245 Mail Entry and Deposit — Place of Mailing

245.1 Items Requiring a Completed Customs Declaration

Except as provided in 245.2, a mailer may not deposit a First-Class Mail International item that requires a completed customs declaration form into a collection box, Postal Service lobby drop, Automated Postal Center (APC) drop, or customer mailbox, or at a Postal Service dock or other unattended location. Customers must present such items to an employee at a Post Office retail service counter. Customers who enter volume mailings paid with a permit imprint under 243.3 must enter such items through a business mail entry unit (BMEU) or, when authorized by the district BMEU manager, through an authorized detached mail unit (DMU) at a mailer’s plant. The Postal Service will return improperly presented items to the sender for proper entry and acceptance.

245.2 Items Bearing a Completed Customs Declaration With an Electronic Round Date

First-Class Mail International items that have the mailing label, customs form (including an electronic round stamp), and postage prepared and paid online through the eBay integrated shipping solution or an authorized PC Postage vendor Web site may be deposited by one of the following methods:

1. At a Postal Service retail counter.
2. Into a Postal Service lobby drop.
3. Into an Automated Postal Center (APC) drop.
4. In a collection box.
5. In a customer mailbox.

245.3 Items Not Requiring a Customs Declaration

245.31 Items Weighing 13 Ounces or Less and Paid With Postage Stamps

A First-Class Mail International letter-size or flat-size item weighing 13 ounces or less, bearing only postage stamps, and not requiring a customs declaration (see 123.6) may be deposited by one of the following methods:

1. At a Postal Service retail counter.
2. Into a Postal Service lobby drop.
3. Into an Automated Postal Center (APC) drop.
4. In a collection box.
5. In a customer mailbox.

245.32 Items Weighing More Than 13 Ounces and Paid With Postage Stamps

A customer may not deposit a First-Class Mail International letter-size or flat–size item weighing more than 13 ounces, bearing only postage stamps, and not requiring a customs declaration (see 123.6) into a collection box, Postal Service lobby drop, Automated Postal Center (APC) drop, or customer mailbox, or at a Postal Service dock or other unattended location. Customers must present such items to an employee at a Post Office retail service counter. The Postal Service will return improperly presented items to the sender for proper entry and acceptance.

245.4 Items Paid With Methods Other Than Postage Stamps

First-Class Mail International letter-size or flat-size items paid with online postage, postage meters, or information-based indicia (IBI) weighing less than 16 ounces and not requiring a customs declaration (see 123.6) may be deposited by one of the following methods:

1. At a Postal Service retail counter.
2. Into a Postal Service lobby drop.
3. Into an Automated Postal Center (APC) drop.
4. In a collection box.
5. In a customer mailbox.