Freepost
Encyclopedia
Freepost is a postal service provided by various postal administrations, whereby a person sends mail
without affixing postage, and the recipient pays the postage when collecting the mail. Freepost differs from self-addressed stamped envelope
s, courtesy reply mail
, and metered reply mail
in that the recipient of the freepost pays only for those items that are actually received, rather than for all that are distributed.
to potential customers, the bulk mail including envelope
s or postcard
s that potential customers can return to the business by freepost. In another typical use, magazine
s include subscription cards that potential subscribers can return by freepost. In yet another typical use, a seller can provide a merchandise return label
bearing the appropriate freepost indicia (as described below) to a customer so that the customer can return the item to the seller by freepost upon issuance of a Return Merchandise Authorization
.
, freepost is called Reply Paid. Specially printed envelopes are used, with the permit holder's address, the words "Reply Paid" with an authorization number. The stamp is replaced by three black stripes. The permit holder pays the postage plus a fee to the postal authority. The customer may write the Reply Paid envelope out by hand.
An important customer like the Taxation Office would have an RP number the same as the post code, to minimize errors even more.
uses the same terminology and the same standards as the USPS (as explained below), with the exception of the use of Canadian Postal codes.
, the United States Postal Service
refers to freepost as business reply mail. A mailer wishing to receive mail by freepost must obtain a business reply permit and design the envelopes, postcards, or labels according to the standards specified by the USPS, including the use of a FIM
B or C code, whichever of the two is appropriate. The address
on the envelope, postcard, or label is the same as the address for regular mail, except that the ZIP+4 code
is different. In some large cities, business reply mail has its own five-digit ZIP code or codes (e.g., 20077 and 20078 in Washington, D.C.
). Also, the design of the envelope or postcard includes a place to identify the business reply permit number.
Mail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
without affixing postage, and the recipient pays the postage when collecting the mail. Freepost differs from self-addressed stamped envelope
Self-addressed stamped envelope
A self-addressed stamped envelope , stamped self-addressed envelope , or just self addressed envelope in the UK, is an envelope with the sender's name and address on it, with affixed paid postage and mailed to a company or private individual...
s, courtesy reply mail
Courtesy reply mail
Courtesy reply mail, or CRM, is a type of mail in which a business sends pre-printed, self-addressed envelopes or postcards to customers, who then affix postage stamps to the envelopes or postcards and mail them back to the business...
, and metered reply mail
Metered reply mail
Metered reply mail, or MRM, is a type of mail in which a business sends pre-printed, self-addressed envelopes or postcards to customers, with postage prepaid on the envelopes or postcards with a postage meter...
in that the recipient of the freepost pays only for those items that are actually received, rather than for all that are distributed.
Uses
In one typical use of freepost, a business sends bulk mailBulk mail
Bulk mail broadly refers to mail that is mailed and processed in bulk at reduced rates. The term does not denote any particular purpose for the mail; but in general usage is synonymous with "junk mail."...
to potential customers, the bulk mail including envelope
Envelope
An envelope is a common packaging item, usually made of thin flat material. It is designed to contain a flat object, such as a letter or card....
s or postcard
Postcard
A postcard or post card is a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an envelope....
s that potential customers can return to the business by freepost. In another typical use, magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s include subscription cards that potential subscribers can return by freepost. In yet another typical use, a seller can provide a merchandise return label
Label
A label is a piece of paper, polymer, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or article, on which is printed a legend, information concerning the product, addresses, etc. A label may also be printed directly on the container or article....
bearing the appropriate freepost indicia (as described below) to a customer so that the customer can return the item to the seller by freepost upon issuance of a Return Merchandise Authorization
Return Merchandise Authorization
A Return Merchandise Authorization , sometimes Return Merchandise Agreement or ' product repaired or replaced or in order to receive a refund or credit for another product from the same retailer or corporation within the product's warranty period.The RMA process and the issuance of an RMA is a key...
.
Australia
In AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, freepost is called Reply Paid. Specially printed envelopes are used, with the permit holder's address, the words "Reply Paid" with an authorization number. The stamp is replaced by three black stripes. The permit holder pays the postage plus a fee to the postal authority. The customer may write the Reply Paid envelope out by hand.
- Centrelink Australia,
- REPLY PAID# 7800,
- CANBERRA BC, ACT, 2610,
- AUSTRALIA
An important customer like the Taxation Office would have an RP number the same as the post code, to minimize errors even more.
- Wiki Foundation
- Reply Paid 1435
- Wherever NSW 1435
Canada
To coordinate service with the United States, Canada PostCanada Post
Canada Post Corporation, known more simply as Canada Post , is the Canadian crown corporation which functions as the country's primary postal operator...
uses the same terminology and the same standards as the USPS (as explained below), with the exception of the use of Canadian Postal codes.
United States
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
refers to freepost as business reply mail. A mailer wishing to receive mail by freepost must obtain a business reply permit and design the envelopes, postcards, or labels according to the standards specified by the USPS, including the use of a FIM
Facing Identification Mark
The Facing Identification Mark, or FIM, is a bar code designed by the United States Postal Service to assist in the automated processing of mail. The FIM is a set of vertical bars printed on the envelope or postcard near the upper edge, just to the left of the postage area...
B or C code, whichever of the two is appropriate. The address
Address (geography)
An address is a collection of information, presented in a mostly fixed format, used for describing the location of a building, apartment, or other structure or a plot of land, generally using political boundaries and street names as references, along with other identifiers such as house or...
on the envelope, postcard, or label is the same as the address for regular mail, except that the ZIP+4 code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
is different. In some large cities, business reply mail has its own five-digit ZIP code or codes (e.g., 20077 and 20078 in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
). Also, the design of the envelope or postcard includes a place to identify the business reply permit number.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, freepost envelopes can be hand-addressed by the sender; this simply requires including the word "FREEPOST" and the recipient's permit number as part of the address. (Not surprisingly, this technique can not be used to send mail to just anyone, who would then have to pay for it; the permit number and the recipient address must match up for the recipient to be billed.) This can confuse expatriates used to another mail system, such as the U.S.'s, where business reply mail envelopes must be pre-printed and have a very distinctive appearance.More generally
Other countries use freepost as well, although the envelope designs required by those countries' postal authorities differ widely from that described above. A freepost address may have a special freepost number for use along with, or instead of, the address for regular mail.International Business Reply Service
International freepost also exists and is known variously as "International Business Reply Service," "International Business Reply Mail" and "Réponse Payée." Like USPS business reply mail, international business reply mail must conform to certain format requirements.External links
- Information on reply paid from Australia Post
- Information on business reply mail from the USPS
- Return and Reply Mail (Mailpiece Quality Control Program, chapter 9), a USPS document showing the design of business reply mail in the United States