It really depends on which class of mail you chose for your campaign. Your mailings can get delivered in anywhere from 1-10 days. Although the post office gives no guarantees, here are the general USPS estimated delivery time guidelines we give our customers.

First Class and First Class Presorted: Mail delivery will range from 1-3 days on average. If the mail is local, it can hit as soon as the next day.  If it is out of the area, expect closer to 3 days.

Periodicals:  Periodical mail (a special class of mail for publications that print quarterly or more often) tend to reach homes in XX days

Third Standard and Non Profit: With the lowest rate of postage, third standard and non profit bulk mail delivery times can range from 3-10 days! If your mail is all local it gets turned around quickly. Mail outside of the area tends to take upwards of a week and a half.  For large mailings, it may be cost and time efficient to drop ship mail into the SCF center of local origin. This will cut down on delivery time and even save money for mailings of 80,000 pieces and over.

Most nonprofits will quality for nonprofit standard mail status.   However there are some organizations that will be ineligible. To name a few:

• Business Leagues
• Chambers of Commerce
• Service Clubs
• Trade Associations

To apply, you must fill out form 3624 and show evidence that you are in fact a nonprofit organization (minutes to meetings, IRS tax exempt letter, etc). Approval can take a few weeks to be processed. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to get your mailing out immediately and can’t wait for the non profit mailing status to go through, you can mail your project at the normal third standard postage rate. Upon approval, you can request a refund for the difference.

A couple things to keep in mind – you do not need your own mailing permit to have non profit status.  You can use your mail houses bulk mail permit number to save money on the cost of opening your own.  Once approved, your organization will be registered to mail at non profit status at the post office at which you requested approval.  To mail at other post offices requires additional paperwork and forms. It is important to work with a print and mail company that you feel comfortable with  so you can establish a long term relationship.

To get a copy of form 3624 and receive help with establishing nonprofit standard mail status, contact The Mailworks.

The usage of clear envelopes are not directly discussed in the USPS DMM (Domestic Mail Manual), however, there is a section that covers plastic coverings and materials. Section 1.0 Physical Standards for Letters states that any mailpiece is deemed nonmachinable if it is…

b. Is polybagged, polywrapped, enclosed in any plastic material, or has an exterior surface made of a material that is not paper. Windows in envelopes made of paper do not make mailpieces nonmachinable. Attachments allowable under applicable eligibility standards no not make mailpieces nonmachinable.

Please note: This section refers to Letters only. The standards for Flat size mailings are different.

The current nonmachinable surcharge is $0.20 per piece! This can add up quickly and increase a budget significantly. Even so, we still find clients wanting to use clear envelopes for their higher end direct mail campaigns. The benefit of using clear envelopes for printing and mailing does in some cases justify the additional cost. Our customers have reported increased response rates and an overall successful outcome.  In fact, here at The Mailworks we sent our 2010 holiday cards in clear envelopes and received many compliments.