Earth Class Mail securely stores physical mail items at its processing facilities. Mail items are stored free for 30 days, while parcels/packages are stored free for 10 days. After those grace periods, monthly storage fees begin accruing.
Storage fee costs
| Item Type | Free Storage Period | Storage Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Letter mail | 30 days | $1.50 per month after 30 days |
| Parcels/packages | 10 days | $15 per pound per month after 10 days |
How to identify items incurring storage fees
Items that have exceeded the free storage period display a Storage Fee icon in your mailbox. Customers can also filter all fee-incurring items by selecting the “Storage Fee” tag from the tags list in their account.
A Paper on Hand icon indicates the physical mail piece is still being stored at the facility and may either still be within the free storage window or already incurring storage fees.
How to prevent storage fees
To avoid ongoing storage charges, customers should either:
- Request that the item be shredded
- Request that the item be shipped to another location
Simply moving an item to the Archive or Trash does not remove the physical mail item from storage and does not stop storage fees from accruing. The physical item remains stored until it is shredded or shipped.
Shredding mail
The Shred option securely destroys the physical mail item while allowing customers to choose whether to retain or remove the digital scan.
When submitting a shred request:
- The item enters a pending shred status
- The request can be canceled during the waiting period
- Mail is typically shredded approximately 7 days after the request
- Once shredding is completed, the process cannot be reversed
Submitting a shred request also helps stop future storage charges from continuing to accumulate on the item.
Using automations and auto-shred rules
Earth Class Mail supports account automations that can help reduce or eliminate storage fees automatically. Customers can create rules to automatically shred incoming mail after it's scanned instead of storing them physically.
Using automated shred rules is one of the most effective ways to proactively avoid recurring storage charges for unwanted mail items.
Need Help?
Contact our Customer Care team:
- Email: support@earthclassmail.com
- Phone: (210) 802-5211
- Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM CST