Plain comparison
EDDM vs. bulk mail
Three ways to mail a neighborhood get confused constantly: EDDM Retail, EDDM BMEU, and traditional bulk (marketing) mail. Here's the plain-language difference — cost, volume, addressing, and the bundling rules — so you can pick the right one.
EDDM Retail
Mail every mailbox on chosen postal routes — no list, no permit. The simplest way in, and what most small businesses use.
- • No mailing permit required
- • Up to 5,000 pieces/day per ZIP
- • Lowest all-in cost per piece
- • No addresses or names
EDDM BMEU
The same every-door idea at higher volumes, through a Business Mail Entry Unit. Needs a permit and more paperwork.
- • Mailing permit required
- • No 5,000/day per-ZIP cap
- • For large, multi-route drops
- • More setup and rules
Bulk / marketing mail
Traditional addressed bulk mail: you bring a list, and each piece is individually addressed to a specific household.
- • Requires a mailing list
- • Individually addressed
- • Can target specific homes
- • Higher cost per piece
Side by side
| EDDM Retail | EDDM BMEU | Bulk mail | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailing list needed | No | No | Yes |
| Individually addressed | No — every door | No — every door | Yes — per home |
| Permit required | No | Yes | Yes |
| Volume limit | 5,000/day per ZIP | No per-ZIP cap | By permit |
| Cost per piece | Lowest | Low | Higher |
| Can target specific homes | No | No | Yes |
| Best for | Broad local awareness | Large saturation drops | Precise, list-based targeting |
What about EDDM bundling and drop-off?
EDDM Retail has specific mechanical rules that trip people up: pieces have to be bundled in stacks of 50 to 100, each bundle topped with a facing slip that lists the piece count, sorted by carrier route, and dropped at the specific post office that serves those routes — with the postage statement (PS Form 3587-B) completed and signed.
It's not hard, but it's fiddly, and getting a bundle count or a facing slip wrong means a rejected drop and a wasted trip.
Done-for-you, none of that touches you. We print to spec, bundle and tag every stack, sort by route, complete the paperwork, and handle the drop — you approve a design and a neighborhood, and the mail lands.
Which should you use?
Use EDDM Retail if you're a local business that wants to blanket a few neighborhoods affordably and you're mailing under 5,000 pieces per ZIP per day — which covers almost every small-business campaign. This is what we do.
Use EDDM BMEU only if you're running very large saturation drops beyond the retail per-ZIP limits and already have a permit and mailing operation.
Use bulk / targeted mail when only a small share of homes will ever need you — a high-ticket trade like roofing or HVAC — so paying to reach specific homes beats blanketing everyone. See EDDM vs. targeted direct mail.
Skip the postal rules entirely
We handle EDDM Retail end to end — spec, bundling, forms, and the drop. Pick a neighborhood, approve a design, see an all-in price.