Learn About Bulk Mailing and Tracking → Postcards

How to Save Postage when Mailing 200 or More Postcards

 Scott
 Postage $aver Software


Postcards have traditionally qualified for a lower postage rate than envelopes, even if you're just mailing one at a time. But if you're mailing a lot of them at one time, you can qualify for even lower rates.

Here are your options:

Regular First Class:
(Easiest and fastest)
Postage rate: 56¢.
No minimum number of pieces.
Just drop it in the blue box on the corner.
Maximum size: 4 1/4" x 6".
Delivery time: First Class processing.

First Class Presort:
(Just as fast but cheaper)
Postage rate: 37.9¢ - 43.5¢.
Minimum pieces per mailing: 500.
Must be sorted to USPS requirements.
Maximum size: 6" x 9".
Delivery time: First Class processing.

Marketing Mail (bulk mail):
(Cheapest but slower)
Postage rate (Commercial): 31.3¢ - 40.8¢.
Postage rate (Nonprofit): 14.1¢ - 23.6¢.
Minimum pieces per mailing: 200.
Must be sorted to USPS requirements.
Maximum size: 6 1/8" x 11 1/2".
Delivery time: Slower than First Class. Days to weeks.
(Lower rates available for mailing to all, or almost all, addresses in an area.)

Of course, it would be great if USPS would just give you the lower rates because they like you.

But no, it doesn't work that way. USPS is legally required to justify all discounts on the basis of "work share" savings that they get when you do some of their work.

As you probably noticed, the postage rates for First Class Presort and Marketing Mail are shown as a range, not as a specific price. Generally, the more work you do for USPS, the bigger the discount.

So there are a range of rates depending on such factors as whether you mail from a neighborhood post office or from a postal sorting center, whether a lot of pieces go to the same zip code or whether they go to many different zips, whether you add barcodes to the addresses, etc. Generally, the more of the post office's work that you do for them, the lower the rate.

And, to mail at the lower rates, you'll need a mailing permit and software to do the required sorting. If you're just doing a one-time mailing, those costs and the extra hassle will make the lower postage rates not worth it. But if you're mailing batches of postcards regularly, you can save a lot of money, especially once you've paid the initial costs to get set up.

If you're going to spend all that money on postage, you want to get the most out of it, right?

Then you should mail the largest piece you can afford to print, up to the maximum size for the postage category you are using. It's all about getting noticed when that potential customer decides, in an instant, what mail to look at and what to toss after a long day at work.

You want your mail to stand out from the rest. How much attention would you give a 4" x 6" postcard from an advertiser, compared with a "half-sheet" or larger? My rule is to always send at least a 5 1/2" x 8" card, and larger if you can afford the printing.

The requirements for First Class Presort and Marketing Mail are similar, so if you learn about one, you pretty much know what you need for the other.

One difference is that for Marketing Mail, the same rates apply to postcards and envelopes, so you're actually using the "letter" rate even though you're mailing a postcard. For First Class Presort, the postcard rates shown above are lower than the "letter" rates you'd pay to mail envelopes.

Here are our help pages on how to get started:

And don't hesitate to ask me any questions. We're happy to help.