5 ways to cut office shipping costs It's all in the packing, from size to services

1. It’s all in the packing – from size to services
5 ways to cut office shipping costs

2. As you face the shipping and mailing
price changes planned by the USPS®
for January 22, 2017, the thought of
overall increases may have you
despairing.
But there are numerous ways to
reduce your shipping costs, and they
don’t have to be complicated.
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3. Introduce the following measures and
reap savings with future sending.
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4. 4
Major carriers, including USPS®, UPS® and others,
base their shipping rates on Dimensional Rating (DIM)
for packages rather than weight alone.
Dimensions include height, width and length of the
package, no matter what the contents.
Pre-planning helps, so ask yourself:
•How many different types of boxes do you use and
can you reduce that number?
•Can you consolidate the box sizes, minimizing the
need to measure each box?
•Are you shipping boxes with empty space and
extra filler material?
•Can you use Flat Rate boxes provided by USPS?
Small box size makes a big difference01

5. Within the sizing guidelines is an option
called folding boxes. These multi-
depth brown corrugated shipping boxes
are designed to be cut to the size you
need, allowing you to minimize the size
of the package.
To help customers keep costs down,
Pitney Bowes can supply these
boxes.

6. USPS® Flat Rate Boxes offer flat postage rates,
despite the weight (as long as it is under 70 pounds).
As long as the contents fit, items ship at a flat rate no
matter what Zone (Postal Code) they are being sent
to.
This option is ideal for certain shipping needs, but is
not always the most cost-effective, so make sure you
identify where the savings benefits end.
Flat rate packaging – handle with care02

7. 7
USPS® also offers regional rate pricing with Flat
Rate Boxes. This one- to three-day service:
•Can provide savings over standard Flat Rate Boxes
•Is available for Priority Mail® parcels and
Merchandise Return Service (MRS) where parcels
are returned at Priority Mail prices
•Includes tracking if the package bears an Intelligent
Mail® package barcode (IMpb) or retail tracking
barcode
•May include insurance
•Requires shippers to use USPS-produced Priority
Mail Regional Rate Boxes to qualify for Regional
Rate Box pricing
Step it up with regional rate packaging03

8. As part of the IMpb service, the
USPS® has introduced a second
tier of pricing for its most common
shipping services.
The IMpb is a barcode format that
includes information about your
specific shipment, enabling the
USPS to track packages from pick-
up to delivery.
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9. 9
The IMpb service:
•Enables you to qualify for Commercial Base®
Pricing (CBP), which could mean significant savings
on postage
•Provides free insurance ($50 on Priority Mail® or
$100 on Priority Mail Express™), all without going to
the Post Office™.
•Allows you to access reliable, end-to-end tracking
information for you and your customers
•Offers the best commercial prices with significant
discounts
Ship smart with Intelligent Mail®04

10. 10
USPS® offers two services for smaller packages under 13
ounces, First Class Mail and First Class Package services.
First Class Mail Retail Parcels:
•Are between 1–13 ounces, with contents being
personal correspondence
•Are closed to postal inspection
•Must be processed at the Retail rate
With the 2017 rate increase, First Class Mail Parcels from
one to four ounces will cost $2.67, with an increasing scale
to 13 ounces at $4.29.
The second option for shipping goods is the
First Class Package Service.
(See next slide for details.)
Know the difference between First Class Mail
and First Class Package services
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The second service USPS® offers for smaller packages is
its First Class Package service.
First Class Package service:
•A less expensive alternative to First Class Mail service
•Consists of non-personal correspondence that can be
sent at CBP rates using a full shipping label
•Is considered a more typical option for commercial
shipping of goods
The 2017 rate increase for the First Class Package
Service will cost $2.61 for one to four ounces with an
increasing scale up to 15.999 ounces at a cost of $4.30.
Benefits include tracking and delivery timing using the
barcode shipping label, and free insurance.
Know the difference between First Class Mail
and First Class Package services (cont’d)
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12. For more information on
how to leverage these
cost savings for your
shipping and mailing
needs, visit Pitney Bowes.
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