For security reasons, the US Postal Service has instituted new
restrictions on both stamped First Class/Priority Mail and stamped
international packages weighing more than 16 ounces.
Any envelopes or packages weighing more than 16 ounces must be
presented in person at a post office rather than simply stamped and
deposited in a mailbox. If they are stamped and put in a US or an MIT
mailbox, they will be returned to the sender rather than processed.
However, MIT's Mail Services can handle both domestic and
international packages for MIT-charged mail. Customers should put such
packages in the special mail boxes labeled "Mail to be processed" or in
the appropriate bins in the Distributed Mail Centers. Personal packages
must be taken to a US post office to be weighed and processed.
Most of MIT's international mail goes through a remailer for the
fastest delivery abroad, and MIT Mail Services prepares the necessary
paperwork for these deliveries. Members of the community will need to
fill out a USPS customs form only in the following four cases: if you
want surface mail, if the package contains anything except paper, if
it's going to an APO or FPO address, or if it is a large package which
must go by parcel post. MIT Mail Services will provide the customs
forms.
If you have questions about the new restrictions or how MIT Mail
Services can help, call them at x3-6000.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on August 28, 1996.
