Queens, one of the five boroughs of New York City, is known for being the home of LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport, Citi Field (home of the New York Mets), the Unisphere, and its ethnically diverse community. Did you know that Queens Borough also used to have its own unique mailing standards?

Back in the 1920s, when Queens  was a collection of scattered rural settlements, each with its own little mailing grid, a master grid was applied to the entire area. This created a unique mailing system, in which mail sent to Queens street addresses needed a dash between the nearest cross street on a building’s block and the house number (for example, “139-30 Example Crescent”) and “18-05 XXXXth Street”).

However, while the traditional system of cross-street number, hyphen, and house number may still be well known to many mailers, the USPS has eliminated this requirement. This is part of an ongoing process of streamlining and standardizing the delivery of your mail.

When using the Stamps.com software, you no longer have to worry about including the dash after the cross-street number in a Queens postal address to ensure delivery. The Stamps.com software is fully compliant regarding Queens addresses and will automatically check and cleanse each address by accessing the powerful Address Matching System (AMS).

Therefore, rest assured that changes the Stamps.com software makes are correct and compliant.  You’ll see changes such as:

139-30 EXAMPLE CRESCENT

To:

13930 EXAMPLE CRES

AND:

18-05 XXXXTH STREET

To:

1805 XXXXTH ST

Using ZIP Codes

The dash (-) in the address line is no longer the crucial, required component of the address. While Queens has many distinctive neighborhoods, it is also not necessary to include the specific neighborhood names (e.g. “Rego Park”) in the mailing addresses. The critical and required pieces of information are the ZIP Code and the ZIP+4, which are scanned by the USPS.  Queens, the largest of the New York City boroughs, is actually served by four USPS postal zones.

The good news is that Stamps.com will check the ZIP Code and the ZIP+4 when you enter an address in the delivery address box. Whether you’re sending mail to Flushing, Ozone Park, Rockaway Beach, Jackson Heights or Corona, Stamps.com’s powerful software ensures that your mail will get to its intended recipient in Queens.

You’ve just tasted a great selection of Belgian beers. You want your friend in the next city or state to enjoy them too. Can you mail a case of amber ale, Oud Bruin, and dubbels to him using the USPS? What if you own a vineyard and you want to ship a bottle of red wine to a customer?

Shipping Alcoholic Beverages using the USPS is Prohibited

Intoxicating liquors, defined by the USPS as “drinkable beverages that have 0.5 percent or more alcoholic content by weight,” unfortunately cannot be mailed via the U.S. Postal Service. This includes beer, wine and liquor.

What if, instead of mailing a case of beer, you just want to send a catalog that advertises new products offered by your microbrewery or wine club? Promotional material associated with intoxicating liquors is also not allowed.

Items that cannot be shipped with the USPS:

·Beer

·Wine

·Liquor

·Advertising, promotional or sales matter (catalogs) containing sales offers for beer, wine or liquor

·Boxes with alcoholic beverage markings

·Wooden containers (wine crates) with alcoholic beverage markings
What if you’re using an empty wine crate or box branded with a beer label to mail documents or some other item that isn’t liquor? Reusing old boxes can be risky if the markings or labels are associated with prohibited and non-mailable items. We recommend removing or completely obliterating any alcohol-related markings, labels and descriptors, so that your mailpiece is not deemed nonmailable. In other words, don’t just cross out “Cabernet Sauvignon” or “American Lager.” Completely black out or cover the wording on the old box.

Are Consumer Products that Contain Alcohol Prohibited?

You can send products that may have some alcoholic content, such as cold remedies, mouthwash, and cooking wine, as long as it meets the applicable requirements of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Also, if you work for a federal or state agency, such as an Alcoholic Beverage Control Board or Liquor Enforcement Division, the mailing of liquor is allowed for official purposes.

Can I Ship Alcohol to an International Address?

Unfortunately, you cannot ship alcohol to an international address. The USPS applies its domestic shipping policy to all international addresses as well. Keep in mind that mailing liquors internationally may also violate a country’s import policy.

For further USPS details on these policies, please see https://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52c4_005.htm.

Update: This article has been edited to reflect the new launch date of August 15 for the Automated Package Verification program.

The USPS is implementing a new system that will change how shortpaid or overpaid mail is charged and handled. Previously, shortpaid pieces used to go through a cumbersome process by which they’d be returned to the sender, treated as dead mail if they had no return address, or delivered to the addressee with a postage due notice.

New Automation Package Verification System to Start August 15

Automation will be changing all of that. Now, postage discrepancies will be detected by a new USPS program called Automated Package Verification (APV). APV will ensure that mail processed through USPS sorting facilities will be fully verified and checked for any errors.  Your mailpiece’s weight, dimensions, package type, and entry ZIP code will all be reviewed by this new state-of-the-art system.

Benefits of APV for Stamps.com Customers

There are a number of benefits to being a Stamps.com customer, such as not having to wait in line at the Post Office, access to useful features such as Hidden Postage, and the ability to send shipment notification emails. The new APV program will align with the efficient processes you already enjoy with our PC Postage product.

Make this new streamlined process work for you. If you’re one of the many Stamps.com customers who sell online, you won’t have to worry about having your customers pay postage due and suffer the embarrassment of poor ecommerce reviews and delayed deliveries. Postage adjustments will be made to your Stamps.com postage balance automatically, ensuring a smoother delivery process for you and your recipients, and a better overall customer experience. If you have overpaid a shipment, you may receive a credit to your postage balance to make up for the extra amount.

Shipping Tips to Avoid Postage Adjustments

Prior to the full USPS release of the APV program, Stamps.com may send courtesy notices to provide examples of your mailpieces that have been detected by the USPS as being shortpaid. These notices offer a great opportunity to make any corrections going forward before APV is fully rolled out!

• Remember that Large Envelopes/Flats must always be bendable and have an even surface with no protuberances (flaps) or content shifting. A Large Envelope/Flat must have:

1. Height: a minimum height of 6-1/8″ and a maximum height of 12″
2.  Length: a minimum length of 11-1/2″ and a maximum length of 15″
3. Thickness: a minimum thickness is ¼” and the maximum thickness is ¾”.

• Remember to attach Priority Mail Flat Rate postage only to the appropriate Flat Rate packaging (e.g. Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope rates to Flat Rate Priority Envelopes). Flat Rate packaging is not interchangeable. A Medium Flat Rate Box should not be used with Large Flat Rate postage. Also, do not affix non-Flat Rate Postage to Flat Rate packaging. For further tips, please see: https://blog.stamps.com/2017/04/28/priority-mail-flat-rate-best-practices/
• Take the guesswork out of package weights. The Stamps.com Online Store offers a variety of digital scales that meet various mailing and shipping needs.
• Remember that fractional ounces are always rounded up to the next ounce. For example, if your mailpiece’s weight is 3.2 ounces, enter the weight as 4 ounces in the Stamps.com software.
• If you’re sending non-Flat Rate mail, you will be asked to enter dimensions for your packages for certain Priority Mail zones. Make sure to measure your mailpiece accurately. For further tips, please see: https://blog.stamps.com/2017/03/30/how-to-measure-irregularly-shaped-items/

Sometimes your boxes and shipments will soar 39,000 feet in the air. From the time the USPS first experimented with mail flight in 1911 to the present day, letters and parcels have been carried through the air to ensure speedy delivery for your recipients. What constitutes “air mail”? What scenarios cause the USPS to send something by air instead of by surface transportation?

Generally, Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express and First-Class Mail pieces will be shipped by air.  However, these mail classes may also be shipped by ground depending on the originating and destination points—for example, if a destination is within driving distance. Postal trucks on the highway generally transport pieces that have to be shipped 500 miles away or less. For longer distances, your mail may be transported by freight railroad.

Sometimes your mailpiece may travel by a combination of air and ground. The USPS will always strive to get a mailpiece to your recipients by the fastest way possible. Parcel Select and Media Mail, which receive special discounted rates, will generally ship by surface transportation.

How does the USPS ship mailpieces by air? Rather than maintaining an expensive fleet of postal planes, your mail will generally “hitch a ride” on the airplane of a private carrier. The USPS negotiates contracts with commercial carriers to transport its mail, something it began to do in 1925. Airlines such as United Airlines and TWA (which became part of American Airlines in 2001) actually began as transporters of air mail. USPS mail is carried on both passenger and cargo planes. FedEx also provides air transportation for USPS domestic First-Class Mail, Priority Mail and Priority Express Mail, as well as some international mail.

Shipping with Stamps.com

It’s always important to remain compliant with current USPS statutes and regulations. Remember that certain hazardous items (such as aerosol cans, spray paint, rubbing alcohol or paint) cannot be shipped by air. For international mail, always fully and clearly identify the contents on your customs form. Items will also need to meet USPS packaging and marking requirements. Please also keep in mind that an individual pilot may decide to refuse mailpieces that present a potential danger to the aircraft. Refused pieces may also include unidentifiable items or shipments of live animals whose safety is threatened by temperature conditions in the air.

A detailed guide on shipping via USPS air transportation can be found here: https://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52c7_001.htm

You can combine the speed of a jumbo jet with the convenience of requesting a free USPS pickup by using the powerful Stamps.com platform! The free USPS pickup service is available for Priority Express Mail, Priority Mail, Priority Express Mail International, Priority Mail International and Global Express Guaranteed.  In the Stamps.com software, click “USPS Pickup” from the “View History” menu on the left navigation bar of the software to start the process.  Mailpieces with non-qualifying mail classes (such as First Class Mail) can be picked up as long as your pickup request includes at least one qualifying class.

Summer’s coming, and you’re checking off a long list of tasks that need to be performed before you can relax on the beach. You’ve booked your tickets, compiled your summer reading list, and made sure you have all of the supplies and clothes you need. What’s left?

Don’t let your mail accumulate while you’re away! If you plan to be gone for a few days or more, you should request that the USPS temporarily hold your mail. Submitting a Hold Mail request is easy and can be done online here: https://holdmail.usps.com/holdmail/

If you’re a planner, you can submit a Hold Mail request up to 30 days in advance. If you’re a procrastinator, you’re still OK: you can submit a request a day in advance to have the USPS hold your mail. You can specify whether you want your carrier to deliver your accumulated mail on a specific day or you can pick up your mail at the Post Office by bringing in a photo ID. Just a heads-up: any accumulated mail that doesn’t fit in your mailbox would have to be picked up at your Post Office (the carrier will leave a notice in your box if this is the case).

In addition to holding your mail for you, the USPS will also help you transition back to your normal, non-vacation routine—regular mail delivery resumes on the next postal business day after you collect your accumulated mail.

Updating your address with Stamps.com

If you plan on shipping gifts or conducting business while on vacation, remember also to update your Postal Meter Address within the Stamps.com software so that your rates remain accurate for your new zip code.

To update your Postal Meter Address:

1. Log in to the Stamps.com software and click on “My Account” on the left side of the screen.
2. Go to “PC Postage Account” and select “Postal Meter Address.”
3. Edit your address and click “Save” to finalize the change.
4. Just a heads-up: you will also need to update your information in both the Meter Contact Information section (under “PC Postage Account”) and under the My Profile section (under “My Information”).

To change your Shipping Address:

1. Log in to the Stamps.com software and click on “My Account” on the left side of the screen.
2. Go to “PC Postage Account” and select “Shipping Addresses.”
3. Edit an existing address or add a new one, and click “Save” to finalize the change.

Summer NetStamps

Stamps.com will help you get into that summertime spirit with its fun Summer NetStamps designs!  All of the symbols of the summer are here: Flip Flops NetStamps Labels, Barbecue NetStamps Labels, Citrus NetStamps Labels, and Summer Flower NetStamps Labels. Easily view and order Summer NetStamps here.