flat Rate packaging, an address label with Forever postage is affixed, so there are no labels to print. And with Priority Mail Flat Rate shipping, there's no need to weigh the contents at the time of mailing (up to 70 pounds), no hidden fees or surcharges, and the packaging is environmentally friendly. Delivery Confirmation service is included at no cost, and extra services such as Signature Confirmation and insurance are available when accepted at retail locations.

Prepaid Forever Priority Mail Flat Rate packaging may be deposited in mail collection boxes, Automated Postal Center drops, or Postal Service lobby drops (except mail weighing 16 ounces or more sent to and from U.S. territories and possessions; Freely Associated States; and APO/FPO and DPO locations). The packaging may also be entered at retail Post Office locations or picked up by carriers. Free package pickup also can be scheduled online at http://www.usps.com/pickup/welcome.htm.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $67 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world's mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 29th in the 2010 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service