CURRENT USPS RATE · EDDM Retail flats up to 3.3 oz
$0.26/piece Retail postage
Postage only for qualifying mailpieces. Printing, preparation, transport and other applicable charges are extra. Effective July 12, 2026.
BUDGET
What does an EDDM campaign cost?#
Your EDDM budget starts with the number of pieces you will mail. Use the count for your selected routes in the USPS EDDM tool (opens in new tab), then separate postage from the work needed to get those pieces ready.
For a qualifying 1,000-piece EDDM Retail mailing, postage is $260: 1,000 × $0.260. Printing, preparation and other campaign costs are additional. Use the actual piece count for your selected routes in place of this illustrative quantity.
Add the costs that remain outside that subtotal: printing, artwork, preparation, transportation and any applicable service fees or tax. A printer may quote only the printed pieces. A mailing provider may include postage and preparation in one price. Check the inclusions before adding anything, or you can count postage twice.
Use this worksheet when requesting or comparing quotes. Ask each provider to price the same route count, mailpiece specifications and services.
Published postage is one part of the campaign cost; confirm what each quote includes before adding charges.
Cost component | What to confirm in your quote |
|---|---|
Postage | Is it included? Which USPS rate and entry location does the quote use, and for how many pieces? |
Printing | Confirm dimensions, paper stock, finished weight, color, finishing and print quantity. |
Artwork | Is design included, supplied by you or charged separately? Confirm proof approval and revision charges. |
Preparation | Who handles route sorting, bundles, facing slips and postal paperwork? Is that work included? |
Transport | Who gets the mail to each required USPS entry location? Check freight, shipping and drop-off charges. |
Other charges | Identify service fees, applicable permit costs and tax. Ask which are already included and which are still estimates. |
Complete total | Add only the charges outside the quoted price. Divide the complete total by pieces mailed to find your cost per piece. |
Timing | Confirm the production schedule and planned USPS entry date. Neither is a promised delivery date. |
For the Retail example above, the calculation is $260 postage + your quoted non-postage costs = campaign total. If a provider has already included postage, start with its quoted total and add only exclusions.
Doing the preparation yourself can reduce the bill you pay a provider, but it still takes your time. Record the work you are taking on alongside the cash budget. A quote that includes preparation and drop-off is buying a different amount of service from a print-only quote.
ENTRY OPTIONS
When does BMEU cost less than Retail?#
EDDM Retail lets you prepare a mailing without a special mailing permit and deliver it to the Post Office serving your chosen routes. Commercial EDDM uses a Business Mail Entry Unit, or BMEU, and a permit-based acceptance process. A mailing provider may handle that process for you.
BMEU does not mean one discounted price. The rate depends on the qualifying entry arrangement. DDU means the destination delivery unit serving the routes; DSCF means a destination sectional center facility. Those distinctions matter when comparing a provider's postage line with Retail.
The following USPS Notice 123 prices (opens in new tab) took effect July 12, 2026. Retail applies to qualifying flats up to 3.3 oz. The commercial BMEU prices shown apply to qualifying EDDM flats weighing 4 oz or less; heavier commercial pieces need a different calculation.
Compare the complete cost: transport and service charges can outweigh DDU's small postage saving.
EDDM entry option | USPS postage |
|---|---|
Retail | $0.26/piece |
Commercial BMEU — DDU | $0.259/piece |
Commercial BMEU — DSCF | $0.268/piece |
Commercial BMEU — origin, no destination-entry discount | $0.309/piece |
Only the listed DDU rate is below Retail. For 5,000 pieces eligible for either option, the postage difference is 5,000 × ($0.260 − $0.259) = $5. Transportation or service charges can outweigh that saving. The DSCF and origin rates shown are higher than Retail, so they are not postage savings against that benchmark.
Commercial EDDM is not automatically cheaper. Of the three BMEU entry rates, only one comes in under Retail — and it saves a tenth of a cent per piece.
A provider can still be worthwhile because it handles printing, preparation or acceptance. Compare the complete quote and the work left to you, rather than choosing on the lowest postage figure alone.
Do not budget for both $390 fees automatically
If you manage your own commercial mailing arrangement, permit costs matter. Notice 123 lists a $390 USPS Marketing Mail annual mailing fee and a separate $390 permit-imprint application fee. These are different charges and neither is automatic: confirm your payment method, any applicable exemption, and whether your provider mails under its own permit.
Authorized nonprofits may qualify for separate commercial nonprofit prices. Confirm the required authorization and entry price with USPS or your provider. The listed commercial rates exclude nonprofit pricing; EDDM Retail has no nonprofit price.
ROUTES
Confirm routes and size before ordering printing#
Set the route selection before approving the print quantity. The USPS EDDM service page (opens in new tab) summarizes Retail as 200 to 5,000 pieces per day per ZIP Code. There is a narrow exception for a whole ZIP Code with fewer than 200 deliverable addresses; USPS explains it in DMM 143 (opens in new tab). Confirm your mailing against the actual route count and acceptance rules.
EDDM reaches routes rather than a handpicked list of named recipients. Decide which eligible routes and delivery options fit your audience before asking a printer to produce a round number of pieces. For the broader planning process, use our EDDM guide.
Next, check the finished mailpiece. A printer's “EDDM postcard” label is not a substitute for verifying dimensions, weight and stock. There is no universal 6.5 × 9 inch minimum: qualification depends on the full USPS requirements. Use the size checker in the USPS EDDM tool (opens in new tab) and have the printer confirm that the finished piece qualifies before approving production.
Keep preparation and transport in the quote even after the artwork is settled. Someone must prepare the mailing and get it to the correct acceptance location. Our EDDM drop-off guide covers that next step, including what to bring.
CONCLUSION
When EDDM is the wrong budget
A low postage rate helps when reaching the selected routes is the right job. If you need to send a document to specific people, start with addressed mail instead of budgeting for an entire neighborhood. For EDDM, finish with a complete quote, confirmed mailpiece requirements and a clear division of the work before ordering printing. Postmarkr sends ordinary First-Class letters; it does not provide EDDM campaigns. If addressed letters fit your task, see First-Class letter pricing.