No. EDDM Retail needs neither a permit nor a mailing list. You pick carrier routes, and USPS delivers to every address on them, addressed to "Postal Customer". A bulk mailing permit only comes into it with EDDM BMEU, the high-volume version. With Full Service, we handle the USPS side for you.
Do You Need a Permit for EDDM?
Not for EDDM Retail, the version most small businesses use. USPS says it plainly: "No special mailing permit needed" (USPS EDDM). You pay postage when you mail, at $0.26 a piece at the time of writing (the USPS EDDM Retail rate).
EDDM BMEU is different. It is built for larger or recurring mailings, has no daily volume limit, and requires a bulk mailing permit. Its postage is the permit rate, which differs from the Retail rate, so check the current figure on usps.com before you plan around it.
Do You Need a Mailing List for EDDM?
No. That is the whole idea of EDDM. Instead of buying names and addresses, you choose carrier routes (the path one mail carrier walks each day), and the carrier delivers a piece to every address on the route. No list purchase, no list cleaning, no individual addresses printed on the piece.
The tradeoff is targeting. EDDM targets places, not people. You can choose routes by neighbourhood and decide whether to include businesses, but you cannot pick "homeowners with kids" or "past customers". If you need that kind of targeting, a list-based mailing costs more per piece but wastes less.
EDDM Retail vs EDDM BMEU
| EDDM Retail | EDDM BMEU | |
|---|---|---|
| Permit | None | Bulk mailing permit required |
| Postage | $0.26 a piece (USPS EDDM Retail rate) | Permit rate; check usps.com |
| Volume | 200 to 5,000 pieces per ZIP Code per day | No volume limit |
| Where you drop it off | The Post Office that serves your routes | A USPS business mail entry unit |
| Best for | Local, occasional mailings | High-volume or recurring mailings |
Sources: the USPS EDDM page and USPS DMM 143, which sets the EDDM Retail limit at "200 or more pieces... up to a maximum of 5000 pieces per day per 5-digit ZIP Code."
How to Mail EDDM Retail Yourself, Step by Step
If you print elsewhere or order our Print Only service, these are the steps USPS asks for:
- Pick your routes. Use a route map to choose carrier routes and note the number of addresses on each, so your print quantity matches.
- Print a qualifying piece. An EDDM Retail flat must be longer than 10.5 inches or taller than 6.125 inches (or thicker than 0.25 inch), and weigh no more than 3.3 oz (DMM 143). Our EDDM size checker tells you if a size qualifies, and our EDDM sizes page lists every size we print.
- Print the EDDM Retail postage box on the address side, with "Postal Customer" as the address line. On our Print Only orders we place both for you.
- Bundle by route. Stacks of 50 to 100 pieces, no taller than 6 inches, one route per stack, with a facing slip on top of every bundle.
- Complete PS Form 3587, the EDDM Retail postage statement.
- Pay and drop off. USPS lets you pay online with a credit or debit card, or at the Post Office with cash, a card or a check. Take the bundles to the Post Office that serves those routes; routes served by different Post Offices mean separate drops.
You do not need to register for a permit. If you want to pay online and prepare your paperwork through the USPS EDDM Online Tool, you sign in with a free USPS.com account; otherwise you can complete the form and pay at the counter.
What Full Service Takes Off Your Plate
With Full Service, you pick routes on our map, upload artwork and approve a proof. We print, bundle by carrier route, prepare the USPS paperwork, include the postage and deliver the mail to the Post Office for each route. Full Service pieces carry a permit postage box that we place for you, so you do not need a permit or a USPS account of your own. For 5,000 postcards (6.5 x 9), Full Service is $2,643.17 before sales tax at the time of writing, postage included.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to register with USPS to send EDDM?
You do not need a permit for EDDM Retail. A free USPS.com account is only needed if you want to pay and prepare your paperwork online; you can also pay at the Post Office counter. With Full Service you need neither.
What is the EDDM Retail daily limit?
Between 200 and 5,000 pieces per ZIP Code per day. For more than 5,000 pieces into one ZIP Code, split the mailing across days or use EDDM BMEU.
Can nonprofits use EDDM?
Yes. On EDDM Retail, nonprofits pay the same $0.26 a piece as everyone else. Nonprofit postage prices require specific USPS authorization (USPS DMM 703), so check with USPS whether your organization qualifies before planning around them.
Is there a contract or minimum spend?
No contract. The only minimum is the USPS one: 200 pieces per ZIP Code per day on EDDM Retail.
Skip the permit questions entirely: see the homes on your routes and the price, free, on the route map. Questions? Call (346) 306-EDDM (3336).
