Business Reply Mail

Business Reply Mail (BRM) allows you to include an envelope in your mailing that the recipient can use to return something to you at no cost to themselves.  You pay the postage only for the mail pieces that are returned to you.

The recharge are:

MAIL PIECE TYPE	PER PIECE
Post Cards	$ 0.493
Letters    Up to 1 ounce    Each additional ounce up to 13 ounces	$ 0.653 0.170
Flats     Up to 1 ounce     Each additional ounce up to 13 ounces	$ 1.093 0.170
Packages     Up to 1 ounce     Each additional ounce up to 13 ounces     Over 13 ounces up to 70 pounds	$ 1.433 0.170 Priority Mail rate plus $0.34

Designing Business Reply Mail Pieces

The Postal Service's design requirements (placement, dimensions, barcodes, etc.) for Business Reply Mail pieces are extremely specific.  Therefore, we strongly recommend that you have Creative Services design and print your Business Reply Mail pieces or use our generic ACU Business Reply Mail envelopes (see below).

Generic ACU Business Reply Mail Envelopes

Do you want to use Business Reply Mail, but only need a few envelopes or don't have time to get envelopes printed?

We now offer a generic ACU Business Reply Mail envelope for your use.  These envelopes are a #9 White Wove envelope with the printing in ACU purple.  The #9 size will fit inside of a #10 envelope.  These envelopes qualify for the lower Qualified Business Reply Mail rates provided they do not weigh more than two ounces when returned to you.

So we will know where to route the envelopes when they are returned, we will print your department's name in ACU purple in the lower left-hand corner of the envelope.  The charge for the envelope and printing is 7¢ each.  You may order as few as five and as many as you need.  Use them when you only need one or two envelopes or 900 envelopes.  These are a great alternative to purchasing stamps and stamping return envelopes.

To order these envelopes, please contact Holly Perry at holly.a.perry@acu.edu or 674-2865 with the quantity of envelopes desired, your department name and your finance or account number.  Please allow one to two business days, depending on the quantity desired, for us to print the envelopes and send them to you.

Please let us know if you would like us to offer other sizes of Business Reply Mail envelopes such as 6" x 9" or 9" x 12" or self-adhesive labels to go on your own envelopes.

When to Use Business Reply Mail and When to Use Postage Stamps

The break point for when to use Business Reply Mail and when to use postage stamps on a return piece depends on the percentage of mail pieces you expect to be returned.  Based on the current charges, the break points are:

MAIL PIECE TYPE	RETURN RATE
Post Cards	56.8%
One Ounce Letters	67.4%

So, for example, if you were needing one ounce reply envelopes returned to you, if you expected a return rate of less than 67.4 percent, Business Reply Mail would be cheaper.  If you were expecting a return rate of 67.4 percent or greater, putting a 44¢ postage stamp on each return envelope would be cheaper.