[Fists] Postage surprise

[Stan Reas]

Fellow FISTS Members:

I fear some of the Post Offices are having a tough time understanding their new rates and 
restrictions.

It cost Dick, W7DAX a full $ 1.30 to send us 12 cards the other day.  His envelope weighed 
1.7 ounce and they said it had to be shipped as a "First-Class Parcel".

Their justification was that a # 10 envelope with anything "stiff" in it was not simply first-class 
mail but a PARCEL.  

It would appear that they have mis-read the new United States Postal Service Notice 123.

Two notes in the First-Class Mail schedule apply to "Letters":

	No.1 - Letters that meet one or more of the nonmachinable characteristics in DMM 101.1.2 
                    are subject to the $ 0.17 nonmachinable surcharge.

	No.4 - For weights over 3.5 ounces, see large envelopes (flat) rates.

I took Dick's envelope with the cards in it to the Moneta Post Office and was told that they felt 
the postage should have been no more than $ 0.75 - based on $ 0.58 for two ounces and 
possibly $ 0.17 for being nonmachinable. 

The envelope slid through the 1/4 inch test slot they have which meant that it was less than the 
maximum thickness permitted for Letters. 

Dick had all 12 cards stacked together which meant there was a portion of the # 10 envelope that 
was flatter than the portion where the cards were.  They felt that could cause the envelope to be 
declared nonmachinable. 

Size of "Letters" is defined as:
	                 minimum        maximum
	Length        5-inches        11-1/2 inches
	Height        3-1/2 inches     6-1/8 inches
	Thickness   0.007 inches     1/4 inch

There is a Note which applies only to "Large Envelopes" - It reads:

	No.2 - Pieces that are rigid, non rectangular, or not uniformally thick pay Package (Parcel) rates.

It is that note which we feel has been mis-applied to his envelope.

This is a continuing drama and I'll provide more information as we determine just what is going on - Hi !

73, Stan - K4UK
FISTS QSL Bureau
1020 Long Island Drive
Moneta, VA  24121
<www.fistsburo.org>

P.S. I been told there is a # 6 envelope which has the same 4-1/8 inch heigth as the # 10 envelope but is 
6-1/2 inch length.  If that's true those would make great envelopes to mail QSL cards in, because they 
would be of uniform thickness.  I'm going hunting for them tomorrow.