Hey if you guys aren't doing this yet you should be.

[Locals Find!]

I don't deal in this type of stuff, but Saturday I got a piece of mail that was addressed to :

Local
Postal Customer

Nothing else on it.

Today, I got something from another place, advertising a restaurant, and it's the same way. I imagine this is the type of thing you're talking about. First time we've ever got mail like this, so I'm guessing everyone is slowing figuring out how to use it. The one today is a trifold menu from the restaurant and it's not a crinkle or crease on it. Looks like I took it right out of the box from the printer. Obviously they are handling this stuff different than normal mass mail?

Yeah normal mass mail goes to a BMEU (Business Mail Entry Unit) Where it may get tossed around into a high speed sorting machine, to get sorted to the proper post office, then into the machine again, then gets handled by the mail carrier then to the mail box.

With the EDDMR program it goes into the post office then right to the mail carriers themselves. Less handling involved. No machines. So of course its less likely it will get dinged up in the process.

 

[Brands Imaging]

I looked into the website and it's confusing to me when it comes down to the PDF forms they ask you to look at.

Am i overlooking something?

So pretty much you get the cards printed from a wholesaler then take them to the post office or what?

I'm pretty sure you over looked THE ENTIRE sign thing in general.

 

[john1]

I'm pretty sure you over looked THE ENTIRE sign thing in general.

I love how your so busy but yet have so much down time to come on here to be a jerk.

Things have looked up for me and what do you have to say now? I had a rough road or two but things are going well now.

I at one time thought your company did great work but your jerk like attitude makes your work horrible. I hope you treat your customers better than you act on here.

Come on, Go ahead and attack me on here. Be predictable but i am sure you weren't born knowing all you know so why not back off and help someone or don't say anything at all?

 

[ProWraps]

this is good schtuff. i just wonder if i can focus on routes that are only businesses.

i will be checking this out tomrrow. thanks for the heads up.

 

[Techman]

Great tip.

I like it a lot. It opens the door for me to lots more direct mail pieces with many more potential clients.

 

[mark galoob]

I'm curious why you want to market to residential customers. Seems like a waste of resources since as a graphics shop your customers are businesses.

Mark galoob

 

[Locals Find!]

I'm curious why you want to market to residential customers. Seems like a waste of resources since as a graphics shop your customers are businesses.

Mark galoob

Its not for us sign shops to use to market to our customers. Its for us to market as a product to sell our customers. That was the whole point of this thread. How to get a few hundred extra bucks as add on sales to every ticket your producing for new and existing clients.

Not to teach sign shops how to be the end users. Your right that would be a waste of money and resources.

 

[BALLPARK]

I might have read the US Post Office website wrong...but looks like you can send it to retail as well.

http://www.usps.com/promotions/everydoordirectmailretail.htm

But I have not read it all.

 

[Locals Find!]

I might have read the US Post Office website wrong...but looks like you can send it to retail as well.

http://www.usps.com/promotions/everydoordirectmailretail.htm

But I have not read it all.

That is the same program we are discussing here. Its called Every Door Direct Mail Retail also known as EDDMR or EDDM retail. Its called retail because you don't need a permit. You can pay for your postage and do everything for the local retail post office vs. a BMEU (Business Mail Entry Unit)

 

[showcase 66]

We have been able to do this around here for years. Not that cheap but was able to pick a route and pay 5 cents over the postcard rate for them to print out mailing labels and put them on the post cards. You could do as little as 50 cards before. Havent used the service in a while.

Sounds like this will be a good for my clients around here. Will have to look into it a little more.

 

[Bannerday]

Jason

Your selling postcards for this? You said:

"Any business owner can do this. Their are some size requirements your mail piece must be at least 6 1/8" h and more than 7" long no more than 11.25" You or your customer will need to registers at smp.usps.gov to get started."


But from their website I' reading

Key Points

* Saturation Standard Mail flat-size pieces only
o Must be more than 11-1/2 inches long, or more than 6-1/8 inches high, or more than 1/4 inch thick

I'm confused.

 

[Locals Find!]

Jason

Your selling postcards for this? You said:

"Any business owner can do this. Their are some size requirements your mail piece must be at least 6 1/8" h and more than 7" long no more than 11.25" You or your customer will need to registers at smp.usps.gov to get started."


But from their website I' reading

Key Points

* Saturation Standard Mail flat-size pieces only
o Must be more than 11-1/2 inches long, or more than 6-1/8 inches high, or more than 1/4 inch thick

I'm confused.

The website is screwed up. I was confused too. They gave me a plastic sizing chart to use. From my many conversations with multiple postmasters and quite a few employees. I have come up with your piece must be at 6.125 high and at least as wide.

I do my pieces a minimum of 6.125" h x 8.5"w. If you wanna good idea of the maximum they told me take a standard sheet of paper 8.5 x 11 and you can mail it if its at least 14pt or more thick not to exceed 1/4 inch thickness or 3 oz. in weight.

The whole weight and thickness thing is a real pain. That is why I stick with my postcards. They don't require thinking. I just offer the one size for this program and thats it. Anything else gets too complicated and leads me to getting a headache and its hard on the average customer to understand.

Do like me just sell postcards in one size fits all and spend your time worrying about what to put on them.

 

[BALLPARK]

That is the same program we are discussing here. Its called Every Door Direct Mail Retail also known as EDDMR or EDDM retail. Its called retail because you don't need a permit. You can pay for your postage and do everything for the local retail post office vs. a BMEU (Business Mail Entry Unit)

Thanks...

Figured it out when I went back to it later..lol. No speed reading championships for me this year. lol...

I think it could be good for some our clients. I like the program and hope to learn more about it soon.

 

[signswi]

Getting specs from the post office is a nightmare. I once spent almost two and a half years bothering them before we ever got actual specifications on a few of our different direct mail formats. The only reason we got those is that they finally had an employee transfer in that knew what they were talking about.

At least now you can find most of it online but heck if half of that info doesn't conflict with what your local office thinks is the rules, and that's what counts more often than not.

 

[btropical.com]

Made call thanks ! they took my name email lady said retail will be in touch " we are going to go postal " redrum !

 

[mark galoob]

guys, i understand that this might be an additional source of revenue for you to market additional products to your customers...i can tell you from experience that this is way more trouble than its worth. there are SO many ways here that you can lose money doing this type of marketing for your customers its not even funny. as a pack and ship and print store, we did this for about 3 years and i cant tell you how much trouble it was. if you can even find someone at the post office to explain the rules to you, someone else at the post office will give you different rules. this is a profit center where you will be making pennies.

honestly, just send your stuff to 4over and be done with it and mark it up...no hassle no worries.

speaking from experience

mark galoob

 

[Locals Find!]

guys, i understand that this might be an additional source of revenue for you to market additional products to your customers...i can tell you from experience that this is way more trouble than its worth. there are SO many ways here that you can lose money doing this type of marketing for your customers its not even funny. as a pack and ship and print store, we did this for about 3 years and i cant tell you how much trouble it was. if you can even find someone at the post office to explain the rules to you, someone else at the post office will give you different rules. this is a profit center where you will be making pennies.

honestly, just send your stuff to 4over and be done with it and mark it up...no hassle no worries.

speaking from experience

mark galoob

Mark while I appreciate your input. Your really talking out of your a$$ here.

1. This program has only been around since March 2011. So their is no possible way for you to have been doing this for 3 years.

2. The program is designed so your clients do the actual work. Not you.

3. All a sign shop needs to do is design it, print it, teach people the site and send them on their way.

4. "this is a profit center where you will be making pennies." I don't call a few hundred a pop pennies. Last I checked most of us weren't billionaires with huge trust funds.

If any one needs sizing help pm me. I also just got a very informative information packet emailed to me from my contact over at USPS. I would be happy to pass it along. Just send me your email address in the PM if you want it. It contains a powerpoint slideshow & a fact sheet.

 

[Techman]

if you can even find someone at the post office to explain the rules to you, someone else at the post office will give you different rules.

Exactly right. For my bulk rate permit,,,, I spent more than a few times explaining the rules to the clerk. Then I got the number to the local expert at the main office. Whenever a clerk would break down I would call the main office and get the clerk right. Sometimes I swear they were wrong on purpose because they didn't want to handle the work.
However I also found the direct mail a very important asset to my business. With this EDDm program I can drop my bulk rate permit and get a easier way of doing direct mail.

 

[mark galoob]

parnter, i did bulk mail as a profit center for 3 years and i learned from people who did if for 25 years...so i have some idea of what the He$$ im talking about...i dont have a trust fund, sorry, that wont work...lets see a couple of hundred dollars a pop...

the reality there is that you are only getting pennies per mail piece profit so yes it is pennies. even a small banner job i make 300-400 % profit on my cost. bulk mail the profit margin is MUCH smaller. ie pennies per piece.

so and as far as trying to explain to your customer how to do bulk mail...and letting them do that part of the work...lol yes im laughing out loud here...that just seems like an complete absolute nightmare...what if your customer screws it up and chances are they will...and after it gets screwed up, and their mail comes back to them or doesnt get mailed, and they spent all that money, who do you think they gonna blame...you...believe me i have been down that road. lost plenty of good customers because of bulk mail. they blame you not the post office.

so yes if you want to trust your valued customers to a bunch of 7th graders that get paid better than we do, go ahead, and send your customers to the post office...they will just LOVE you for it...


mark galoob

 

[Locals Find!]

parnter, i did bulk mail as a profit center for 3 years and i learned from people who did if for 25 years...so i have some idea of what the He$$ im talking about...i dont have a trust fund, sorry, that wont work...lets see a couple of hundred dollars a pop...

the reality there is that you are only getting pennies per mail piece profit so yes it is pennies. even a small banner job i make 300-400 % profit on my cost. bulk mail the profit margin is MUCH smaller. ie pennies per piece.

so and as far as trying to explain to your customer how to do bulk mail...and letting them do that part of the work...lol yes im laughing out loud here...that just seems like an complete absolute nightmare...what if your customer screws it up and chances are they will...and after it gets screwed up, and their mail comes back to them or doesnt get mailed, and they spent all that money, who do you think they gonna blame...you...believe me i have been down that road. lost plenty of good customers because of bulk mail. they blame you not the post office.

so yes if you want to trust your valued customers to a bunch of 7th graders that get paid better than we do, go ahead, and send your customers to the post office...they will just LOVE you for it...


mark galoob

Mark, I will email you my numbers and show you the profits straight up. As for them screwing this up. Its damn near impossible. You are sending them to every house on a route. If you can look at a computer screen and look at the little blue lines that pop up to show you the route you can do this. This is not your normal bulk mail that your familiar with. Their is no addressing etc...

I Look forward to your response after you look at my numbers.