The US Postal Service introduced three business-facing international flat rate shipping options on February 2.
The USPS said the Express Mail Legal Flat Rate Envelope and the Priority Mail Legal Flat Rate Envelope will enable attorneys, financial industry professionals and real estate agents, among others, to easily mail legal-sized documents. The Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Padded Envelope also offers cushioning for fragile shipments.
Dave Lewin, USPS PR representative for international, sales and shipping, said that the shipping formats will also be useful for companies sending large marketing materials.
“Both the priority and the express are firmly positioned for the business market, whereas the padded flat rate envelope can be used by both businesses and consumers,” he said.
The Express Mail Flat Rate Envelope and the Express Mail Legal Flat Rate Envelope cost $26.90 to Canada and $29.95 to all other international destinations. For domestic mailing, the Express Mail Legal Flat Rate Envelope costs $18.30, while the Priority Mail Legal Flat Rate Envelope and the Priority Mail Padded Flat Rate Envelope are $4.95.
The USPS unveiled the products as it is trying to increase shipping volumes and increase its revenues in that area.
Shipping services is only a small percentage of the USPS’ total volume. The organization transported 128 million pieces in November 2010, the most recent month for which mailing and shipping statistics were available. Shipping volume was up 4.5% year-over-year for that month.
