Misplaced Pages

#707292

42-538: A post office box (commonly abbreviated as P.O. box , or also known as a postal box ) is a uniquely addressable lockable box located on the premises of a post office . In some regions, particularly in Africa, there is no door-to-door delivery of mail; for example, in Kenya . Consequently, renting a PO box has traditionally been the only way to receive mail in such countries. Generally, post office boxes are rented from

84-535: A PO Box until the box is closed, and then only to one address for all subscribers. As part of the agreement to rent a PO Box, if the PO Box is used for business, the Post Office will provide, upon request, the geographical (street) address of the business. Until 2012, only items mailed or shipped via USPS could be received at a USPS PO Box. However, a service called Street Addressing has begun to change this. Once

126-489: A code to a door keypad . In addition, some post offices are located in rented facilities such as shopping malls. As a result, PO boxes can only be accessed while that facility is open. If a parcel does not fit in a PO box, the postmaster will leave a note advising that customer to pick up that parcel from the counter. In some post offices, a key will be left in the PO box that corresponds to a larger, locked box (parcel locker) where

168-511: A delay. If an item is shipped using Street Addressing in which the box holder did not properly sign up for, it will be returned to sender. Street Addressing will have the same street address of the post office, plus a "unit number" that matches the P.O. Box number. As an example, in El Centro, California , the post office is located at 1598 Main Street. Therefore, for P.O. Box 9975 (fictitious),

210-419: A fee). Other restrictions also exist, including the same limitations on items that cannot otherwise be mailed by ground service though USPS. (Not to be confused with items that cannot be shipped by air.) In many cases, the package may require one additional business day for delivery, and the service was never intended for overnight delivery. Also, federal holidays not observed by the private shipper might cause

252-469: A given location. In Australia , wall-mounted PO boxes come in five sizes: small, medium, large, jumbo and A4. The different sizes boxes can be mixed almost completely arbitrarily on the wall. There is also an option for locked private bag which comes in two different sizes as well: small and large. PO boxes and private locked bags can be combined. In New Zealand , customers have the option to select between two sizes of PO Boxes: small and large. There

294-643: A permission form is completed by the box holder, Street Addressing allows private shippers, such as United Parcel Service (UPS) or FedEx , to ship items to a modification of the actual street address of the Post Office where the PO Box is located. The Post Office accepts the item, and places it in the PO Box or, for larger items, handles them the same way they would a package sent via USPS. (Some have storage lockers .) Only certain Post Offices offer Street Addressing, and even for ones that do, it may not be available to all of its PO Box customers (e.g., boxes without

336-423: A pilot program with a computerized parcel locker kiosk system, called "gopost" which installed larger boxes to handle package pickup from an unstaffed station. A given box can be used by multiple customers thanks to the integration of a computer which accepts a delivery code. Until 2012, package delivery to USPS post office boxes was not available from private carriers like UPS , FedEx and others. In early 2012,

378-521: A post office. In urban areas with PO Boxes for rent there also may be home delivery of mail. In rural areas Post Boxes are often compulsory as no street deliveries take place. In the areas for which there is no street delivery, Post Boxes are not charged for. Boxes and Street delivery postal codes may be the same in an area, or may differ. Private Bags are available for recipients of large mail volumes. In Hong Kong, PO boxes are available in two different sizes. They are available in many post offices throughout

420-483: A wall of the post office, either an external wall or a wall in a lobby, so that staff on the inside may deposit mail in a box, while a key holder (some older post office boxes use a combination dial instead of a key) in the lobby or on the outside of the building may open their box to retrieve the mail. In many post offices in the United States, the PO box lobby is separate from the window-service lobby, so that

462-467: Is a term for a special form of postal delivery in some countries, usually a government department or large private company, which receive large volumes of mail. Private mail bag addresses are often used in countries in Africa where there may be no street delivery service. Like PO Box addresses, private mail bag addresses omit the name of the building and street, and include only the number allocated to

SECTION 10

#1732784040708

504-506: Is also an option to hire a Private Bag similar to " locked bags " in other countries. The annual fee is paid annually in advance. Post office Before the advent of postal codes and the post office, postal systems would route items to a specific post office for receipt or delivery. During the 19th century in the United States , this often led to smaller communities being renamed after their post offices, particularly after

546-402: Is identified by its PIN. Post offices coming under Department of Posts, Ministry of Communication, Government of India have a history of one hundred fifty years. Private courier and delivery services often have offices as well, although these are usually not called "post offices", except in the case of Germany , which has fully privatised its national postal system . As abbreviation PO

588-464: Is instead known as a sorting office or delivery office, which may have a large central area known as a sorting or postal hall. Integrated facilities combining mail processing with railway stations or airports are known as mail exchanges. In India , post offices are found in almost every village having panchayat (a "village council"), towns, cities, and throughout the geographical area of India. India's postal system changed its name to India Post after

630-461: Is only available at post office with valid ID, seal for receiving registered mail, and key fee (usually around 10,000 won). Seoul CPO box room is the only PO box in Korea with fully automated mail retrieving system. In Austria, PO Boxes come in one size, and four different versions Only mail from Austrian Post can be delivered to an Austrian Post PO Box, but there are also private companies offering

672-401: Is similar to New Zealand In South Africa, the private bag number may also contain letters. In Australia, there are also locked bag addresses: In Singapore, the term locked bag service is used: These are similar to a private mail bag, but the holder must collect the mail at the post office, like a PO box. In the United States, this service is called caller service . However, mail to

714-433: Is used, together with GPO for General Post Office and LPO for Licensed Post Office. There is evidence of corps of royal couriers disseminating the decrees of Egyptian pharaohs as early as 2400   BCE, and it is possible that the service greatly precedes that date. Similarly, there may be ancient organised systems of post houses providing mounted courier service, although sources vary as to precisely who initiated

756-552: The Holy Roman Empire . The British Postal Museum claims that the oldest functioning post office in the world is on High Street in Sanquhar , Scotland . The post office has functioned continuously since 1712, during which horses and stagecoaches were used to carry mail. Rural parts of Canada in the 19th century utilised the way office system. Villagers could leave their letters at the way office which were then taken to

798-573: The Pack-Station for package delivery , including both drop-off and pickup, in 2001. In the 2000s, the United States Postal Service began to install Automated Postal Centers (APCs) in many locations in both post offices, for when they are closed or busy, and retail locations. APCs can print postage and accept mail and small packages. Private Mail Bag A private mail bag (PMB) , locked bag or caller service

840-751: The Post Office Department began to require that post office names not be duplicated within a state . The term "post-office" has been in use since the 1650s, shortly after the legalisation of private mail services in England in 1635. In early modern England, post riders — mounted couriers —were placed, or "posted", every few hours along post roads at posting houses (also known as post houses) between major cities, or " post towns ". These stables or inns permitted important correspondence to travel without delay. In early America, post offices were also known as stations. This term, as well as

882-472: The United States Postal Service (USPS). They are usually arranged from the smallest boxes at the top to the largest boxes at the bottom. The two largest sizes may be configured as drawers. To rent a PO Box, two different forms of identification are required. At least one of them must be a valid photo ID. This also applies to others who wish to share the box with the original subscriber's permission, and are of legal age. The post office will not forward mail from

SECTION 20

#1732784040708

924-477: The post office either by individuals or by businesses on a basis ranging from monthly to annual, and the cost of rent varies depending on the box size. Central business district (CBD) PO boxes are usually more expensive than rural PO boxes. In the United States, the rental rate used to be uniform across the country. Now, however, a postal facility can be in any of seven fee groups by location; in addition, certain customers qualify for free box rental, usually because

966-477: The 2000 A.D., post offices would collect fees for radio licenses, recruitment for government jobs, and the operation of public call telephone (PCO) booths. Postmen would deliver letters, money orders, and parcels to places that are within the assigned area of a particular post office. Each Indian post office is assigned a unique six-digit code called the Postal Index Number , or PIN. Each post office

1008-581: The Postal Service does not offer carrier-route delivery to their physical addresses. In the United Kingdom, Royal Mail PO boxes are often little more than pigeon-holes in the secure section of a sorting office and are accessible only by staff. In such cases, the renter of the PO box will be issued with a card showing the PO box number and delivery office name and must produce this to the desk staff when collecting mail. For an additional fee,

1050-616: The Royal Mail will deliver received items to the renter's geographical address. Some private companies (e.g., United Parcel Service and commercial mail receiving agencies ) offer similar services of renting a mailbox in a public location. The difference is that mail sent there is addressed to a street address (along with the private box number), instead of just addressed to "PO Box CSX". Virtual mailboxes are similar to P.O. boxes but usually provide additional services such as scanning or forwarding. Post office boxes are usually mounted in

1092-587: The Street Addressing would be: 1598 Main Street Unit 9975, El Centro, CA. Nationally, the first five digits of the ZIP Code may or may not be the same as the P.O. Box address, and the last four digits (Zip + 4) are virtually always different. Except for a few of the largest post offices in the U.S., the 'Street Addressing' (not the P.O. Box address) nine digit Zip + 4 is the same for all boxes at

1134-549: The USPS introduced a P.O. Box Street Address (PBSA) service that allows box-holders to combine the street address of the post office where their box is located with their post office box number into a street address format. A mailing industry publication called the new service "a great service for people who already have a PO Box and don't want their packages delivered to their home." Users receiving very large quantities of mail can use " locked bags ", which are numbered like PO boxes. In

1176-446: The United Kingdom, anyone applying for a Royal Mail PO box must produce documentation to verify their home or business address. Post can be forwarded to the real address or collected by the addressee. In Canada and the United States, Postal Boxes are available in five different sizes (A, B, C, D, and E). They are generally available in all post offices throughout the country. In the United States, PO Boxes are generally available through

1218-428: The United States, this service is called caller service, and the assigned number is called a caller number, although mail is typically addressed to "PO Box (caller number)." Each country has its own rules and regulations as to how one can retrieve mail at a PO Box. Some countries, such as the United States or the United Kingdom, may require one or more forms of identification. Not all countries offer locked PO Boxes. In

1260-576: The United States, two forms of identification are required when signing up for a PO Box; one of which must be a photo ID. Many countries offer some type of PO Boxes for different uses. There are an increasing number of private companies that provide similar PO Box services to the official postal service privately under the guise of mail forwarding . Cameroon uses the PO Boxes in Kumba, Yaoundé, Duoala, Bamenda, and other provinces. In Namibia, PO boxes are

1302-580: The advent of private courier companies in the 1990s. It is run by the Indian government's Department of Posts. India Post accepts and delivers inland letters, postcards, parcels, postal stamps, and money orders (money transfers). Few post offices in India offer speed post (fast delivery) and payments or bank savings services. It is also uncommon for Indian post offices to sell insurance policies or accept payment for electricity, landline telephone, or gas bills. Until

Post office box - Misplaced Pages Continue

1344-399: The former may be kept open for longer hours or around the clock, while the latter is locked after business hours. In the U.S. since the 1980s, in cities and large urban areas, post offices have tended to close box lobbies overnight because of the tendency of homeless people to use them for sleeping quarters. As a result, some box lobbies are accessible after hours by customers who are provided

1386-501: The metropolitan areas are often full and a new user expects to wait for years or more. In the Philippines, PO boxes are available for rent in selected post offices. PO boxes, also known as lock boxes, are available in three sizes: small, medium and large. In South Korea, PO boxes are available in one size at selected post offices. There is no charge for renting PO box, but renter must fetch mail at least once in 30 days. Application

1428-499: The nearest post office, as well as pick up their mail from the way office. In parts of Europe, special postal censorship offices existed to intercept and censor mail. In France, such offices were known as cabinets noirs . In many jurisdictions, mailboxes and post office boxes have long been in widespread use for drop-off and pickup (respectively) of mail and small packages outside post offices or when offices are closed. Germany's national postage system Deutsche Post introduced

1470-435: The only form of mail delivery to private individuals. Even small settlements feature a block of PO boxes for rent. In Windhoek , capital and the only large town, blocks of PO boxes are scattered all over the city and not necessarily located at post offices but at shopping malls, in pedestrian zones or on public places. The South African Post Office has Post Boxes available for rent. These are usually attached to or close to

1512-602: The other providing sturdy oxen for bulk shipments. The Byzantine historian Procopius , though not unbiased, records the Cursus Publicus system remained largely intact until it was dismantled in the Byzantine empire by the emperor Justinian in the 6th century. The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis family initiated regular mail service from Brussels in the 16th century , directing the Imperial Post of

1554-418: The patron may pick up their package if a signature is not required. Most often, in this case, once the key is used to open the larger, locked box, the key cannot be removed again by the patron, but the door cannot be secured either. Notes will also be left in the PO box in respect of cash on delivery (COD) and registered mail that has to be signed for. In 2011, the United States Postal Service (USPS) began

1596-1136: The practice. In the Persian Empire , a Chapar Khaneh system existed along the Royal Road . Similar postage systems were established in India and China by the Mauryan and Han dynasties in the 2nd century BCE. The Roman historian Suetonius credited Augustus with regularising the Roman transportation and courier network, the Cursus Publicus . Local officials were obliged to provide couriers who would be responsible for their message's entire course. Locally maintained post houses ( Latin : stationes ) privately owned rest houses ( Latin : mansiones ) and were obliged or honored to care for couriers along their way. The Roman emperor Diocletian later established two parallel systems: one providing fresh horses or mules for urgent correspondence and

1638-481: The same services. In Serbia, anyone can apply for Post Office Box (in Serbian: Поштански фах) for very small yearly fee (currently, cost is two standard postal stamps). Application contains identification and address information of a user. User may choose what mail should be delivered to postal office Box and what should be delivered to the real address. If not specified otherwise, all mail goes to Post Office Box. In

1680-438: The term "post house", fell from use as horse and coach services were replaced by railways , aircraft , and automobiles . The term "post office" usually refers to government postal facilities providing customer service. " General Post Office " is sometimes used for the national headquarters of a postal service, even if the building does not provide customer service. A postal facility that is used exclusively for processing mail

1722-438: The territory. In Japan, PO boxes are available at most post office locations. There is no cost to rent a post office box as the box is provided to ease the effort in delivering postal items to regular customers. Therefore, renters must receive at least one postal item every day and are expected to visit and retrieve mail regularly (daily, in principle) from the box. The renter must also rent the box for six months or more. Boxes in

Post office box - Misplaced Pages Continue

1764-403: The user. In some cases, a private mail bag may not have a number: It differs from PO box delivery in that whereas the holder of a PO box has to go to the post office in order to collect mail, the mail sent to a private bag is dispatched to the holder by a mail contractor. In other countries, particularly South Africa, New Zealand and Fiji, the term private bag is used. In Fiji the usage

#707292