Effective January 22, 2023, the United States Postal Service will implement the following changes:
Remove Parcel Return Service (PRS) rates in the Price List, Notice 123
PRS was designed for shippers or shipping agents who enter mail at destination entry facilities via Parcel Select® destination entry, convenient access for the pickup of PRS parcels at the same locations where destination entry mail is deposited per the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) 505.4.0 However, not all customers are eligible to receive PRS rates, only Negotiated Service Agreement (NSA) customers are eligible to use PRS. NSAs provide customized pricing and classifications under the terms and conditions established in the NSA and may include modifications to current mailing standards and other postal requirements.
Eliminate Certificate of Mailing and Signature Confirmation services for Returns only
A Certificate of Mailing provides evidence that you have sent an item. It does not provide a record of delivery, proof of mailing, or insure items against loss.
Signature Confirmation provides shippers with the name of the recipient as well as the delivery date, time, and location; a copy of the recipient’s signature will also be faxed, mailed, or e-mailed to you upon request.
Both Certificate of Mailing and Signature Confirmation tend to cause customer confusion and are challenging for customers to understand price point differences. There has also been a decline in the usage of the two extra services as they pertain to our return products. The Postal Service believes eliminating these extra services for our return products will provide our customers a more efficient process and better customer experience.
Eliminate balloon pricing for Parcel Return Service
Balloon pricing was implemented to drive behavior away from large, lightweight items that take up a lot of space but aren’t very heavy. If the package weighs less than 20 pounds but measures more than 84 inches (but not more than 108 inches) in combined length and girth it is charged the oversized price for a 20-pound parcel, which is referred to as “balloon pricing”. Eliminating the balloon pricing for PRS will simplify the product offering and applicable surcharges as well as the employee responsibility to correctly assess and apply balloon pricing for PRS.
