Freepost is a postal service provided by various postal administrations, where someone sends an email without stamps, and the recipient pays for the mail when picking up mail. Freepost differs from self-addressed stamped envelopes, polite reply emails, and scalable response emails, where freepost recipients pay only for items actually received, not for all that is distributed.
Video Freepost
Usage
In a typical freepost usage, a business sends mass mailings to potential customers, mass mailings including envelopes or postcards that can be returned by potential customers to a freepost business. In other typical uses, magazines include subscription cards that potential customers can return with freepost. In other ordinary use, the seller may provide a freight return label that contains the corresponding freepost indicia (as described below) to the customer so that the customer can return the goods to the seller by freepost upon the issuance of the Returned Return Authorization.
A non-commercial usecase will return the lost items belonging to several businesses: the item will be printed on the back "if found please return with freepost to & lt; address & gt;". For example, an English worker's RFID NHS access card can be returned with a freepost if it is missing & amp; found.
Maps Freepost
By country
Australia
In Australia, the freepost is called Reply Paid . Special printed envelopes are used, with the address of the license holder, the words "Reply Paid" with an authorization number. Postage stamps replaced with three black lines. The licensee pays for the postage plus charges to the postal authorities. Customers can write Paid Reply envelopes by hand.
- Centrelink Australia,
- REPLY PAY # 7800,
- CANBERRA BC, ACT, 2610,
- AUSTRALIA
Important customers like the Tax Office will have the same RP number as the zip code, to minimize even more errors.
- Wiki Foundation
- Reply Paid 1435
- Wherever NSW 1435
Canada
To coordinate services with the United States, Canada Post uses the same terminology and the same standards as the USPS (as described below), with the exception of using Canadian Postal codes.
United States
In the United States, the United States Postal Service refers to freepost as a business reply email . A mailer who wishes to receive mail with freepost must obtain a business payment permit and design envelopes, postcards, or labels in accordance with the standards specified by the USPS, including the use of appropriate FIM B or C codes. Addresses on envelopes, postcards, or labels are the same as addresses for regular mail, except that ZIP 4 codes are different. In some major cities, business reply emails have their own five-digit code or zip code (e.g. 20077 and 20078 in Washington, D.C.). Envelopes or postcards also include space for business payment permit numbers.
English and New Zealand
In the UK and New Zealand, freepost envelopes can be handled by the sender; this only requires the word 'FREEPOST' and the recipient's license number as part of the address. (This technique can not be used to send emails to anyone, which must then pay them, the license number and recipient address must be suitable for the recipient to be billed.)
Netherlands
In the Netherlands, freeposts are handled exactly the same as regular mail. Recipient needs a special address: answer number (antwoordnummer in the Netherlands). The sender can distinguish this address because it includes the word 'antwoordnummer' and can choose whether to use the stamp or not. When no stamp is used, the recipient pays the cost plus the cost, but when the sender uses the stamp, no additional charges are made.
Finnish
In Finland, there are two types of freepost. In the first one, which is used on orders that the company has sent and the customer wants to return it (for example, an order from an e-commerce store), the customer can use the same envelope as the company sent and just write 'PALAUTUS' or 'ASIAKASPALAUTUS' ('RETURN 'or' CUSTOMER RETURN 'in English). The company must have a contract with Finland's Itella postal service.
Another option is to use the following form:
- Company name
- Tunnus: 12345
- 00003 VASTAUSLÃÆ' â € žHETYS
Where 'tunnus' means 'code' and 'vastauslÃÆ'¤hetys' means 'resubmission'. Postal code is always the same for this delivery. Usually there is some text indicating that postage is paid in the upper right corner. (where the seal will be placed) The Company may, however, design this text, or image, itself to match the company logo rather than using a standard one. The company must also have a contract with Itella. The address can be hand-written by the customer.
More general
Other countries also use freepost, although the envelope design required by postal authorities of these countries is very different from those described above. The freepost address may have a special freepost number to be used in conjunction with, or in place of, an address for regular mail.
International Business Replies (IBRS)
International freepost also exists and is widely recognized as 'International Business Reply Service', 'International Business Replies', 'International Business Response Services', 'IBRS' and, in French, "Correspondent Commerciale-RÃÆ' Â © ponse Internationale" ( CCRI). Like USPS business response emails, international business response emails must comply with certain formatting requirements including prominent notices "REPONSE PAYEE" (French for "paid reply"), and numbers indicating accounts that will pay shipping fees. International Business Replacement Service is an easy way for international customers to reply to senders with pre-paid cards and envelopes, at no cost whatsoever.
References
External links
- Information about replies paid from Australia Post
- Information about business reply emails from USPS
- Returns and Answers (Good Quality Control Program, chapter 9), USPS document showing business email replies design in the United States
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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