How to Send a Letter to the USA

If you think that in this age of emails and instant messaging, nobody would be sending a snail mail like letter, then you should think again. As per USPS, over 425.3 million pieces are processed and delivered daily. In the clutter of digital campaigns, using letters as a direct mail marketing piece can make your business stand out. The tangibility, relevance, and customization can help you build brand identity and enhance engagement. 

If you are planning to incorporate a letter in your marketing strategy for your US audience but don’t know how to send one, we have got you covered. In this blog, you will learn how to send a letter to the USA in multiple ways. You will also understand why you should consider PostGrid’s letter API over conventional methods.

Key Takeaways

• Due to the massive adoption of digital marketing campaigns, the cutthroat competition has made it easy for businesses to stand out by using letters as direct mail marketing material.
• The Universal Postal Union (UPU) coordinates postal services among its member nations and designs policies and postal rates for domestic and international mail.
• You can send letters by visiting the post office or from home. You will have to buy and maintain printing and mailing supplies. Additionally, you will have to pay extra for tracking.
• It is challenging to send bulk letters using the traditional method, as this involves a lot of back and forth. Additionally, you can’t get insights into their performance and ensure the letter is sent to the correct address. 
• Instead of taking the conventional route, you can opt for PostGrid’s letter API. It automates the printing and mailing of letters and lets you keep a tab on the delivery.
• With our letter API, you can send as few as one and as many as hundreds of customized letters to verified addresses in one go. You can also monitor each letter's performance and pivot your marketing strategies accordingly.

The UPU manages international mail. Established in 1874, it is a United Nations agency coordinating postal services among 192 member countries. The UPU sought to standardize international mail delivery by creating policies, uniform postal rates, and equal treatment for domestic and foreign mail. 

Before UPU, bilateral international treaties were created to decide the countries' postage rates and methods. Each country's postal services operated on the assumption that the number of mail sent between them was equal, and hence, the postal rates were decided accordingly.

However, in 1969, UPU designed the terminal dues, which are an amount each country must pay when sending international mail. This was introduced so that the destination country has the amount to cover the cost of delivering postage there. These dues are based on the weight and volume of the packages sent between each country and are settled quarterly.

The UPU has the right to demand a penalty from the country if the mail is delivered later or if they are not paying the terminal dues if specific mail arrives later than they should have. In the USA, mail is considered late, depending on the shipping method. For instance, First-Class Mail should be delivered within 1 to 5 business days. If it extends beyond that, it will be considered late.

Visit the Post Office to Send a Mail

You can go to your local post office to send a letter. The employees will help you determine whether you have the correct postage to mail to the USA and calculate the shipping rate. You can also sign up for additional services, such as certified mail or package tracking, by visiting the post office. 

The postal workers will also tell you if there are any restrictions on the items that you can send to the United States. For instance, you cannot send fruits and vegetables with a letter or any package in the United States. This is done to prevent the introduction of any disease or pest in the country. Read the list here to learn what you can and cannot send to the United States.

After learning the postage rates and restrictions and signing up for additional services,  it is time to choose a shipping method. Let us assume you are in Canada and want to send letters to clients or customers in the USA. If you use Canada Post, you have multiple shipping options. Depending on how soon you want the letter to be delivered to the recipient, you can choose from the following:

• Xpresspost: 2-3 days
• Expedited Parcel: 4-7 days
• Tracked Packet: 4-7 days
• Small Packet: 5-8 days

Remembering that the prices will depend upon the weight and size of the package containing the letters is crucial. Additionally, the sooner a shipping method delivers the letter, the higher it will charge.

Specific shipping methods include a tracking number, which tells you where your letter is. If this option is not standard, you must pay an additional fee to make it available. Similarly, you can opt for certified or registered mail for proof of delivery. With certified mail service, you will receive a trackable number and the recipient's signature when the letter is delivered. Registered mail goes one step further, and you can insure your package. You will have to pay additional charges for these services.

Send Mail From Home/Office

If you want to avoid trips to the post office, you can send mail from your home or office. There are many postal service providers that let you buy stamps online and print them at your home or office. However, you must be mindful of international mailing restrictions, what sizes are prohibited, and how much you will pay. 

Additionally, when mailing from home or office, you must weigh the package to determine the postage rate. We advise going to the post office if you don’t have a weighing scale. To be sure of the shipping cost, we suggest rounding the weight to the next pound or ounce. 

Whether you go to the post office to send a letter or mail it from home, international mailing to the USA requires you to complete a customs form. You can fill out the forms online or purchase them from the post office. The following methods have made it mandatory to fill out the customs forms. 

1. If you are using Priority Mail Express International Services in the US.
2. If you send mail to the army, fleet, or diplomatic post office.
3. Depending on your destination, if you are using Global Express Guaranteed Services, you might need to complete a GXG International Air Waybill form and PS Form 6182.

However, a first-class international mail service does not require buying and filling out a customs form.

If you are sending a valuable item along with the letter in the package, it is best to insure it. With USPS Global Express Guaranteed Services, you can get insurance for up to 25,000. However, prices may vary depending on what you plan to insure. 

Get Your Mail Ready For Shipping

After buying the correct postage, you must prepare the package, ensure the letter complies with international restrictions, and choose a suitable shipping method. Assuming that you are using Canada Post to send a letter to the USA, we advise you to keep the following things in mind:

1. The address should be in the following format:

1. All the address elements should be separated by one space except the state abbreviation and the ZIP code, where you should add two spaces.
2. You can use the five-digit ZIP code or add the ZIP+4 code. However, you must add a hyphen between the numbers. 
3. To avoid delays, ensure you are using the correct forms and postage. Checking the weight and size restrictions for letters sent to the USA is also advised. If your letter exceeds the mentioned dimensions, you must send letters through parcel services. The letter should be rectangular and have a maximum weight of 50 g. The dimensions should be as follows:
   1. The size should be less than 9.2 in. x 4.7 in.
   2. The minimum dimension should be at least 5.6 in x 3.6 in x 0.007 in.
   3. The thickness should be less than 0.2 in.

Use PostGrid’s Letter API

If you don’t want to take trips to the post office, worry about how many stamps you need, or spend time calculating the postage you must pay, you should opt for our letter API. Integrating with your website, applications, or platform will automate the printing and mailing of letters. By choosing our solution, you can leverage the following benefits:

1. Save Money: You won’t have to spend money on supplies like ink, printers, stamps, etc., and you won’t have to waste time folding, stuffing, sealing, and stamping every piece. We will print and mail letters for you.
2. Freedom to Customize: We understand the significance of customization in reinforcing a brand identity. With us, you can either choose matte or glossy-coated papers. You can also leverage the Variable Data Printing (VDP) technology to customize every piece by adding text, changing the background images, and more. We have an exhaustive gallery of templates from which you can choose the one that meets your brand’s requirements. You can also upload a copy of the letter and personalize it per your business’s needs.
3. Wide Range of Printing Options: You can choose whether to send black-and-white or colored letters. Depending on the quantity of content, you can also select between single-sided or double-sided printing. 
4. Send batches: Traditional methods of sending bulk letters can be daunting. Our API is designed to meet your business’s growing requirements. Whether you want to send a single letter or mail them in batches, we ensure the same level of accuracy. 
5. Add Multiple Pages With Every Letter: If your letter is used as marketing material, you might have to send the customer product details and the letter. In other circumstances, if it is correspondence with a government organization, you might have to send a compliance letter with supporting documents. Whatever the situation, our solution allows you to send multiple pages with your letter. We will print, fold, seal, and mail them with the same accuracy and efficiency as a single-page letter.
6. Send Letters to Verified Addresses: Conventional methods won’t check if the address you have written on the envelope is accurate. If they can’t deliver, they will return the letter to you. In this case, you must pay an additional fee for address correction and re-shipping the letter. 

However, we will ensure that your letter lands on the right doorstep. We offer CASS-certified address verification. Every address is cross-checked with the authoritative USPS database to ensure it exists and is deliverable. We also standardize the address as per postal standards. Additionally, we offer real-time autocomplete suggestions to speed up data entry and prevent mistakes. 

1. Keep Track of Your Letters: You don’t need to sign up for an additional service to know where your letter is. Our dashboard will provide the real-time status of every piece you have sent. 
2. Get Detailed Analytics: Traditional methods don’t let you know how each letter performs. But with our solution, you can get detailed reports on what type of letter works best for you. You can also add a phone number, URLs, and unique coupon codes to analyze your letter’s performance. This will assist in making well-informed marketing decisions.

With so many things to remember, like the number of stamps, postage, etc., sending a letter to your clients and customers in the USA through the traditional method can be challenging. You can instead use PostGrid’s letter API, which automates printing and mailing, to send as many customized letters as you need to verified addresses. We will help you save time and effort without compromising quality and accuracy. If you want to see how we work, request a demo now.