Parcel Post
Parcel Post was the US Post Office package service, authorized by an act of August 24, 1912, and launched on January 1, 1913, that let Americans mail parcels heavier than the previous 4-pound limit to any address, including rural ones.
What happened and why it matters
Parcel Post made the national post office a package carrier, the step that turned mail-order retail into a mass market and laid the base for the USPS role in e-commerce today. Before 1913, the Post Office could not carry packages over 4 pounds, leaving private express companies to charge high rates. About 300 million parcels were mailed in the first six months, and mail-order houses such as Sears saw orders surge. Collect on delivery was added in July 1913. USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select, the services many brands use for lightweight orders, descend from this program.
People
Related events
Laws and regulations
Sources
- 100 Years of Parcels, Packages, and Packets: The Service in Use postalmuseum.si.edu
- Precious Packages: America's Parcel Post Service postalmuseum.si.edu