EDDM Retail vs. EDDM BMEU: when you outgrow the Post Office counter
USPS runs Every Door Direct Mail two ways. Retail needs no permit and caps you at 5,000 pieces a day per ZIP Code. BMEU lifts the cap and adds a permit. Here is when the switch is worth it.
Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) comes in two versions. EDDM Retail is the one most people use: you drop the mail at your local post office and pay at the counter. EDDM BMEU is built for large mailers and runs through a bulk mailing permit. If you are new to mail, start with Direct Mail 101 and what EDDM is, then come back here when your mailing gets big.
EDDM Retail: the counter version
Retail is set up so anyone can mail a neighborhood without paperwork beyond one form. The rules, from the Postal Service's own manual:
- No permit. You pay at the post office "by cash, check, debit card, or credit card", or with metered postage on each piece (DMM 144.1.1). You do need a free Customer Registration ID (DMM 144.1.2).
- 200 to 5,000 pieces per day per ZIP Code. Each mailing must be "200 or more pieces" up to "a maximum of 5000 pieces per day per 5-digit ZIP Code" (DMM 143.2.5).
- 3.3 ounces at most per piece (DMM 143.2.5), which covers every EDDM postcard size we print.
- One form. The postage statement is PS Form 3587, and the mail goes to the post office that delivers your routes.
The postage is 26¢ a piece, the USPS EDDM Retail rate, effective July 12, 2026 (USPS Notice 123).
EDDM BMEU: the permit version
BMEU stands for Business Mail Entry Unit, the acceptance desk at a large USPS mail processing center. USPS describes this version as "Best for large volume mailers" (USPS EDDM). What changes:
- No volume limit. USPS: "No volume limit on size of the mailing, multiple ZIP Codes can be selected."
- A bulk mailing permit. You apply on PS Form 3615 and pay postage from the permit account (USPS EDDM BMEU guide).
- A different drop. The mail goes "to the BMEU location where your permit is held", with postage statement PS Form 3602-R.
- Heavier pieces are possible. BMEU pays the regular Marketing Mail flat prices, and that price list runs past 4 ounces with a per-pound charge (Notice 123). Retail stops at 3.3 ounces.
The addressing doesn't change. Both versions are addressed to "Postal Customer", bundled 50 to 100 pieces, and bought by the whole carrier route.
What the permit costs
From USPS Notice 123, effective July 12, 2026:
- Permit imprint application: $390, one time.
- Annual Marketing Mail fee: $390 for each 12-month period.
Both were $370 in the July 2025 price list (archived Notice 123). So the first year of BMEU costs $780 in fees before a single piece mails.
The surprise: BMEU postage is barely lower
USPS advertises EDDM BMEU flats "as low as $0.259 per piece". That price is for mail entered at the delivery unit, the local post office. The same price list puts EDDM flats at $0.268 entered at the regional plant (DSCF) and $0.309 entered anywhere else (Notice 123).
Compare that with Retail at 26¢. The best BMEU price is one tenth of a cent below Retail, and the other entry points cost more than Retail.
That leaves three good reasons to use BMEU:
- Volume. You want more than 5,000 pieces in one ZIP Code on one day.
- Weight. Your piece is over 3.3 ounces.
- Nonprofit prices. An organization that qualifies for USPS nonprofit prices pays $0.137 for EDDM flats at the delivery unit.
A worked example: 10,000 pieces in one ZIP Code
Say you want 10,000 6.5" × 9" postcards to every home in a single ZIP Code. Print and mail prep with us is $2,090 either way (printing, bundling, mail prep, route slips and USPS drop-off).
- Retail: the cap is 5,000 per day per ZIP Code, so the mailing goes over two days, 5,000 each. Postage: 10,000 × 26¢ = $2,600. No permit fees.
- BMEU at the delivery unit: all 10,000 can go the same day. Postage: 10,000 × 25.9¢ = $2,590, plus $780 in first-year permit fees.
BMEU saves $10 on postage and costs $780 in fees. For this mailing, Retail spread over two days is the better deal. The math tips only when the one-day drop matters more than the fees, or when you mail at this volume all year.
If your 10,000 homes sit in two or more ZIP Codes with no more than 5,000 in any one, Retail can take them all on the same day.
What we do for you
Our EDDM price is full service. We print, bundle by route, fill in the paperwork and take the mail to the post office. When a mailing is larger than 5,000 pieces in one ZIP Code, we plan the drop days so no ZIP Code gets more than the daily cap. Our price table runs from 500 to 100,000 pieces, and the cost guide breaks down each line. For something larger, or a drop across many ZIP Codes that you want on a set schedule, contact us.
USPS doesn't guarantee a delivery date for Marketing Mail under either version, so we give a window, and the EDDM timeline guide shows how we count it.
Or let us do it
You can apply for a permit and run a BMEU mailing yourself. Most local mailers never need to. If you are mailing a whole city, send us your ZIP Codes and quantity and we'll plan the days and confirm the postage before anything prints.