Overview

 

Prerequisites

 

 

Mailer Configuration Settings

 

1. Printers - Make sure report printer is selected.  Currently the Customs Form Printer is just for Laser Substrates forms that are still used with APO/FPO shipments.  In late April, we will discontinue support for the Laser Substrates forms and the Customs form Printer setting will be used for the laser forms that are printed on plain paper..

 

2. Manifesting - Make sure ‘Use Express Mail Manifesting’ checked and that the starting and ending sequence numbers and prefix assigned by the USPS are populated.  The ‘International Button’ that appears under Express Mail Manifesting area will allow the user to set their ICM discount.  This discount is adjusted 90 days.  

 

3. Communications/E-Mail - Press the Customs Form Settings checkbox  and make sure Test Mode checkbox is checked while testing but unchecked when customer goes live.  Also the port for the communications is defined here.  Port 80 is normal.  Some systems use 8080.  It is the same port used by the web browser.  Note for tech support:  ALT-F9 reveals some hidden fields on this screen that can be used for troubleshooting.

 

4. ICM Discount - Do not use this feature right now.  It will soon be used to allow you to run reports showing your adjusted postage after discounts have been applied.  Your ICM discount is applied against the full price of the shipment as documented on the manifest automatically when funds are drawn from the corporate account.

 

NOTE:  At this time we recommend that companies who use Global Express do not have the DAZZLE interface enabled.  This will allow all International rates to display on the International Rate Selector.  Only Global Express is supported at this time.  When our DAZZLE interface is complete for International, our Global Express Manifesting will handle the Global Express packages and DAZZLE will do all others.  If the customer must use DAZZLE and Global Express Manifesting before the DAZZLE interface is complete, they must be warned not to select anything other than Global Express from the Rate Selector.

 

Using PPP to Send International Packages:

1. When creating a package, select the ‘International’ address type at the top of the entry screen or select an International address from your address book.

2. Enter the address where package is going.  Make sure to select a destination country from the pulldown list.  If using ODBC connect, the country name in the customer’s database must match our country name exactly.  We can provide a CSV file of valid country info for the customer’s application.  If they don’t use it, it is unlikely that ODBC connect will be able to get usable country info and the user will have to select the country from our pulldown list..

4. Select the correct Proc. Category and enter or weight the package before pushing the Select Rate button!!!!  The Select Rate button is really out of place on the screen when doing International mailings but we really can’t move it.  This is a simple training issue.

5. Press the Select Rate Button.  You will see the rate for this package. We strongly recommend that the user also look at the info in the Prohibitions and Exclusions tabs of this screen before pressing the Select Button (would be nice to have a report you could print with this info on it at this point).

6. Fill in any of the optional fields in the upper right of the screen (Package ID, Private Insurance, Description, Dept, etc.)

7. Press the Customs Info button.  Currently we are only supporting the 2976A long form (pre-March 1, 2004 version). We could add the 2976 short form at any time but there are printing complications plus many restrictions when using this form.  You can always use the long form.

 

 

8.  Select the content type (Sample, Documents, Gift, Merchandise).  Select the Non-delivery option (Return, Redirect, Abandon).  If you choose Redirect, you must press the Select Alternative Return Address and select the return address in our RTA file that you wish the product to be returned to if undeliverable.  When the Customs form prints you will see spaces for insurance but USPS insurance on International mailings is only available on Parcel Post.

9. Enter the Harmonization Code from the pulldown.  

 

Insert Harmonization Code Screen Shot.

 

There are more than 11,000 codes to choose from.  The easiest way to find one is to press to press the Search button, enter a single keyword in the screen that pops up and press the Search button on that screen.  You will get a list of all harmonization codes that contain that keyword.  Pick the one that best fits the description of what you are selling.  You can also select a category and view all items for a specific category.  Be careful to check the Prohibitions and Exclusions to make sure the product you are shipping is not prohibited in the country you are shipping to.  This harmonization code acts as a default for the line items.

Note:  The barcode number used on the customs form is not assigned until the form is first printed.

10. Fill in up to three line items.  That is the maximum number of items supported by the USPS Customs form API.  If you are shipping more than three items, you will need to fill out form 2976A manually.  

A. Enter the description of the item followed by the quantity, the value in US FUNDS per item… Then fill in the weight of the item in pounds and ounces.  The weight of all items in the package can not exceed the weight of the package but can be less.

B. Enter the country of origin for the item.  If the item you are shipping was made in Japan, than the country of origin is Japan, not the USA where you shipped it from.  If the Origin is USA, just check the USA checkbox.  If the country of Origin is not the USA, press the lookup button to select the country.

C. Repeat A & B for the two additional line items if necessary.

D. Click on OK to return to the Shipping Screen then press Print and Save.

11.  The shipping label will now print and look like this: (see next page)

 

 

 

12. The user will next be able to print the 2976-A customs form. This will print on the report printer on 3 pages.  The first two pages must be cut in half and all four parts signed and dated by the shipper.  The form must then be placed in a 2976-E envelope which is affixed to the package and envelope.  If this is a commercial shipment, a copy of the commercial invoice must also be place in the envelope along with the customs form.

If the user prints a high volume of forms, they may not like signing all copies.  The customer could use Appleton Zero Form carbonless paper which will allow them to sign just the top copy after the form has been correlated.  

 

A sample of what the pre-March 1, 2004 looks like follows on the next page:

 

 

 

The March 1, 2004 2976-A is currently not supported by the USPS API.  We are expecting this to take place in late April.  Many new data items have been added to the 2976-A and it is now a full inch longer than it was before.  This will require users to print on 5 sheets of paper and cut four of them. This makes Appleton Zero Form paper almost too expensive for most customers to use (about 5 cents per page).  At this time, we may be looking at a way of printing digitized signatures right on the form but there is the question of dating these forms.  The IPU may want them hand dated which pretty much rules out the use of a facsimile signature.  We are looking into this.  It would also be a good idea to offer plain paper pre-perforated at 6.5” so that users will not need to cut these forms with a scissors or paper cutter.  We should look into whether it is economically feasible to offer such paper to our customers.