USPS First Class Mail Service

How does this service work? If not there do they leave a note? How long does it take to arrive? If your not there will it come tomorrow? If not there will they leave it at your door step? Thanks!

1st Class Mail is "Normal" mail - you know, a letter for 47 cents, etc - that's it
2nd class = Book Rate
3rd class = Bulk Mail (aka Junk Mail)

Unless special services are requested (e.g. Certified, Registered, Insured), First Class Mail is generally deposted into the mail receptacle of your dwelling.

While the Postal Service now appears to have a marketing department that is able to easily convince the gullible, First Class Mail over 12 ounces is called Priority Mail, meaning that it is supposed to have priority over Parcel Post (4th Class) Mail. Not the "faster than First Class" illusion that has been cast upon the public.

Delivery time with First Class mail can have several variables, but hand addressed that cannot be machine processed (i.e. must be hand sorted) will probably take the longest time to arrive. Mail that can be machine sorted generally requires less processing, and mail that can be machine processed (read by optical scanner or barcode) probably arrives the fastest short of mail that can be both machine processed and pre-sorted (like your bills, bet those never come late ).

KC2IXE Book rate is one of the discounted 4th Class rates. It was originally known as Special 4th Class rate and is intended for bound printed matter other than periodicals.

Second Class Mail is for daily newspapers and periodicals (e.g. magazines)

skalomax said:

How does this service work? If not there do they leave a note? How long does it take to arrive? If your not there will it come tomorrow? If not there will they leave it at your door step? Thanks!

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KC2IXE said:

1st Class Mail is "Normal" mail - you know, a letter for 47 cents, etc - that's it
2nd class = Book Rate
3rd class = Bulk Mail (aka Junk Mail)

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What kind of letter costs 47 cents to mail? Is it not still 39 cents for regular, machinable mail?

First class mail is still 39¢. If the first class has an item in the envelope, metal or needs to be hand stamped then you add 13¢ for a total of 52¢.

Trashman said:

What kind of letter costs 47 cents to mail? Is it not still 39 cents for regular, machinable mail?

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I'm confused - I don't know where 47 cents came from - almost all the mail I send out is 84 cents (International air mail) and all my domestic stamps are the stamps that don't list a price

Well got my Package today and came in 2 days. Thanks for the Info guys.

I hate those stamps without an amount on them that they seem to issue whenever their rates go up so that you can use one of them with the previous first class stamp to make up the difference with the new first class rate. I must have a dozen of them with different letters on them, and have no idea what their actual value is. They don't make these decisions overnight, you'd think they could print a few 3 cent stamps, or whatever the difference happens to be, instead of these moronic nuisances.