Glossary¶

address validation: The verification and correction of postal addresses to help ensure parcels are rated accurately and delivered on time. See Validate an Address.
APO: Army Post Office. See also DPO and FPO. For APO cutoff times, see the Cutoff Times FAQ. For customs requirements, see the Domestic Customs Form FAQ.
APV: Automated Package Verification. APV is a USPS^® program that verifies that postage is accurate and applies adjustments if necessary. See USPS Automated Package Verification.
auto refill: Automatic replenishment of a postage account by a pre-defined amount whenever the balance falls below a pre-defined threshold. See When does auto refill trigger?
CBDS: Cross-Border Delivery Service. See Pitney Bowes Cross-Border Delivery Service (CBDS).
cubic pricing: Rates based on parcel size and shipping distance instead of on parcel weight. See What is USPS cubic pricing?
delivery line: The portion of the address that includes any of the following: street name, street number, apartment number, PO BOX, secondary address, urbanization name. This is also called the delivery address line.
delivery point: A 2-digit number used by USPS in combination with the 9-digit ZIP code to identify a deliverable address. You can find more information on delivery points at the Wikipedia Delivery Point page.
developer: Owner of an account that give access to the PB Shipping APIs. See Developer Account.
dimensional (DIM) weight pricing: Applies to parcels that are large and relatively light for their sizes. Rates are based on volume and a volumetric divisor. See What is USPS dimensional weight pricing?
DPO: Diplomatic Post Office. See also APO and FPO. For DPO cutoff times, see the Cutoff Times FAQ. For customs requirements, see the Domestic Customs Form FAQ.
FPO: Fleet Post Office. See also APO and DPO. For FPO cutoff times, see the Cutoff Times FAQ. For customs requirements, see the Domestic Customs Form FAQ.
Harmonized System code: A tariff-classification number for a commodity based on the six-digit Harmonized System (HS). Most countries use the six-digit HS codes as the basis for their tariff classifications and add additional digits for more detail. To retrieve a predicted HS code, use the Predict HS Code API.
HS Code: See Harmonized System code.
IMb: Intelligent Mail barcode. A barcode used by USPS to sort and track letters and flats. See What is an IMb?
IMpb: Intelligent Mail package barcode. A barcode used by USPS to track a parcel. See What is an IMpb?
Importation costs: For a CBDS Shipment, the duties and taxes charged at a destination country’s border. Importation costs might also include a disbursement fee. See How does CBDS issue invoices?.
induction postal code: The postal code where a shipment or shipments are tendered to a carrier. This can be different from the Sender’s address.
last line: The city, state, and postal code portion of an address.
manifest: An end-of-day document that combines all the days shipments on a single form or electronic record, depending on the carrier. See Create a Manifest.
merchant: A shipper within the Pitney Bowes system. When you print a label through the PB Shipping APIs, you do so on behalf of a merchant. See Merchant Accounts.
military addresses: See APO, DPO, and FPO.
OAuth: A standard for token-based authentication and authorization. The PB Shipping APIs use OAuth to identify and authenticate the developer account making an API request. See Generate an OAuth Token.
QR code: A two-dimensional barcode used to print a shipping label. See QR Code.
refill: Adding funds to a PB Postage Account through either the Refill API or the Merchant Portal. See How do I fill my PB Postage Account with funds?
soft pack: A flexible package that adheres and conforms to the item being packaged. See How are rates calculated for USPS soft packs?
transportation cost: For a CBDS Shipment, the international shipping charges and any accessorial charges. See How does CBDS issue invoices?.