Except under 223.12, Express Mail International shipments are charged postage for each addressed piece according to its weight and zone. For shipments presented in Express Mail pouches under an Express Mail Custom Designed Service agreement, each pouch is considered an addressed piece. See the Individual Country Listings for countries that offer Express Mail International service.
Regardless of the actual weight of the mailpiece, the Express Mail International flat-rate envelope is charged at a flat rate. Postage is required for each piece (see Exhibit 223.12). A domestic Express Mail flat-rate envelope with prepaid postage may also be used for an Express Mail International item provided that appropriate additional postage is added before mailing.
Exhibit 223.12
Express Mail International Flat-Rate Envelope
Express Mail International shipments may be paid with postage stamps, postage validation imprinter (PVI) labels, postage meter stamps, information-based indicia (IBI), PC Postage service, or a permit imprint under 223.22, or through the use of an Express Mail corporate account (EMCA). A written application is required prior to mailing with an Express Mail corporate account (see DMM 414.2).
Payment for Express Mail International shipments paid with a permit imprint through an advance deposit account is allowed only when guidelines for commercial base price incentives (see 223.222) are followed. Postage paid with a permit imprint is subject to the general conditions in 152.4, and DMM 604 and 705. An Express Mail International shipment using a permit imprint does not qualify for postage-refund guarantees under 221.2 for Express Mail International With Guarantee service destination countries.
223.222 Permit Imprint — Commercial Base Prices
Express Mail International commercial base postage prices are 8 percent below retail prices for all postage paid with a permit imprint. The commercial base price incentive applies only to the postage portion of Express Mail International prices. It does not apply to any other charges or fees, such as Pickup on Demand service, additional merchandise insurance coverage, or shipments made under a customized agreement.
To receive this commercial base price incentive, customers must meet the following requirements:
- Use USPS-produced Global Shipping Software (GSS). (To request information about GSS, send an e-mail to GSSHelp@usps.gov.)
- Pay for postage with a permit imprint through an advance deposit account or an Express Mail corporate account (see 223.23).
- Meet manifesting and permit imprint requirements.
Customers who are capable, on an annualized basis, of using Express Mail International service to tender at least 2,500 pieces or pay at least $50,000 in international postage should contact the Postal Service to discuss customized agreements (see 297).
Express Mail International commercial base prices are 8 percent, 10 percent, or 12 percent below retail prices for postage paid directly through an Express Mail corporate account (EMCA) as shown in Exhibit 223.231. There is no minimum volume requirement to receive the 8-percent incentive. The commercial base price incentives and the commercial volume price incentives apply only to the postage portion of Express Mail International prices. They do not apply to any other charges or fees, such as those for Pickup on Demand service, additional merchandise insurance coverage, or shipments made under a customized agreement. To receive commercial price incentives on postage, customers must use USPS-produced Global Shipping Software (GSS). Incentives are applied to each mailing (see 223.232).
Exhibit 223.231
Express Mail Corporate Account Volume/Revenue Requirements
A customer receives an incentive of 8 percent during the first postal quarter of the initial mailing and through the subsequent full postal quarter. Thereafter, the incentive for each postal quarter is determined by the actual annualized volume of Express Mail International shipments mailed in the previous full postal quarter or the actual annualized amount of postage paid for Express Mail International shipments in the previous full postal quarter, whichever is higher.
For selected destination countries, Express Mail International items receive an 8-percent incentive below retail prices for the following online shipping methods:
- Click-N-Ship service.
- An authorized PC Postage vendor.
- An information-based indicia (IBI) postage meter used by the end-user customer, provided the meter electronically transmits customs data to the Postal Service.
The commercial base price is automatically applied to each shipment. The incentive applies only to the postage portion of the Express Mail International price. It does not apply to any other charges or fees, such as fees for Pickup on Demand service, insurance, or shipments made under a customized agreement.
For each addressed mailpiece, compute the online postage price as follows:
- Find the retail price by weight and price group of the country in the Individual Country Listings.
- Multiply the retail price by 8 percent to obtain the discount amount.
- Subtract the discount amount (without rounding off) from the retail price, and then round off the result as explained in 152.32.
Express Mail International shipments that are entered by federal agencies and departments are subject to the same standards under 220 as Express Mail International shipments that are entered by nongovernmental entities.
Express Mail International shipments that are entered by U.S. Postal Service entities are subject to the same standards under 220 as Express Mail International shipments that are entered by nongovernmental entities, except that U.S. Postal Service mailings must bear the G-10 permit indicia that are prescribed for all Postal Service official mail. See 142.2.
