Pays Postage...but Not A Stamp And Not A Meter

What is the correct term used to describe this sort of thing? It's certainly not a stamp. It's not a meter, either. It's not even PC-based postage, as it was applied by a third party shipping service, yet still delivered by the US Postal Service.



The company's web site suggests that they are saving commercial mailer's money by expediting this sort of mail, but in reality the entity that sent me the window envelope had a "Postage Paid" indicia that was overwritten by this label; the label contained a bar code (not shown) that was covered over by a second blank label, presumably because it was in the upper right corner and the window envelope portion of the mailer had my name and bar code already applied.

ICM (International customized Mail) looks to be an International Permit. 30297 Should be the branch.

On January 26, 2004, the Postal Service entered into an International Customized Mail (ICM) Service Agreement with a Qualifying Mailer. In accordance with International Mail Manual (IMM) 297.4, the Postal Service now makes public the following information concerning the Agreement:

a. Term: February 14, 2004, through June 30, 2006.
b. Type of mail: Global Express Mail (EMS) and Airmail
Parcel Post. Every item must conform to the
mailing requirements set forth in the IMM for Qualifying
Mail.
c. Destination countries: Worldwide.
d. Service provided by the Postal Service: The Postal
Service has agreed to:
1. Furnish the Mailer or its agent(s) with the
postal equipment and postal supplies required
for the use of Qualifying Mail.
2. Provide the Mailer or its agent(s) with any
training necessary to prepare mail shipments
in conformity with the requirements for Qualifying Mail.

Although I have not seen that label before today, it is not international but domestic, presumably from California to Massachusetts.

The web site I found which seems to detail the service is linked below:

http://us.dhlglobalmail.com/domesti...ervices.aspx

Here is the tracking history of the piece:



I believe the "30297" is the zip code for DHL Global Mail terminal in Atlanta (1500 Southpoint Drive, Suite 200, Forest Park, GA 30297-1776). While not indicated in the tracking history, the piece might have been routed through the Atlanta terminal.

Interesting tracking. Two days clear across country. Not bad at all, which is probably why the service is so popular.

As a private consumer, I can send a first class letter to a relative in PA and it typically takes three days!

Missed the DHL label in the lower left corner. Many companies such as UPS, FedEx and DHL contract the USPS to deliver thousands of pieces per month as the USPS is the only entity that delivers to every address in the United States.

From the DHL site

"As an expeditor, DHL Global Mail picks up and sorts customers' mail and parcels, then injects them into the USPS mail stream as close as possible to the ultimate destination. This occurs under the company's longstanding Workshare partnership with the USPS, which handles final delivery. When an expeditor sorts customer parcels all the way down to the 5-digit ZIP Code level, they get delivered faster for two reasons. First, DHL Global Mail can skip over more USPS facilities, inserting parcels deeper into the mail stream. Second, the USPS places a higher priority on delivering pieces sorted to this advanced level. These packages also tend to arrive in the best condition, since bypassing processing facilities reduces the amount they are handled. "