USPS Nonprofit Marketing Mail (formerly known as Bulk Mail) Information

A parcel is any item that is too large to be classified as a flat. The Shoah Yellow Candle™ is categorized as a non-machinable parcel. Each candle and up to three sheets of paper in a bubble mailer weigh 4.6 ounces.  

The Shoah Yellow Candle™ can be mailed using USPS Ground Advantage (formerly First-Class Mail) or Marketing Mail (previously known as Bulk Mail). Please note that the United States Postal Service (USPS) no longer offers a non-profit, non-automation Marketing Mail parcel rate.

If you plan to use Marketing Mail for candle delivery, it is crucial to coordinate with your local postmaster well in advance of your mailing date.  Here are the requirements for distributing Shoah Yellow Candles™ via USPS Marketing Mail. Be aware that Marketing Mail is not prioritized, and delivery may be delayed up to three weeks. 

Steps to a successful mailing

Find the nearest BMEU (Business Mail Entry Unit) to your location. Use this site to find the nearest one:     https://postalpro.usps.com/ppro-tools/business-mail-entry

Packages can be mailed from a BMEU, and you can set up an account with the post office. Once the account is set up you can start getting ready to do a mailing.

Some things to note

1: You need to mail either 200 pieces or the combined weight must be at least 50 lbs. (for the candles this is 176 pieces)

2:   Bar coding all the pieces will usually not be possible. Just pay the small penalty. ($0.042 per piece in 2025)

For 2025, the cost to mail is for each piece plus a charge for the weight plus the non-bar coding is about $4 per piece.

3: The price group to use is – irregular.

You need the weight of one piece. If you use the padded envelopes, then use 0.2850 lb. (USPS wants the weight to 4 decimal places.) 

You will need the number of pieces you will be mailing.

Finally, you will need to fill out section “J” which is for irregular parcels. You only need to separate your mailing into two groups-local and everything else. It costs a little more, but then you don’t have to sort.

When you are within 2 weeks of mailing…….

Go to USPS.com and scroll all the way to the bottom and click on Business customer gateway.

Sign into BCG- user name and password.

On bottom right click on Postalwizard

Select the 5th choice – Form 3602 – postage statement – USPS Marketing Mail.

Select when you will do the mailing- It must be within two weeks of creating the postage statement. You select the full two weeks because you can always mail earlier.

Answer the next few questions for your synagogue. (see pic 3).

Then fill out the mailing characteristics page. (see pic 1).

Fill out the rates page (see pic 2).

To get the number of packages going to a single area NDC you must look at Form L601.   (https://postalpro.usps.com/node/2611)

Identify your designated area and consolidate all packages for this area into bags accordingly. This area may contain several zip codes.

All the rest go Mixed NDC

You need the info from column B as this is what will be on the sack labels.

For the sack labels– The BMEU has sacks that you can use. Check they have label pouches on them.

Top image: 

Line 1 is info from column B.

Line 2 is what is mailed and the rate.

Line 3 is where it is being mailed from.

Bottom image: This is for all the packages that are not in your area.