Save a LOT of money by Drop-Shipping your mailing

If you are mailing over 5000 pieces or more (anything less is usually not cost effective) outside your local area, one way to save a LOT of money is by Drop-Shipping your mail.  Postage is usually your biggest expense (and getting more expensive every year) for a Direct Mail project and one way to save up to 20% on your postage is to Drop-Ship to the local SCF or BMC facility.

There are three locations to drop-ship a mailing to:

DDU (Destination Delivery Unit) is shipping a mailing to a specific zip code location, it saves the most money but it is limited to Flat (larger than 6.125x11.5) mail pieces - Letter sized pieces are not eligible.  Also, very rarely do you send a mailing to just one zip code.

SCF (Sectional Center Facility) is shipping to a postal hub for an area.  This facility will cover at least one zip code designator (for example, all zip codes that start with 326 belong to one SCF facility, plus that facility also covers all zip codes that start with 344).  So if you were mailing to a lot of addresses in those two zip code designators then you would want to drop-ship to that facility to receive your discount.  The discount for a letter sized mailer is $.043 per piece.

BMC (Bulk Mail Center) is shipping to what can best be described as the Statewide main postal facility.  If you were mailing was spread out across a state or region (since some facilities cover more than one state) you would want to drop-ship to this facility to receive your discount.  It is not as much as the SCF discount, but at $.034 per piece it is still substantial.

To decide if your mailing should be drop-shipped, just figure out how much you would save in postage versus how much it would cost in shipping (plus any extra charge added by your Mailhouse).  BUT you might want to also consider that drop-shipping can also save you time since you are sending the mail directly to the designated Postal Facility.

Drop-shipping is a fairly simple activity, though I suggest asking your Mailhouse to do it for you – if they can’t or don’t know how, find another Mailhouse.  They should also be able to tell you if it is worth the cost.  Along with your 3602 Mailing Statement you will only need one additional set of paperwork and that is the form 8125-C.  You will need to take both sets of paperwork to your BMEU (Bulk Mail Entry Unit) and proceed as you would for a normal.  Once your job is verified, the clerk will complete the rest of your form 8125-C and stamp it (you will fill out the top part and enter the final destination at the bottom).  I always take 3 original copies of my 8125-C for the clerk to fill out.  The entry Post Office keeps one, you keep the second and you attach the third to the mailing in a clearly marked envelope.

The only other thing you need to do is bring your mailing back to your facility and prepare it for shipping.  You will want to have some stretch wrap to make sure the trays don’t fall off the USPS supplied pallet.  Once completed, attach two 8.5x11 sheets that have the destination facility (for example, if you were mailing to the BMC in Florida you would have, “BMC JACKSONVILLE, FL 320” on the top line) to two sides of your shipment.  The second line will have what kind of mailing it is and the third line should have your contact information.  Give your local BMEU a call a few days before you mail and have them walk you through the drop-shipping process if you have any questions.

Then all you have to do is have your shipping company come by and pick it up for delivery – I always attach a copy of my 8125-C to the shipping paperwork just to be sure.  Now, I suggest using Fedex Freight (not the normal Fedex, but the Freight division) and there is a very good reason why:  if you use them then you do not have to make an appointment at the destination Postal facility – they do it for you.  That may not sound like much, but it can be a real pain scheduling an appointment to fit yours or the freightlines timetable.  If you do the drop-shipment yourself or use another shipping company, you will have to make an appointment.  It’s okay to be early for an appointment, but do not be late – if you have to schedule an appointment do so for a time hours later than you think you will show up…or make life easy on yourself and use Fedex Freight.

You’re thinking this is sounding a bit more complicated than you thought, but I assure you that after you do one, every other time will be easier – just contact your local BMEU for advice a few days in advance.  Plus you could be saving hundreds of dollars (if not more) in postage.  But your best bet…let your Mailhouse do it for you!

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