Mail Category Definitions

Following is a brief description of the different categories of mail; some which have changed in recent years.

Express Mail:
Offers convenient, overnight delivery service. Letters, documents, and merchandise may be sent Express Mail. Express Mail postage rates are charged on one pound increments from two through seventy pounds regardless of distance.

Priority Mail:
Priority Mail is an expedited service for customers who need promptness, but not overnight, delivery. There is no minimum weight limit for Priority Mail. The delivery standard for Priority Mail is 2-3 days.

First Class Mail:
All First Class Mail has two common features. It receives expeditious handling and it has a delivery standard of 2-4 business days (2-5 business days for Alaska, Hawaii, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam and other U.S. territories).

Standard (Bulk Mail): Important Notice to Nonprofit Mailers of Standard (Bulk Mail)
Due to recent United States Postal Service changes in sorting requirements and the great demand for this class of service, it is important to schedule your jobs up to two weeks in advance of the desired mailing date. These changes by the USPS have added additional days in sorting time for large national mailings. The delivery standard for Standard Mail is 7-10 business days. While our Bulk Mail center can handle most of the jobs in-house with advance scheduling, we can also assist you with bulk mailings when there is a short turn-around time involved by using off-campus mailers with whom we have established partnerships.

International Mail:
Mail leaving the United States must be kept separate from domestic mail within the U.S. Mailers should endorse all items "AIRMAIL", or "INTERNATIONAL SURFACE MAIL". Airmail is a faster service than surface mail. Letter packages and parcels in excess of 16 ounces require U.S. Customs documentation. Delivery standards for International Mail vary by country.

Media Mail (formerly Library Rate & Book Rate):
This classification of mail is a less expensive, but non-expedited, way to send books, printed matter, audio recordings, and other media mail. Delivery standards are 5-8 business days.

Parcel Post:
This classification of mail is a less expensive, but non-expedited, way to send domestic packages. Delivery standards are 5-8 business days.

Campus Mail:
The University Postal Services offers a free campus correspondence service called campus mail. This service is for official campus correspondence only. No chain letters, private business or personal gain items are allowed. Complete names and addresses are required on each mail piece. Put "CM" in the upper right hand corner of the envelope or mailing piece or use an approved interdepartmental envelope and drop in the campus mail basket at various locations across campus. This service also extends to the Firelands Campus.

Metered Mail:
The term "metered mail" refers to the payment and processing method used for BGSU's daily outgoing mail. A meter impression (meter stamp) is directly imprinted on the mail piece or applied to the piece with an adhesive meter tape. The meter stamp displays the exact amount of postage due and the date deposited with the U.S. Postal Service.

Postal Services handles in excess of 6 million pieces of mail annually. We use several high speed metering machines with an automated accounting system for speed and accuracy. The accounting system uses barcode technology and specially designed account cards to scan budget numbers into the postage database. The database then records the total number of pieces, the total postage amount due, and then charges that department's account.