The rule of thumb: timely shipments

Nation's Business, June, 1997 by Stephen Blakely

We recently started a mail-order business offering inexpensive genera]. merchandise. While we were setting up the business, we heard about a new mail-order rule issued by the Federal Trade Commission. What are the general rules for a mall-order business? And where can we obtain copies of the regulations?

T.O., Dumont, N.J.

The Mail or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule was adopted by the FTC in 1974 and is updated periodically, most recently in cooperation with the New York City-based Direct Marketing Association (212-768-7277). In general, the rule requires direct-marketing firms to ship an order within 30 days or to get the customer's consent for delayed shipment; violations are punishable by fines of up to $10,000.

The FTC publishes a free business guide to the rule. You can order a paper copy from the FTC's public reference office at (202) 326-2222 (ask for the mail-order rule), or you can view the guide on the FTC's Internet site: www.ftc.gov.

The FTC enforces a variety of federal consumer-protection laws, but the agency that direct mailers deal with most often is the U.S. Postal Service. Its Domestic Mail Manual, a 3-inch-thick tome of rules and regulations, is an essential investment for any mail-order business.

A hard copy costs $41 from the Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop SSOM, Washington, D.C. 20402. The manual is also available on computer disc for $55 from Window Book Inc. of Cambridge, Mass., 1-800-370-2410) or for $49 from Global Village Publishing in Alexandria, Va., (1-800-394-4874).

To provide better service to small and medium-sized businesses that are commercial mailers, the Postal Service has set up postal business centers in most major metropolitan areas. The centers offer free information on how to prepare mailings that qualify for the lowest rate (bar codes and address placement are important details), and they provide free classes on mail preparation and even on-site mail-room training.

The centers also can match your computerized mailing list with the Postal Services standardized mailing list to weed out incorrect or nonexistent addresses. To find the center nearest you, contact the Postal Services National Call Center (1-800-222-1811) or look in the business section of the agency's Internet site: www.usps.gov.