how does first class mail work?
Most companies have no idea how direct mail is sorted and delivered to different parts of the country. What little you know about the first-class mail delivery process can be boiled down to just four steps.
- step 1: you write the recipient’s address on the envelope.
- step 2: you affix the first class stamp on the envelope.
- step 3: deposit the envelope into the nearest usps mailbox.
- step 4: mail is delivered to the recipient within the united states within one to three days.
However, this is just the easy part of direct mail delivery. the process behind the delivery of each direct mail is much more complicated than what is mentioned above. therefore, you must first understand the delivery process before asking how fast is first class mail. Listed below are the actual steps involved in a first class mail delivery.
Step 1: The first step in the direct mail process begins with the sender. here, the sender addresses the envelope and affixes the first-class stamp to the front.
Step 2: The next step is also easy. all you have to do is find the nearest usps mailbox and drop your first class mail there. the role of the sender ends at this step in the direct mail delivery process.
You can find the nearest mailbox to your location from the USPS website. select the “locate a post office” option, which you can find on the usps site.
then choose “collection boxes” from the drop down menu. or you can click here to go directly to the page and bookmark it for future use.
Step 3: From this step, the direct mail service provider, which is the USPS, takes over the process. first class mail is picked up by usps through a mail worker.
It is worth noting that a USPS employee periodically empties all of the USPS active blue boxes. the usps employee must scan a barcode inside the usps drop-off location and confirm pickup by 5pm.
The exact process is followed every day, Monday through Friday. however, Saturday pickups may vary based on the average package volume for a particular mailbox.
step 4: after the usps worker removes the first class envelope from the mailbox, he takes it to the sectional center facility (scf) of the respective city.
each major city has its assigned scf. the location your mail piece goes to depends on the mailbox location you use.
You can even find out the scf of both the sender and the receiver. doing so will help you understand how long it takes for first class mail to be delivered.
Step 5: The first class mail you sent arrives at the sectional center facility or scf along with other mail. here, your first-class mail is classified along with all other senders.
As you might imagine, the USPS handles a large amount of direct mail every day. Therefore, sorting mail is an essential part of USPS operating procedures.
usps uses the 9-digit zip code to effectively classify mail. therefore, you should invest in a great direct mail automation system to verify and print full addresses, including zip code.
step 6: once classified, first class mail becomes lax. From here, first class mail travels by air to the respective SCF to its destination.
Because the USPS uses air freight to get the envelopes to their respective SCFs, delays are minimal. therefore, USPS often manages to deliver mail within the specified time.
step 7: after your first class mail arrives at the scf at its respective destination, the mail is reclassified by the usps. is the final sorting process involved in the direct mail delivery process.
The zip code once again plays a vital role here. having a valid +4 zip code is helpful at this stage because the post office can sort it out quickly.
At this stage, the USPS does not need the standard five-digit ZIP code. here, they only need zip code+4 because the classification is based on the local area at this stage.
Step 8: In this step, your first class mail is assigned to the carrier. the carrier then travels along its designated route under which the address is located.
when assigning the delivery route, first class mail always takes precedence over standard mail. however, this often happens when there is a mail overload at usps.
Nine-digit postal codes play a crucial role in the routing and classification of postal items. but that’s a whole different story, and you don’t need to know the details.
Step 9: This is the final step involved in your First Class Mail delivery. here, the postman or worker delivers your envelope to the recipient.
mail delivery is faster for addresses with a complete zip code+4. If the address does not have a complete zip code + 4, there is a possibility that the delivery will be a little delayed.
Suppose the address is undeliverable or the recipient refuses to accept the letter. in that case, it is returned to you or the sender.
Now you know the whole process involved in delivering your first class mail. At this point it should be clear why your first class mail can take 1-3 days to deliver. it’s quite interesting how first class mail can be delivered in such a short time.
Also, it’s worth remembering that First Class Mail takes precedence over Standard Mail during peak times like the holiday season. therefore, it is an obvious choice for urgent and urgent shipments.
Related Article: Is USPS First Class Mail Tracked?