What Are Commingle Mail Services?
Commingling is a process by which mailings from more than one company are combined to meet USPS discount minimums for quantity for mailings to targeted neighborhoods.
A few this have changed in the world of Presort and Commingle since this blog was posted, please read our new blog, or contact us for the most up to date information.
How can you save money on postage?
Well in theory you could start by redesigning your mail pieces. There are different postage prices for postcards, letters, big letters (flats), and packages. The basic rule of thumb is the larger the piece, the more it will cost to mail. Or, you could send out your First Class mail as Marketing mail, instead. I
There is an easier way. You can have a presort and commingle mailing service, like Midwest Direct, pick up your mail, sort it by zipcode, tag and sleeve it according to USPS regulations, then drop your mail deep into the mailstream so it arrives faster and with accurate addressing.
How do I get started with presort and commingle?
Call a mailing service like Midwest Direct. Usually, one phone call can get you set up, but if you're unsure take a tour of our facility. Contact us today, and one of our representatives will get you set up for a personal tour of our full service, print and mail production facility in Cleveland, Ohio.
What’s the catch? If it were this easy, why wouldn’t all businesses commingle mail?
It is that easy! Aa lack of education and misinformation has stopped some businesses from using a commingling service; other businesses may not even know commingling is an option, and organizations may not produce enough mail. That's where Midwest comes in. We are experts in the mailing industry and can answer all of your burning questions including the number of mail pieces to qualify -- it's probably a lot fewer than you think.
How much money are we talking?
A smaller commingling client can save a few hundred, to a few thousand, dollars a year - while saving time and eliminating trips to the post office. Larger commingling clients often save tens of thousands of dollars annually.
How is any of this possible?
The USPS offers big incentives to save money on postage for companies willing to do the heavy lifting. All the involved parties get in on the postage savings: The organizations and companies commingling their mail get significant discounts, which they split with the commingler. And the USPS is happy to offer these postage discounts in exchange for this work sharing.
But, mixing my mail with other companies seems kind of weird ...
Yes, we get that - but that’s exactly what happens at the post office, anyway: Comminglers just do it for you, in advance of actually reaching the USPS. And actually, tech-savvy comminglers use data to manipulate and merge mailings.
So when your eggs (your mail) are mixed together with other eggs, we still have the ability to go in and extract your eggs back out! This ability to move and maneuver parts of a mailing is huge, in terms of troubleshooting and optimizing postal discounts.
So there you have it! The best way to save money on postage is to commingle your mail. Contact us today to get started commingling your mail!
