This week I
joined the Postal Customer Council
for a presentation on the “International Misconceptions of the USPS,” which was
presented by my friend, Kenyatta Adams.
While I was
aware of changes USPS had been making in terms of increasing international
shipments, I was unaware that it has 48% of the U.S. export market and grew 17%
between 2011 and 2013.
What’s behind this? E-Commerce of course, and the increase in wearing apparel sales which typically make for the ideal small and lightweight package.
At the
pace the US Postal Service is moving, for small packages going outbound
(exports) and inbound (imports) – I’ll explain that in a moment – there will be
a lot of “moving and shaking” to keep an eye out for.
Imports have
become streamlined thanks to their “Global Direct Entry (GDE) – Inbound”
service. Working with private international
logistics providers, they can transport parcels from various foreign countries
providing all logistics and brokerage activities. The package is then handed off to USPS.
The caveat
of course, is that shipments involving a certification or other form, such as a
Fish and Wildlife declaration form (think, fur products, or a watch with a
mother-of-pearl dial) cannot be sent through this type of service, and not all
countries are yet a part of this GDE service.
But hey, it’s new and over time, more and more countries will be a part
of it. Currently, there are about 30
participating countries.
The top 3
highlights I learned about are:
1) USPS has
International Tracking (yes, they do!), having rolled out “E-DELCON” last year
2) All
returns are free for undeliverable packages in international shipping
3) Their
service “METROPOST” is a same-day-delivery service in Manhattan and Brooklyn,
USPS just has to receive it by 1 pm - this is great news for those of us in NYC!
With their
competitive pricing in the 1 ounce to 70 pound packaging niche, not to mention
their convenient flat rate envelopes and boxes, which I use, it is definitely
not the USPS that it once was.
Questions or comments?
On Twitter @fashcompliance
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