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Mail
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(Redirected from Postal system)
This article is about postal services. For electronic mail, see Email. For other
uses, see Mail (disambiguation) and Postal service (disambiguation).
This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear becau
se it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by
introducing more precise citations. (December 2008)
Postal wagons at the postal sorting facility in Sion, Switzerland. Mail between
regional cities is transported by rail, to be delivered by postal bus, vans and
cycles at a local level.
The mail or post is a system for physically transporting documents and other sma
ll packages, as well as a term for the postcards, letters, and parcels themselve
s.[1] A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place r
estrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century national postal syste
ms have generally been established as government monopolies with a fee on the ar
ticle prepaid. Proof of payment is often in the form of adhesive postage stamps,
but postage meters are also used for bulk mailing. Modern private postal system
s are typically distinguished from national postal agencies by the names "courie
r" or "delivery service".
Postal authorities often have functions other than transporting letters. In some
countries, a Postal Telegraph and Telephone (PTT) service oversees the postal s
ystem as well as having authority over telephone and telegraph systems. Some cou
ntries' postal systems allow for savings accounts and handle applications for pa
ssports. The Universal Postal Union (UPU), established in 1874, includes 192 mem
ber countries and sets the rules for international mail exchanges.
Contents
1 Etymology
2 History
2.1 Persia
2.2 India
2.3 China
2.4 Rome
2.5 Mongol Empire
2.6 Other systems
2.7 Postal reforms
2.8 Modern transportation and technology
3 Modern mail
3.1 Organization
3.2 Payment
3.3 Privacy and censorship
3.4 Rise of electronic correspondence
3.5 Collecting
3.6 Deregulation
4 Types of mail
4.1 Letters
4.1.1 First-class
4.1.2 Registered and recorded mail
4.1.3 Repositionable notes
4.2 Postal cards and postcards
4.3 Other mail services
5 See also
6 Notes
7 References

8 External links
Etymology[edit]
The word mail comes from the Medieval English word male, referring to a travelli
ng bag or pack.[2] It was spelled that way until the 17th century, and is distin
ct from the word male. The French have a similar word, malle for a trunk or larg
e box, and mla is the Irish term for a bag. In the 17th century, the word mail be
gan to appear as a reference for a bag that contained letters: "bag full of lett
er" (1654). Over the next hundred years the word mail began to be applied strict
ly to the letters themselves, and the sack as the mailbag. In the 19th century t
he British usually referred to mail as being letters that were being sent abroad
(i.e. on a ship), and post as letters that were for localized delivery; in the
UK the Royal Mail delivers the post, while in the USA the US Postal Service deli
vers the mail. The term email (short for "electronic mail") first appeared in th
e 1970s.[citation needed] The term snail-mail is a retronym to distinguish it fr
om the quicker email. Various dates have been given for its first use.
Post is derived from Medieval French poste, which ultimately stems from the past
participle of the Latin verb ponere ("to lay down or place").[3]
History[edit]
Many early post systems consisted of fixed courier routes. Here, a post house on
a postal route in the 19th century Finland
The practice of communication by written documents carried by an intermediary fr
om one person or place to another almost certainly dates back nearly to the inve
ntion of writing. However, development of formal postal systems occurred much la
ter. The first documented use of an organized courier service for the diffusion
of written documents is in Egypt, where Pharaohs used couriers for the diffusion
of their decrees in the territory of the State (2400 BC). The earliest survivin
g piece of mail is also Egyptian, dating to 255 BC.[4]
Persia[edit]
Main articles: Royal Road and Chapar-Khaneh
The first credible claim for the development of a real postal system comes from
Ancient Persia, but the point of invention remains in question. The best documen
ted claim (Xenophon) attributes the invention to the Persian King Cyrus the Grea
t (550 BC), who mandated that every province in his kingdom would organize recep
tion and delivery of post to each of its citizens. He also negotiated with neigh
bouring countries to do the same and had roads built from the city of Post in We
stern Iran all the way up to the city of Hakha in the East. Other writers credit
his successor Darius I of Persia (521 BC). Other sources claim much earlier dat
es for an Assyrian postal system, with credit given to Hammurabi (1700 BC) and S
argon II (722 BC). Mail may not have been the primary mission of this postal ser
vice, however. The role of the system as an intelligence gathering apparatus is
well documented, and the service was (later) called angariae, a term that in tim
e came to indicate a tax system. The Old Testament (Esther, VIII) makes mention
of this system: Ahasuerus, king of Medes, used couriers for communicating his de
cisions.
The Persian system worked on stations (called Chapar-Khaneh), where the message
carrier (called Chapar) would ride to the next post, whereupon he would swap his
horse with a fresh one, for maximum performance and delivery speed. Herodotus d
escribed the system in this way: "It is said that as many days as there are in t
he whole journey, so many are the men and horses that stand along the road, each
horse and man at the interval of a day's journey; and these are stayed neither
by snow nor rain nor heat nor darkness from accomplishing their appointed course
with all speed".[5] The verse prominently features on New York's James Farley P
ost Office, although it has been slightly rephrased to Neither snow nor rain nor
heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their

appointed rounds.
India[edit]
The use of the Scinde Dawk adhesive stamps to signify the prepayment of postage
began on 1 July 1852 in the Scinde/Sindh district,[6] as part of a comprehensive
reform of the district's postal system.
Main article: Postal history of India
The economic growth and political stability under the Mauryan empire (322 185 BC)
saw the development of impressive civil infrastructure in ancient India. The Mau
ryans developed early Indian mail service as well as public wells, rest houses,
and other facilities for the common public.[7] Common chariots called Dagana wer
e sometimes used as mail chariots in ancient India.[8] Couriers were used milita
rily by kings and local rulers to deliver information through runners and other
carriers. The postmaster, the head of the intelligence service, was responsible
for ensuring the maintenance of the courier system. Couriers were also used to d
eliver personal letters.[9]
Early stamps of India were watermarked with an elephant's head.
In South India, the Wodeyar dynasty (1399 1947) of the Kingdom of Mysore used mail
service for espionage purposes thereby acquiring knowledge related to matters t
hat took place at great distances.[10]
By the end of the 18th century the postal system in India had reached impressive
levels of efficiency. According to British national Thomas Broughton, the Mahar
aja of Jodhpur sent daily offerings of fresh flowers from his capital to Nathadv
ara (a distance of 320 km), and they arrived in time for the first religious Dar
shan at sunrise.[11] Later this system underwent complete modernization when the
British Raj established its full control over India. The Post Office Act XVII o
f 1837 provided that the Governor-General of India in Council had the exclusive
right of conveying letters by post for hire within the territories of the East I
ndia Company. The mails were available to certain officials without charge, whic
h became a controversial privilege as the years passed. On this basis the Indian
Post Office was established on October 1, 1837.[12]
China[edit]
Main article: Postal history of China
China 4-cent on 100-dollar silver overprint of 1949
Chinese sources often claim mail or postal systems dating back to the Xia or Sha
ng dynasties, which would make their service the oldest in the world. The earlie
st credible system of couriers was initiated by the Han Dynasty (206 BC AD 220), w
ho had relay stations every 30 li along major routes.
The Tang dynasty recorded 1,639 posthouses, including maritime offices, employin
g around 20,000 people. The system was administered by the Ministry of War and p
rivate correspondence was forbidden from the network. The Ming network had 1,936
posthouses every 60 li along major routes, with fresh horses available every 10
li between them. The postal network was a major part of the corruption in the l
ater part of the dynasty.[citation needed][further explanation needed] The Qing,
prior to the foreign occupation and reorganization of the Imperial Mail, operat
ed 1,785 posthouses throughout their lands.[citation needed]
Rome[edit]
Main article: cursus publicus
The first well-documented postal service was that of Rome. Organized at the time
of Augustus Caesar (62 BC AD 14), the service was called cursus publicus and was
provided with light carriages (rhed) pulled by fast horses. By the time of Diocle
tian, a parallel service was established with two-wheeled carts (birol) pulled by

oxen. This service was reserved for government correspondence. Yet another serv
ice for citizens was later added.[citation needed][dubious
discuss]
Mongol Empire[edit]
Main article: rt
Genghis Khan installed an empire-wide messenger and postal station system named r
t within the Mongol Empire. During the Yuan Dynasty under Kublai Khan, this system
also covered the territory of China. Postal stations were used not only for the
transmission and delivery of official mail but were also available for travelin
g officials, military men, and foreign dignitaries. These stations aided and fac
ilitated the transport of foreign and domestic tribute specifically and the cond
uct of trade in general.
By the end of Kublai Khan's rule there were more than 1400 postal stations in Ch
ina alone, which in turn had at their disposal about 50,000 horses, 1400 oxen, 6
700 mules, 400 carts, 6000 boats, over 200 dogs, and 1150 sheep.[13]
The stations were 25 to 65 km (16 to 40 mi) apart and had reliable attendants wo
rking for the mail service. Foreign observers, such as Marco Polo, have attested
to the efficiency of this early postal system.[13]
Other systems[edit]
This section does not cite any references (sources). Please help improve this se
ction by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challen
ged and removed. (August 2015)
The Lombard Street General Post Office in London, 1809.
Plate commemorating the launching site of the first airmail carrier (1870) in Me
tz, France.
Another important postal service was created in the Islamic world by the caliph
Mu'awiyya; the service was called barid, for the name of the towers built to pro
tect the roads by which couriers traveled.
Well before the Middle Ages and during them, homing pigeons were used for pigeon
post, taking advantage of a singular quality of this bird, which when taken far
from its nest is able to find its way home due to a particularly developed sens
e of orientation. Messages were then tied around the legs of the pigeon, which w
as freed and could reach its original nest.
Mail has been transported by quite a few other methods throughout history, inclu
ding dogsled, ski, balloon, rocket, mule, pneumatic tubes, and even submarine.
Charlemagne extended to the whole territory of his empire the system used by Fra
nks in northern Gaul and connected this service with that of missi dominici.
Many religious orders had a private mail service. Notably, the Cistercians had o
ne which connected more than 6,000 abbeys, monasteries, and churches. The best o
rganization, however, was created by the Knights Templar. The newly instituted u
niversities also had their private services, starting from Bologna (1158).
Widespread illiteracy was accommodated through the service of scribes. Illiterat
es who needed to communicate dictated their messages to a scribe, another profes
sion now quite generally disappeared.
In 1505, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I established a postal system in the Empi
re, appointing Franz von Taxis to run it. The Thurn und Taxis family, then known
as Tassis, had operated postal services between Italian city states from 1290 o
nward. Following the abolition of the Empire in 1806, the Thurn-und-Taxis Post s

ystem continued as a private organisation into the postage stamp era before bein
g absorbed into the postal system of the new German Empire after 1871.
Postal reforms[edit]
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See also: Uniform Fourpenny Post and Uniform Penny Post
In the United Kingdom, prior to 1840 the postal system was expensive, confusing
and seen as corrupt.[by whom?] Letters were paid for by the recipient rather tha
n the sender, and were charged according to the distance the letter had travelle
d and the number of sheets of paper it contained. Sir Rowland Hill reformed the
postal system based on the concepts of penny postage and pre payment.[14] In his
proposal Hill also called for official pre-printed envelopes and adhesive posta
ge stamps as alternative ways of getting the sender to pay for the postage, at a
time when prepayment was optional, which led to the invention of the postage st
amp, the Penny Black.
Modern transportation and technology[edit]
A US railway post office.
The first airmail flight in Germany, 1912.
The postal system was important in the development of modern transportation. Rai
lroads carried railway post offices. During the 20th century, air mail became th
e transport of choice for inter-continental mail. Postmen started to utilize mai
l trucks. The handling of mail became increasingly automated.
The Internet came to change the conditions for physical mail. Email (and in rece
nt years social networking sites) became a fierce competitor to physical mail sy
stems, but online auctions and Internet shopping opened new business opportuniti
es as people often get items bought online through the mail.
Modern mail[edit]
Modern mail is organized by national and privatized services, which are reciproc
ally interconnected by international regulations, organizations and internationa
l agreements. Paper letters and parcels can be sent to almost any country in the
world relatively easily and cheaply. The Internet has made the process of sendi
ng letter-like messages nearly instantaneous, and in many cases and situations c
orrespondents use electronic mail where previously they would have used letters.
The volume of paper mail sent through the US Postal Service has declined by mor
e than 15% since its peak at 213 billion pieces per annum in 2006.[15][16]
Organization[edit]
In the United States, private companies such as FedEx and UPS compete with the f
ederal government's United States Postal Service, particularly in package delive
ry. Different mailboxes are also provided for local and express service. (The US
PS has a legal monopoly on First Class and Standard Mail delivery.)
Postal truck in Brazil
Zabrze (Poland) - post office.
Students receive mail in an American University

Delivery by bicycle in Germany

Some countries have organized their mail services as public limited liability co
rporations without a legal monopoly.
The worldwide postal system comprising the individual national postal systems of
the world's self-governing states is co-ordinated by the Universal Postal Union
, which among other things sets international postage rates, defines standards f
or postage stamps and operates the system of International Reply Coupons.
In most countries a system of codes has been created (they are referred to as ZI
P codes in the United States, postcodes in the United Kingdom and Australia, and
postal codes in most other countries), in order to facilitate the automation of
operations. This also includes placing additional marks on the address portion
of the letter or mailed object, called "bar coding." Bar coding of mail for deli
very is usually expressed either by a series of vertical bars, usually called PO
STNET coding, or a block of dots as a two-dimensional barcode. The "block of dot
s" method allows for the encoding of proof of payment of postage, exact routing
for delivery, and other features.
The ordinary mail service was improved in the 20th century with the use of plane
s for a quicker delivery. The world's first scheduled airmail post service took
place in the United Kingdom between the London suburbs of Hendon and Windsor, Be
rkshire, on 9 September 1911.[17] Some methods of airmail proved ineffective, ho
wever, including the United States Postal Service's experiment with rocket mail.
Receipt services were made available in order to grant the sender a confirmation
of effective delivery.
Payment[edit]
Worldwide the most common method of prepaying postage is by buying an adhesive p
ostage stamp to be applied to the envelope before mailing; a much less common me
thod is to use a postage-prepaid envelope. Franking is a method of creating post
age-prepaid envelopes under licence using a special machine. They are used by co
mpanies with large mail programs such as banks and direct mail companies.
In 1998, the U.S. Postal Service authorised the first tests of a secure system o
f sending digital franks via the Internet to be printed out on a PC printer, obv
iating the necessity to license a dedicated franking machine and allowing compan
ies with smaller mail programs to make use of the option; this was later expande
d to test the use of personalised postage. The service provided by the U.S. Post
al Service in 2003 allows the franks to be printed out on special adhesive-backe
d labels.
The Penny Black, the world's first postage stamp
In 2004 the Royal Mail in the United Kingdom introduced its SmartStamp Internetbased system, allowing printing on ordinary adhesive labels or envelopes. Simila
r systems are being considered by postal administrations around the world.
When the pre-paid envelope or package is accepted into the mail by an agent of t
he postal service, the agent usually indicates by means of a cancellation that i
t is no longer valid for pre-payment of postage. The exceptions are when the age
nt forgets or neglects to cancel the mailpiece, for stamps that are pre-cancelle
d and thus do not require cancellation and for, in most cases, metered mail. (Th
e "personalised stamps" authorized by the USPS and manufactured by Zazzle and ot
her companies are in fact a form of meter label and thus do not need to be cance
lled.)
Privacy and censorship[edit]

"The Steamboat" - mobile steaming equipment used by Czech StB for unsticking of
envelopes during correspondence surveillance
Documents should generally not be read by anyone other than the addressee; for i
nstance, in the United States of America it is a violation of federal law for an
yone other than the addressee and the government to open mail.[18] There are exc
eptions though: executives often delegate to secretaries or assistants the task
of handling their mail; and postcards do not require opening and can be read by
anyone. For mail contained within an envelope, there are legal provisions in som
e jurisdictions allowing the recording of identities of sender and recipient.[19
]
The privacy of correspondence is guaranteed by the constitutions of Mexico and B
razil, and is alluded to in the European Convention on Human Rights[20] and the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.[19] The control of the contents inside pr
ivate citizens' mail is censorship and concerns social, political, and legal asp
ects of civil rights. International mail and packages are subject to customs con
trol, with the mail and packages are often surveyed and their contents sometimes
are edited out (or even in).[citation needed]
There have been cases over the millennia of governments opening and copying or p
hotographing the contents of private mail.[19][21] Subject to the laws in the re
levant jurisdiction, correspondence may be openly or covertly opened, or the con
tents determined via some other method, by the police or other authorities in so
me cases relating to a suspected criminal conspiracy, although black chambers (l
argely in the past, though there is apparently some continuance of their use tod
ay) opened and open letters extralegally.
The mail service may be allowed to open the mail if neither addressee nor sender
can be found, in order to attempt to find either. Mail service may also open th
e mail to inspect if the materials are hazardous to transport or violate the loc
al law.
While in most cases mail censorship is exceptional, military mail to and from so
ldiers on active deployment is often subject to surveillance. In active fighting
, censorship may be especially strict to hide tactical secrets, prevent low mora
le from bad news, etc.
Rise of electronic correspondence[edit]
Modern alternatives such as the telegraph, telephone, telex, facsimile, and emai
l have reduced the attractiveness of paper mail for many applications. These mod
ern alternatives have some advantages: in addition to their speed, they may be m
ore secure, e.g. because the general public can not learn the sender's address f
rom the envelope, and occasionally traditional items of mail may fail to arrive,
e.g. due to vandalism to mailboxes, unfriendly pets, and adverse weather condit
ions. Mail carriers due to perceived hazards or inconveniences, may refuse, offi
cially or otherwise, to deliver mail to a particular address (for instance, if t
here is no clear path to the door or mailbox). On the other hand, traditional ma
il avoids the possibility of computer malfunctions and malware, and the recipien
t does not need to print it out if he wishes to have a paper copy, though he wou
ld need to scan it if he wishes to have a digital copy.
Physical mail is still widely used for business and personal communications for
reasons such as legal requirements for signatures, requirements of etiquette, an
d the requirement to enclose physical objects.
Since the advent of email, which is almost always much faster, the postal system
has come to be referred to in Internet slang by the retronym "snail mail". Occa
sionally, the term "white mail" or "the PaperNet" has also been used as a neutra
l term for postal mail.

Mainly in the 20th century, experimentation with hybrid mail has combined electr
onic and paper delivery. Electronic mechanisms include telegram, telex, facsimil
e (fax), email, and short message service (SMS). There have been methods which h
ave combined mail and some of these newer methods, such as INTELPOST, which comb
ined facsimile transmission with overnight delivery.[22][23] These vehicles comm
only use a mechanical or electro-mechanical standardised writing (typing), that
on the one hand makes for more efficient communication, while on the other hand
makes impossible characteristics and practices that traditionally were in conven
tional mail, such as calligraphy.
This epoch[when?] is undoubtedly mainly dominated by mechanical writing, with a
general use of no more of half a dozen standard typographic fonts from standard
keyboards. However, the increased use of typewritten or computer-printed letters
for personal communication and the advent of e-mail have sparked renewed intere
st in calligraphy, as a letter has become more of a "special event". Long before
e-mail and computer-printed letters, however, decorated envelopes, rubber stamp
s and artistamps formed part of the medium of mail art.[citation needed]
In the 2000s (decade) with the advent of eBay and other online auction sites and
online stores, postal services in industrialized nations have seen a major shif
t to item shipping. This has been seen as a boost to the system's usage in the w
ake of lower paper mail volume due to the accessibility of e-mail.
Online post offices have emerged to give recipients a means of receiving traditi
onal correspondence mail in a scanned electronic format.
Collecting[edit]
Le Philateliste by Franois Barraud (1929).
Postage stamps are also object of a particular form of collecting, and in some c
ases, when demand greatly exceeds supply, their commercial value on this specifi
c market may become enormously greater than face value, even after use. For some
postal services the sale of stamps to collectors who will never use them is a s
ignificant source of revenue; for example, stamps from Tokelau, South Georgia &
South Sandwich Islands, Tristan da Cunha, Niuafoou and many others. Stamp collect
ing is commonly known as philately, although strictly the latter term refers to
the study of stamps.
Another form of collecting regards postcards, a document written on a single rob
ust sheet of paper, usually decorated with photographic pictures or artistic dra
wings on one of the sides, and short messages on a small part of the other side,
that also contained the space for the address. In strict philatelic usage, the
postcard is to be distinguished from the postal card, which has a pre-printed po
stage on the card. The fact that this communication is visible by other than the
receiver often causes the messages to be written in jargon.
Letters are often studied as an example of literature, and also in biography in
the case of a famous person. A portion of the New Testament of the Bible is comp
osed of the Apostle Paul's epistles to Christian congregations in various parts
of the Roman Empire. See below for a list of famous letters.
A style of writing, called epistolary, tells a fictional story in the form of th
e correspondence between two or more characters.
A makeshift mail method after stranding on a deserted island is a message in a b
ottle.
Deregulation[edit]
Several countries, including Sweden (1 January 1993),[24][25] New Zealand (1998

and 2003), Germany (2005 and 2007) and Argentina have opened up the postal servi
ces market to new entrants. In the case of New Zealand Post Limited, this includ
ed (from 2003) its right to be the sole New Zealand postal administration member
of the Universal Postal Union, thus the ending of its monopoly on stamps bearin
g the name New Zealand.
Types of mail[edit]
Letters[edit]
Pillar boxes on the island of Madeira, Portugal. (1st class mail in blue and 2nd
class in red)
Letter-sized mail comprises the bulk of the contents sent through most postal se
rvices. These are usually documents printed on A4 (210297 mm), Letter-sized (8.511
inches), or smaller paper and placed in envelopes.
Handwritten correspondence, while once a major means of communications between d
istant people, is now used less frequently[citation needed] due to the advent of
more immediate means of communication, such as the telephone or e-mail. Traditi
onal letters, however, are often considered to harken back to a "simpler time" a
nd are still used when someone wishes to be deliberate and thoughtful about his
or her communication. An example would be a letter of sympathy to a bereaved per
son.
Bills and invoices are often sent through the mail, like regular billing corresp
ondence from utility companies and other service providers. These letters often
contain a self-addressed envelope that allows the receiver to remit payment back
to the company easily. While still very common, many people now opt to use onli
ne bill payment services, which eliminate the need to receive bills through the
mail. Paperwork for the confirmation of large financial transactions is often se
nt through the mail. Many tax documents are as well.
New credit cards and their corresponding personal identification numbers are sen
t to their owners through the mail. The card and number are usually mailed separ
ately several days or weeks apart for security reasons.
Bulk mail is mail that is prepared for bulk mailing, often by presorting, and pr
ocessing at reduced rates. It is often used in direct marketing and other advert
ising mail, although it has other uses as well. The senders of these messages so
metimes purchase lists of addresses (which are sometimes targeted towards certai
n demographics) and then send letters advertising their product or service to al
l recipients. Other times, commercial solicitations are sent by local companies
advertising local products, like a restaurant delivery service advertising to th
eir delivery area or a retail store sending their weekly advertising circular to
a general area. Bulk mail is also often sent to companies' existing subscriber
bases, advertising new products or services.
First-class[edit]
First-class mail in the US includes postcards, letters, large envelopes (flats),
and small packages, providing each piece weighs 13 ounces or less. Delivery is
given priority over second-class (newspapers and magazines), third class (bulk a
dvertisements), and fourth-class mail (books and media packages). First-class ma
il prices are based on both the shape and weight of the item being mailed. Piece
s over 13 ounces can be sent as Priority Mail.[26] As of 2011 42% of first-class
mail arrived the next day, 27% in two days, and 31% in three. The USPS expected
that changes to the service in 2012 would cause about 51% to arrive in two days
and most of the rest in three.[27]
In the UK, First Class letters are simply a priority option over Second Class, a
t a slightly higher cost. Royal Mail aims (but does not guarantee) to deliver al
l First Class letters the day after postage.

Registered and recorded mail[edit]

Further information: Registered mail
Multi-franked registered mail from Crete using Greek stamps during the Union wit
h Greece to Egypt in 1914 showing numbered registration label
Registered mail allows the location and in particular the correct delivery of a
letter to be tracked. It is usually considerably more expensive than regular mai
l, and is typically used for valuable items. Registered mail is constantly track
ed through the system.
Recorded mail is handled just like ordinary mail with the exception that it has
to be signed for on receipt. This is useful for legal documents where proof of d
elivery is required.
In the United Kingdom recorded delivery mail (branded as signed for by the Royal
Mail) is covered by The Recorded Delivery Services Act 1962. Under this legisla
tion any document which its relevant law requires service by registered post[28]
can also be lawfully served by recorded delivery. This act states that any reco
rded delivery item is deemed to have been delivered at the instant it is posted
if; (a) the item is delivered and signed for at the delivery address or handed o
ver and signed for the at local sorting office (see (c)); (b) delivery is refuse
d by any person occupying the address or (c) if the item is not collected from t
he sorting office within seven days following a non delivery because there is no
reply to the postman and he leaves a collection card. The sorting office will r
eturn the item to the sender after the seventh day. The sender should retain the
item unopened as proof that the item has been delivered (at least in law if not
in fact). Although much case law has attempted to undermine the provisions of t
he Act, it has done little but reinforce the point.[29]
Repositionable notes[edit]
The United States Postal Service introduced a test allowing "repositionable note
s" (for example, 3M's Post-it notes) to be attached to the outside of envelopes
and bulk mailings,[30] afterwards extending the test for an unspecified period.[
31]
Postal cards and postcards[edit]
Postal cards and postcards are small message cards which are sent by mail unenve
loped; the distinction often, though not invariably and reliably, drawn between
them is that "postal cards" are issued by the postal authority or entity with th
e "postal indicia" (or "stamp") preprinted on them, while postcards are privatel
y issued and require affixing an adhesive stamp (though there have been some cas
es of a postal authority's issuing non-stamped postcards). Postcards are often p
rinted to promote tourism, with pictures of resorts, tourist attractions or humo
rous messages on the front and allowing for a short message from the sender to b
e written on the back. The postage required for postcards is generally less than
postage required for standard letters; however, certain technicalities such as
their being oversized or having cut-outs[32] may result in payment of the firstclass rate being required.
Postcards are also used by magazines for new subscriptions. Inside many magazine
s are postage-paid subscription cards that a reader can fill out and mail back t
o the publishing company to be billed for a subscription to the magazine. In thi
s fashion, magazines also use postcards for other purposes, including reader sur
veys, contests or information requests.
Postcards are sometimes sent by charities to their members with a message to be
signed and sent to a politician (e.g. to promote fair trade or third world debt
cancellation).

This antique "letter-box" style U.S. mailbox is both on display and in use at th
e Smithsonian Institution Building.
Other mail services[edit]
Larger envelopes are also sent through the mail. These are often composed of a s
tronger material than standard envelopes and are often used by businesses to tra
nsport documents that may not be folded or damaged, such as legal documents and
contracts. Due to their size, larger envelopes are sometimes charged additional
postage.
Packages are often sent through some postal services, usually requiring addition
al postage than an average letter or postcard. Many postal services have limitat
ions as to what a package may or may not contain, usually placing limits or bans
on perishable, hazardous or flammable materials. Some hazardous materials in li
mited quantities may be shipped with appropriate markings and packaging, like an
ORM-D label. Additionally, as a result of terrorism concerns, the U.S. Postal S
ervice subjects their packages to numerous security tests, often scanning or x-r
aying packages for materials that might be found in biological materials or mail
bombs.
Newspapers and magazines are also sent through postal services. Many magazines a
re simply placed in the mail normally (but in the U.S., they are printed with a
special bar code that acts as pre-paid postage - see POSTNET), but many are now
shipped in shrinkwrap to protect the loose contents of the magazine. During the
second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, newspape
rs and magazines were normally posted using wrappers with a stamp imprint.
Hybrid mail, sometimes referred to as L-mail, is the electronic lodgement of mai
l from the mail generator s computer directly to a Postal Service provider. The Po
stal Service provider is then able to use electronic means to have the mail piec
e sorted, routed and physically produced at a site closest to the delivery point
. It is a type of mail growing in popularity with some Post Office operations an
d individual businesses venturing into this market. In some countries, these ser
vices are available to print and deliver emails to those who are unable to recei
ve email, such as the elderly or infirm. Services provided by Hybrid mail provid
ers are closely related to that of mail forwarding service providers.
See also[edit]
List of postal entities
EPPML
Parcel (package)
Shipping insurance
Components of a postal system:
Letter box
Mail carrier
Mail bag
Packstation
Post box
Post office
Post-office box
Postage rate
Postal code
Notes[edit]
^ In Australia, Canada, and the U.S., "mail" is commonly used both for the posta
l system and for the letters, postcards, and parcels it carries; in New Zealand,
"post" is more common for the postal system and "mail" for the material deliver
ed; in the UK, "post" prevails in both senses. However, the British, American, A
ustralian, and Canadian national postal services are called, respectively, the "
Royal Mail", the "United States Postal Service", the "Australia Post", and "Cana

da Post"; in addition, such fixed phrases as "post office" or "junk mail" are fo
und throughout the English-speaking world.
^ "mail, n.2". Dictionary.com (Unabridged (v 1.1) ed.). 2007.
^ Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, 1963, pp
662 3.
^ Universal Postal Union. "History". Accessed 2 October 2013.
^ Herodotus, Herodotus, trans. A.D. Godley, vol. 4, book 8, verse 98, pp. 96 97 (1
924).
^ [1] First Issues Collectors Club (retrieved 25 September)
^ Dorn 2006: 145
^ Prasad 2003: 104
^ Mazumdar 1990: 1
^ Aiyangar 2004: 302
^ Peabody 2003: 71
^ Lowe 1951: 134
^ a b Mote 1978: 450
^ "Rowland Hill s Postal Reforms". The British Postal Museum & Archive. Retrieved
27 December 2014.
^ [about.usps.com/future-postal-service/gcg-narrative.pdf USPS volume report by
The Boston Consulting Group on USPS public website]
^ First Class Mail Volume, 1926-2010
^ Baldwin, N. C. (1960), p. 5, Fifty Years of British Air Mails, Francis J.Field
Ltd.
^ "United States Code: Title 18, 1702. Obstruction of correspondence". Legal Inf
ormation Institute of Cornell University Law School. Retrieved September 14, 201
0.
^ a b c Back when spies played by the rules, Deccan Herald, January 17, 2006. Re
trieved 29 December 2006.
^ Article 8(1): Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family lif
e, his home and his correspondence. [2] PDF (179 KB)
^ CIA Intelligence Collection About Americans (400 KB download)
^ "Significant Years in U.S. Postal History". United States Postal Service. 2015
. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
^ "Treaties". Postal Matters. United States Embassy, Bulgaria. 25 June 1990. Ret
rieved 13 May 2015.
^ City Mail, Sweden
^ Frycklund, Jonas Private Mail in Sweden, Cato Journal Vol. 13, No. 1 (1993) PD
F (511 KB)
^ "First-Class Mail". USPS. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
^ "Postal service cuts mean slower mail in 2012". CBS News. Associated Press. 20
11-12-05. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
^ for example documents served under The Law of Property Act 1925
^ e.g. Railtrack Plc v Gojra, Kinch v Bullard and most recently Blunden v Frogmo
re Investments Ltd.
^ "Postal Service Helps Businesses "Stick" to their Message". 2005-04-05. Retrie
ved 2007-07-17.
^ "Marketing 'Notes' Extended for Additional Year: U.S. Postal Service Governors
Issue Decision on Repositionable Notes". 2007-07-06. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
^ "Cut-Out Postcard - Postage Due". Members.aol.com. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
References[edit]
Aiyangar, Sakkottai Krishnaswami; S. Krishnaswami A. (2004). Ancient India: Coll
ected Essays on the Literary and Political History of Southern India. Asian Educ
ational Services. ISBN 0-8018-8359-8.
Almsi, Gbor (2010). Humanistic Letter-Writing. Mainz: Institute of European Histor
y.
Dorn, Harold; MacClellan, James E. (2006). Science and Technology in World Histo
ry: An Introduction. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-8359-8.
Lowe, Robson (1951). Encyclopedia of British Empire Postage Stamps (v. III). Lon
don.
Mazumdar, Mohini Lal (1990). The Imperial Post Offices of British India. Calcutt

a: Phila Publications.
Mote, Frederick W.; John K. Fairbank (1998). The Cambridge History of China. Cam
bridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-24333-5.
Peabody, Norman (2003). Hindu Kingship and Polity in Precolonial India. Cambridg
e University Press. ISBN 0-521-46548-6.
Prasad, Prakash Chandra (2003). Foreign Trade and Commerce in Ancient India. Abh
inav Publications. ISBN 81-7017-053-2.
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Mail
Look up mail or post in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to mail.
Listen to this article (info/dl)
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More spoken articles
A Hundred Years by Post by J. Wilson Hyde
Potts, Albert, "US19,578 (First U.S. street mailbox patent)". US patent office.
1858
GRC Database Information: links to worldwide postal services websites
The British Postal Museum & Archive
Royal Engineers Museum British Army Postal Services History
James Meek, London Review of Books, 28 April 2011, In the Sorting Office, 33(9)
US National Postal Museum, a part of the Smithsonian Institution
Universal Postal Union, a part of the United Nations
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