[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 90 (Friday, May 9, 1997)] [Rules and Regulations] [Pages 25515-25517] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 97-12019] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- POSTAL SERVICE 39 CFR Part 20 Implementation of Global Package Link Service AGENCY: Postal Service. ACTION: Interim rules with request for comments. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: Global Package Link Service (formerly known as International Package Consignment Service) is an international mail service designed for companies sending merchandise to other countries. The People's Republic of China (the PRC) is now being added as an additional destination country. To use Global Package Link (GPL) Service, a customer is required to mail at least 10,000 packages a year to GPL destination countries and agree to link its information systems with the information systems of the Postal Service. This linkage is necessary so that the Postal Service can extract certain information about the contents of the customer's packages for customs clearance and other purposes. One level of service will be offered to customers for the PRC. Service will be available only to the cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. Interim regulations have been developed and are set forth below for comment and suggested revision prior to adoption in final form. DATES: The interim regulations take effect June 9, 1997. Comments must be received on or before June 9, 1997. ADDRESSES: Written comments should be mailed or delivered to the International Business Unit, Global Package Link Service, U. S. Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW Room 370 IBU, Washington, DC 20260-6500. Copies of all written comments will be available for public inspection and photocopying at the above address between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the address above. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Michelson at the above address, (202) 268-5731, or Marc B. Solnick at the above address, (202) 268- 3916. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Introduction In late 1994, with implementation of International Package Consignment Service, later renamed Global Package Link (GPL), to Japan (59 FR 65961 December 22, 1994), the Postal Service announced that, when feasible, it would expand the service to other destination countries based on customer requests. The Postal Service later expanded GPL by adding Canada, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Chile, and Germany as destination countries for qualifying customers. The Postal Service is hereby further expanding GPL by adding the People's Republic of China (the PRC) as a destination country for qualifying customers. II. GPL to the People's Republic of China A. Qualifying Criteria A customer wishing to use GPL to the PRC will be required to enter into a service agreement with the Postal Service providing for the following. First, the customer must commit to mail at least 10,000 GPL packages a year. (Volumes to all GPL countries are counted toward this minimum.) Second, the customer must designate the Postal Service as its carrier of choice to each country for which it uses GPL service. Third, the customer must agree to link its information systems with the information systems of the Postal Service so that the Postal Service and the customer can exchange data transmissions concerning the customer's packages. The Postal Service must be able to extract, on an as-needed basis, certain information about the packages by scanning the customer-provided barcode on each package. In general, the information that must be made available to the Postal Service includes: the order number; the package identification number; the buyer's name and address; the recipient's name and address; the total weight of the package; the total value of the package contents; the number of items in the package; and, for each item in the package, its SKU number, its value, and its country of origin. In practice, this requirement means that the customer will have to begin the necessary systems work by the time it begins using GPL and will have to assist the Postal Service in completing and maintaining the information systems linkages. The Postal Service will use the extracted information to prepare the necessary customs forms and package labels and [[Page 25516]] to provide user-friendly tracking and tracing. Arrangements between the Postal Service and the customer that are technical in nature may also appear in the GPL service agreement. For instance, the service agreement may describe the electronic data interface (EDI) or proprietary file format that will be used to transmit data between the customer and the Postal Service, as well as the frequency and schedule of transmissions. Similarly, the service agreement may describe the formats and frequencies for any exception and performance reports that the Postal Service will provide to the customer. B. Processing and Acceptance If the plant at which the customer's GPL packages originate is located within 500 miles of a GPL processing facility, the Postal Service will verify and accept the packages at the customer's plant and transport them to the GPL processing facility according to a schedule agreed upon by the Postal Service and the customer. If the plant at which the customer's GPL packages originate is located more than 500 miles from a GPL processing facility, the customer may choose one of two processing options: Option One: The customer will be required to present the packages to the Postal Service for verification at the customer's plant and transport them as a drop shipment to a GPL processing facility according to a schedule agreed upon by the Postal Service and the customer. Option Two: The customer will process the packages using Postal Service provided computer system workstations and sort and prepare the packages as required by the Postal Service. Then, the Postal Service will verify and accept the packages at the customer's plant according to a schedule agreed upon by the Postal Service and the customer, and will transport the packages to a designated GPL processing facility for dispatch. C. Customs Forms Normally, Postal Service computer workstations will automatically generate all necessary Chinese customs forms. Packages mailed to the PRC through a GPL facility will not be required to bear customs forms when they are tendered to the Postal Service. As part of the processing operation at the GPL processing facility, the Postal Service will scan the customer-printed barcode on each package, correlate the barcode with the package-specific information transmitted by the customer, and print the necessary customs/GPL labels. The Postal Service will then affix the labels to the customer's packages. If the customer is more than 500 miles from a designated GPL facility and chooses option two, then the customs/GPL labels will be affixed by the customer using Postal Service provided workstations. D. Customs Clearance The Postal Service has developed the Customs Pre-Advisory System (CPAS) as part of GPL processing. As the packages are processed, this electronic system collects the package-specific data necessary to satisfy customs requirements. CPAS uses the USPS computer workstations located at a GPL facility. The system electronically advises both the USPS delivery agent and the customs agency of the contents of each package mailed. Since this advisory information arrives before the mail, CPAS facilitates and simplifies customs clearance. Electronic pre-notification of the package contents and automatic preparation of required customs declarations assures the fastest clearance through Chinese customs and reduces costs for the customer and the Postal Service. To use CPAS, recipients of merchandise must designate the Postal Service and its customs broker as their agents for customs clearance. The USPS delivery agent in the PRC will collect customs fees and any other taxes from the recipient of the shipment. E. Delivery Options The only delivery option the Postal Service offers to the PRC is Premium Service. To provide consistent service, the USPS offers GPL only to the cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. The Premium Service option includes home delivery. The weight limit for packages is 70 pounds. The sum of the length and the greatest circumference measured in a direction other than the length shall not exceed 118 inches. The maximum size for any one dimension is 59 inches. The Premium Service provides tracking. The Postal Service will transport GPL packages from the customer's plant, or from the designated GPL processing facility, to the PRC, where the packages will receive expeditious customs clearance and be released to the delivery agent. Once the delivery agent receives the packages, they will be delivered in from one to two days. Normal delivery times will be 4 to 5 business days from dispatch from the U. S. to final delivery. Insurance up to $500 is included at no additional cost. The Postal Service intends to expand this service to other areas in the PRC outside the cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. This will proceed as the delivery agent expands its ability to provide an expedited, secure delivery service with tracking for individual packages. The Postal Service requests comments from customers regarding the destination areas needed in the PRC. F. Rates The base rates for GPL service to the PRC are set forth below. The Postal Service will charge the base rates, in one pound increments, for all packages mailed to the PRC. Global Package Link to the People's Republic of China Rate Chart * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rate (all Weight not to exceed (pounds) volumes) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1....................................................... 12.75 2....................................................... 15.50 3....................................................... 18.30 4....................................................... 21.10 5....................................................... 26.85 6....................................................... 29.65 7....................................................... 32.45 8....................................................... 35.20 9....................................................... 38.00 10...................................................... 40.80 11...................................................... 43.60 12...................................................... 46.40 13...................................................... 49.20 14...................................................... 51.95 15...................................................... 54.75 16...................................................... 57.55 17...................................................... 60.35 18...................................................... 63.15 19...................................................... 65.95 20...................................................... 68.70 21...................................................... 71.50 22...................................................... 74.30 23...................................................... 77.10 24...................................................... 79.90 25...................................................... 82.70 26...................................................... 85.45 27...................................................... 88.25 28...................................................... 91.05 29...................................................... 93.85 30...................................................... 96.65 31...................................................... 99.45 32...................................................... 102.20 33...................................................... 105.00 34...................................................... 107.80 35...................................................... 110.60 36...................................................... 113.40 37...................................................... 116.20 38...................................................... 118.95 39...................................................... 121.75 40...................................................... 124.55 41...................................................... 127.35 42...................................................... 130.15 43...................................................... 132.95 44...................................................... 135.70 45...................................................... 138.50 46...................................................... 141.30 47...................................................... 144.10 48...................................................... 146.90 49...................................................... 149.70 50...................................................... 152.45 51...................................................... 155.25 52...................................................... 158.05 53...................................................... 160.85 [[Page 25517]] 54...................................................... 163.65 55...................................................... 166.45 56...................................................... 169.25 57...................................................... 172.00 58...................................................... 174.80 59...................................................... 177.60 60...................................................... 180.40 61...................................................... 183.20 62...................................................... 186.00 63...................................................... 188.75 64...................................................... 191.55 65...................................................... 194.35 66...................................................... 197.15 67...................................................... 199.95 68...................................................... 202.75 69...................................................... 205.50 70...................................................... 208.30 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Service to the People's Republic of China is limited to the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. III. Conclusion Accordingly, the Postal Service hereby adopts GPL service to the PRC, on an interim basis, at the rates set forth in the schedules above. Although 39 U.S.C. 407 does not require advance notice and opportunity for submission of comments, and the Postal Service is exempted by 39 U.S.C. 410(a) from the advance notice requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act regarding proposed rule making (5 U.S.C. 553), the Postal Service invites interested persons to submit written data, views, or arguments concerning this interim rule. The Postal Service adopts the following amendments to the International Mail Manual, which is incorporated by reference in the Code of Federal Regulations. See 39 CFR 20.1. List of Subjects in 39 CFR Part 20 International postal service, Foreign relations. PART 20--[AMENDED] 1. The authority citation for 39 CFR part 20 continues to read as follows: Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552(a); 39 U.S.C. 401, 404, 407, 408. 2. Effective June 9, 1997, subchapter 620 of the International Mail Manual Issue 17 is amended as follows: 6 Special Programs * * * * * 620 Global Package Link * * * * * 621.3 Availability. Global Package Link service is available only to Brazil, Canada, Chile, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the People's Republic of China. Service to the People's Republic of China is limited to the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. * * * * * 623.3 Size and Weight Limits. The weight limits for Global Package Link service are 70 pounds for Chile, Germany, and the People's Republic of China; 66 pounds for Brazil, Canada, and the United Kingdom; and 44 pounds for Japan for Premium service and 6 pounds for Standard service. The maximum length of GPL packages is 60 inches and the maximum length and girth combined is 108 inches with the following exceptions: maximum size for Germany is length 47 inches, height 23 inches, width 23 inches; maximum size for the People's Republic of China for any one dimension is 59 inches; the sum of the length and the greatest circumference measured in a direction other than the length shall not exceed 118 inches; Japan Standard packages weighing less than 1 pound, the maximum length is 24 inches with a height and depth and length combined maximum of 36 inches. All packages must be large enough to accommodate the necessary labels and customs forms on the address side. * * * * * 626.432 Japan and the People's Republic of China. In Japan and the People's Republic of China, any customs duties and fees will be collected from the recipient at the time of delivery. * * * * * Amend the Individual Country Listing for China by adding the following information about Global Package Link to the end of the listing: China, People's Republic of Country Page Global Package Link Rate Chart* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rate (all Weight not to exceed (pounds) volumes) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1....................................................... 12.75 2....................................................... 15.50 3....................................................... 18.30 4....................................................... 21.10 5....................................................... 26.85 6....................................................... 29.65 7....................................................... 32.45 8....................................................... 35.20 9....................................................... 38.00 10...................................................... 40.80 11...................................................... 43.60 12...................................................... 46.40 13...................................................... 49.20 14...................................................... 51.95 15...................................................... 54.75 16...................................................... 57.55 17...................................................... 60.35 18...................................................... 63.15 19...................................................... 65.95 20...................................................... 68.70 21...................................................... 71.50 22...................................................... 74.30 23...................................................... 77.10 24...................................................... 79.90 25...................................................... 82.70 26...................................................... 85.45 27...................................................... 88.25 28...................................................... 91.05 29...................................................... 93.85 30...................................................... 96.65 31...................................................... 99.45 32...................................................... 102.20 33...................................................... 105.00 34...................................................... 107.80 35...................................................... 110.60 36...................................................... 113.40 37...................................................... 116.20 38...................................................... 118.95 39...................................................... 121.75 40...................................................... 124.55 41...................................................... 127.35 42...................................................... 130.15 43...................................................... 132.95 44...................................................... 135.70 45...................................................... 138.50 46...................................................... 141.30 47...................................................... 144.10 48...................................................... 146.90 49...................................................... 149.70 50...................................................... 152.45 51...................................................... 155.25 52...................................................... 158.05 53...................................................... 160.85 54...................................................... 163.65 55...................................................... 166.45 56...................................................... 169.25 57...................................................... 172.00 58...................................................... 174.80 59...................................................... 177.60 60...................................................... 180.40 61...................................................... 183.20 62...................................................... 186.00 63...................................................... 188.75 64...................................................... 191.55 65...................................................... 194.35 66...................................................... 197.15 67...................................................... 199.95 68...................................................... 202.75 69...................................................... 205.50 70...................................................... 208.30 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Service to the People's Republic of China is limited to the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Stanley F. Mires, Chief Counsel, Legislative. [FR Doc. 97-12019 Filed 5-8-97; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7710-12-P