Text 1.1. Post in Britain, Australia and the usa

Whether you want to pay bills, perform personal banking, purchase a money order, rent a PO Box, or buy stamps or stationery, British, Australian and American postal outlets can meet your service need.

Post Office is the most trusted access point for everyday products, services and information in travel, banking, postal services, bill payments, government information and the secure transportation of cash. Notwithstanding the introduction of e-mail and other electronic messaging, and the continuing use of faxes, the volume of mail delivered each day is some 82 million items in the UK alone and continues to grow. At the Post Office one can buy stamps, postcards, note-paper, envelopes and stamped envelopes, and also obtain postal orders and different forms free of charge. For the customer’s convenience, prepaid envelopes or peel-and-stick stamps can be pre-purchased from postal outlets. Now there’s no need to moisten stamps to make them sticky. Peel-and-stick stamps are ready to attach to your envelope or parcel. Prepaid envelopes are the convenient, cost-effective way to post letters. There’s no need to worry about stamps, you just address the envelope and drop it in a post box.

To ensure that your mail reaches its destination quickly, there has been developed a series of correct addressing guidelines. Modern Post uses advanced letter sorting technology to read the address on each envelope electronically. These machines work best when address formats are structured in a consistent manner. That’s why it is necessary to address your mail clearly and correctly. The information below demonstrates how.

Envelope Layout

It is important that the zones on the envelope, indicated below, are observed at all times.

General Addressing Tips

• Use the correct postcode – don’t guess it if you don’t know it. The postcode should be the last item in the address.

• Use clear print – Print clearly using dark ink, preferably black on white. Red, yellow or orange inks should be avoided.

• Keep the address straight – the address lines should be parallel to the bottom of the envelope

• Don’t indent or stagger address lines – each line of the address should start at the same point on the left hand side

• Space words correctly – leave one or two character spaces between the place name or post office of delivery and the State or Territory abbreviation, and the same amount of space between the State or Territory abbreviation and the postcode.

• Don’t underline anything – no words in the address should be underlined

• Include a return address – place the sender’s address in the top left corner or on the back flap of the envelope. This ensures we can return the letter if it can’t be delivered.

The customer can withdraw mail that has been sent before it is delivered or can arrange for the mail to be held or redirected to another address. A Change of Address Request can be lodged at any postal outlet.

Registered Post

To ensure safe delivery, you may send letters registered. The benefits of Registered Post are:

• A unique identification number for every article

• Proof of posting, when lodged at the Post Office counter

• A signature obtained on delivery

• Insurance cover of up to $ 100 is included.

You can obtain and fill in a delivery confirmation card and send it with your Registered Post article. This card is signed by the recipient, then postmarked and returned by post to you, giving you proof and peace of mind that your article was delivered. The domestic person-to-person delivery confirmation provides a label denoting person-to-person delivery which is attached to the Registered Post article. This must be specifically signed for by the person named in the address. There are some exceptions where the addressee is a minor or where the addressee will have provided for a nominated person to sign on their behalf. Registered Post International is an added security service for letters and documents up to 500g to almost any address in the world. When sending documentation you must complete the declaration on the envelope. No other documentation is required. Also remember that no item requiring a customs declaration may be included. Senders may lodge Registered Post International envelopes at any Post Office. If no proof of posting is required, you can post it in any street posting box.