Express mail

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Express mail used after the Anschluss in 1938; letters from Austria to Germany required German stamps to be added, resulting in a mixed franking.

In most postal systems express mail refers to an accelerated delivery service for which the customer pays a surcharge and receives faster delivery. Express mail is a service for domestic mail and is governed by a country's own postal authority. Since 1998 the international accelerated delivery services are governed by the EMS Cooperative.

[edit] Express Mail Service

Express Mail Service (EMS) is an international express postal service offered by postal-administration members of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) which created the EMS Cooperative in 1998 within the framework of the UPU, a specialized agency of the United Nations, to promote the harmonization and development of postal services worldwide. Currently EMS is offered by 146 of the 191 UPU member countries' postal authorities^[1] and an integral part of their normal postal services. Seven additional countries have arrangements to deliver EMS items. An independent auditor measures the express delivery performance of all international EMS operators and each member is awarded a Gold, Silver, or Bronze certificate depending on their yearly performance. These countries are recorded in the EMS Cooperative's Hall of Fame.^[2]

[edit] Express mail in the United States

The United States Postal Service (USPS) offers EMS but calls this service Express Mail International,^[3] previously called Global Express Mail.^[4] This is often confused with their service called Express Mail, which is a specific classification of mail for domestic accelerated postal delivery within the U.S.

[edit] History

1944 13¢ Special Delivery stamp

Special Delivery, a domestic accelerated delivery service, was introduced on 3 March 1885 initially with a fee of 10¢ paid by a Special Delivery stamp. It has been transformed into Express Mail that was introduced in 1977 after an experimental period that started in 1971,^[5] though Special Delivery was not terminated until June 8, 1997.^[6]

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[edit] Modern USPS Express Mail

Express Mail is a money-back guaranteed overnight to 2-day service offering, tracking, proof of delivery, and insurance up to $100. Items shipped using this service can be delivered within the 48 contiguous United States and the Washington, D.C. within 1 to 2 business days.

One advantage of Express Mail is that USPS will deliver 365 days a year, including Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays at no additional charge to some locations. USPS competitors often charge for delivering on anything other than a business day. Unlike Priority Mail and First Class Mail, USPS provides real-time tracking information online and by phone for Express Mail shipments.

The USPS's Express Mail service has been criticized for late delivery.^[7] Private express carriers guarantee overnight or 2-day delivery by as early as 8:30 or 10:30 AM. Many users have found that Express Mail is more reliable and less expensive than the private carriers's services. Many eBay sellers, for example, use Express Mail because the service can be more convenient and cheaper than private carriers. Express Mail also conveys other benefits under specific circumstances; U.S. patent applications and related documents transmitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office via USPS Express Mail carry the postmark date as the date of patent priority, so long as each document is mailed along with a signed certificate of mailing bearing the Express Mail tracking number of the mailing label.

[edit] EMS Cooperative members

Since its creation, 146 postal administrations have joined the EMS Cooperative, representing over 65% of EMS operators worldwide. In addition, the EMS Cooperative has negotiated EMS delivery contracts on behalf of seven countries: EMS delivery agents.

( * ) Provisional member

[edit] EMS delivery agents

[edit] Other express mail providers

Many transportation logistics firms offer similar accelerated services. UPS, DHL and FedEx are the most popular alternatives. Those carriers offer even faster delivery with their early morning delivery services.

• City-Link Express
• Aramex
• eCourier
• UCS
• TNT
• Purolator
• Quick International

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Mail
• Pony express
• American Express
• Postal authority
• Click-N-Ship

[edit] External links

• Complaint about USPS Express Mail service Consumeraffairs.com (visited 9 July 2006)
• EMS, Express Mail Service, Cooperative website
• UPU, Universal Postal Union, EMS webpage
• USPS domestic Express Mail service
• What is EMS?