Post Office Procedures

  • Published
  • By Col. Jay Silveria
  • 48th Fighter Wing commander
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  

COMPLAINT

For the past few months my wife and I have been confronted by postal clerks alleging that my wife is distributing products from her MPS box to her customers.

Yesterday, I went to the post office and received a package from her company. In the box were products that she had ordered for our house. The post office informed me that they sent back the package, on the assumption that my wife is selling these products directly to her customers. My wife receives her catalog change-over products ( which she uses as demos for her shows.) Also she buys replacement catalogs and receipts for her business (which she does not sell to her customers.) She has been successfully running her business for the first 18 months of our tour and it has only been in the last few months that this has been a problem. When asked about the change, I was told by a MSgt. at the post office that she is "interpreting the AFI the way she sees fit."

I have looked into the DOD Postal Reg. DoD 4525.6-M and it states nothing about receiving items that are bought from the company and used primarily for demonstration purposes only. I would like clarification on this subject as my wife is not the only person on the installation that has a home based business. Also, we have not had this problem at any other base before and other home-based business sales people have not had this problem before. Below is the excerpt from the regulation in question.

AP1.3.22.5 Individuals or organizations, whether otherwise entitled to such service or not, for business or commercial purposes.

RESPONSE

Thank you for your inquiry. Numerous members of our Liberty Wing family have small businesses, and questions similar to yours arise frequently. The Military Postal System (MPS) is provided as a service to members stationed overseas to enhance quality of life by providing the same mailing rates as in the United States. The MPS is an extension of the US Postal System, and international shipping costs are incurred by the US government on every package that is shipped. 

Because of the monetary and manpower costs involved with supporting potentially hundreds of small businesses, regulations state mail receptacles are not to be used for business purposes. DoD 4525.6 AP1.3.22 classifies the use of the MPS for business or commercial purposes as unauthorized. More specifically, the associated USAFE supplement addresses your situation: "C3.2.11.6.1. Individuals may not use the Military Postal Service (MPS) to send or receive parcels or correspondence for business or commercial purposes. In cases where individuals do not receive any merchandise or an inventory related to their business through the MPS, the use of the APO box to receive merchandise samples, supplies, and business documents is still prohibited." 

While your wife may not be selling the demos she receives, they are still being used to support her business as are her catalogs, customer order forms, and receipts. Because the MPS cannot be used under any circumstances to conduct private business, your wife is not authorized to have these items shipped to you via MPS. With this said, it is still well within her bounds to have her business items shipped to your Royal Mail address.