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Quote:The U.S. Postal Service has proposed simplifying its international shipping options in an effort to make it easier for customers to use the products for their shipping needs.

The changes, published on Dec. 20 in the Federal Register for comment, will more closely align USPS international products with its well-known and trusted domestic products - Express Mail, Priority Mail and First-Class Mail. By merging eight current options into four alternatives by combining products with overlapping service standards and prices, the agency aims to ease use and add value...

The notice also said the USPS proposes to rename the international products to mirror comparable domestic product names. For example, currently, the USPS has an international product called Global Express Guaranteed for documents and Global Express Guaranteed for non-documents. These products would be combined into one product, Global Express Guaranteed. There is also an international product called Global Express Mail, and this would be changed to Express Mail International. And Global Priority Mail, Airmail Parcel Post, and Economy Parcel Post will be renamed Priority Mail International...

full article: http://www.dmnews.com/cms/dm-news/direct...39473.html

Quote:The changes, published on Dec. 20 in the Federal Register for comment, will more closely align USPS international products with its well-known and trusted domestic products - Express Mail, Priority Mail and First-Class Mail. By merging eight current options into four alternatives by combining products with overlapping service standards and prices, the agency aims to ease use and add value...

This is a very good thing!

A related article: the proposed changes could negatively impact book sellers

Quote:On December 20, the United States Postal Service (USPS) proposed changes to its International Mail products that could have a serious effect on overseas book sales. The USPS wants to discontinue its traditional international Surface Mail and replace it with International Surface Air Lift (ISAL) and ISAL "M-bags" that would have much higher rates. The USPS is accepting comments on its proposed changes until February 2, 2007.

"This will have a huge and negative impact ... on export sales by U.S. publishers, distributors, and booksellers," said Phil Bevis of Arundel Books, which includes retail stores in Seattle and Los Angeles, an online store, and two warehouses in Washington State. He believes that the new rates would "in essence" triple shipping costs on over 50 percent of international orders...

full article: http://news.bookweb.org/news/5000.html