Reduced post office hours, longer delivery windows, and increased postage prices are all part of the United States Postal Service’s 10-year Plan, which it released on March 23, 2021. The plan, “Delivering for America,” was devised by postal leadership to cut down on the Postal Service’s financial losses. The plan also looks to increase the Postal Service’s share in the package delivery market while slowing the delivery of first-class mail by having it carried almost exclusive

The International Postal Corporation (IPC) conducted its annual Cross-Border E-commerce Shopper Survey, receiving responses from over 33,000 consumers in 40 countries across the globe. The survey results provide valuable feedback on the effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on consumer purchasing habits, with implications for e-tailers and shippers. The main findings of the survey were as follows: · The pandemic led to an increase in online shopping, as 51% of consumers bought

President Joe Biden announced on February 24 three nominees to fill vacant seats on the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors: · Anton Hajjar, former general counsel of the American Postal Workers Union. · Amber McReynolds, CEO of the non-profit organization National Vote at Home Institute. · Ron Stroman, former Deputy Postmaster General of the U.S. Postal Service. The Board of Governors is comparable to a board of directors of a publicly held corporation. The Board normally

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas signed an Interim Final Rule (IFR) on March 4 titled “Mandatory Advance Electronic Information for International Mail Shipments.” The IFR will promulgate regulations that will enable U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to implement provisions required in the Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act to disrupt the flow of illicit substances, such as synthetic opioids, from entering the country through interna

The International Mailers Advisory Group urged the Postal Service to provide 90 days lead time between a final rule and implementation of its proposed new service, Outbound Commercial Provider Initiative (OCPI). Mailers and shippers need enough time to make software and system changes, among other adjustments. In addition, IMAG suggested the Postal Service launch a market test of OCPI to one or two countries rather than a full rollout of the new service given how many elemen