Postal Services

Personal Mail Services for Staff and Students

Located in the basement of Whiteknights House and open from 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, we offer a range of postal services to students and staff. Simply bring your letters and parcels to us ready for posting, just as you would when visiting a Post Office, and we'll take care of the rest.

Please note:

• Collection and moving services are not available to customers without a Postal Services account.
• If you are posting multiple large parcels overseas, please bring them to us before 2pm.
• Do not seal items that may require customs inspection, as we need item descriptions, weights and other details before posting.
• The fixed-size postage labels used by the service require more space than a standard stamp, making very small cards and envelopes difficult to post.

Internal Mail

We collect mail from and deliver mail to all collection points across the University at least once each working day. Internal mail is sorted on arrival and dispatched on the next scheduled delivery round, with additional collections and deliveries taking place throughout the day. If you need an item sooner, it can be collected directly from our sorting hub in the Whiteknights House basement.

Help us deliver your mail promptly:

• Please include a clear address with the building name and, where possible, a room number, and use the full building addresses listed below to help ensure mail and deliveries reach the correct location.
• Ensure you use the correct building address and postcode, and notify us of any department or unit relocation by completing a Change of Address form.
• If you are reusing an envelope, ensure you have deleted all previous addresses.
• Please take all items to the mail collection area in your building. Alternatively, you can bring your mail directly to the post room in the basement of Whiteknights House.
• For bulk internal mailings, please sort items into departmental bundles or boxes before sending them to us, as unsorted mail may be delayed while higher-priority work is processed first.

Sending Mail

Account holders

Postal Services manages all outgoing University mail, from standard letters to international courier deliveries. We can provide access to discounted postal and courier rates, and correctly prepared items received by the Post Room will normally be dispatched the same day.

Need a cost estimate? Request a quote using the online form.

Before you send mail

To ensure your mail is processed correctly:

• Use your department's green or black postal pouch, a Service Indicator label, or a Mailing Docket.
• Bundle similar mail types together where possible.
• Ensure all items are clearly addressed and include a return address.
• Use packaging that is suitable for the contents and strong enough for handling and transport.

If you do not have postal pouches or Service Indicator labels, contact postroom@reading.ac.uk to set up a postal account.

Standard mail services

(no Service Indicator label required)

UK 2nd class mail

• Seal and address the item.
• Place it in your departmental postal pouch.

UK 1st class mail

• Seal and address the item.
• Mark a small "1" in the top-right corner.
• Place it in your departmental postal pouch.

International mail

• Seal and address the item.
• Place it in your departmental postal pouch.
• All international mail is sent by airmail.

Tracked, signed for and courier services

Use a Service Indicator label for:

• Tracked services
• Signed-for services
• Guaranteed delivery services
• Insured items
• Courier deliveries

Attach the label to the item and email postroom@reading.ac.uk with:

• Postal account number
• Service Indicator label number
• Required service
• Recipient name and email address
• Contact telephone number
• Insurance value (if required)
• Electronic versions of any documents required for overseas customs and other import licences etc.

For courier deliveries, sender and recipient names and email addresses are mandatory.

Important: Courier companies generally do not accept deliveries to PO Box addresses.

Collection and delivery times

• Mail collected through the internal postal system will be processed during the next scheduled collection.
• Hand-delivered items can normally be accepted until 4.30pm.
• Tracked and signed-for items should arrive before 4.00pm.
• DHL and Parcelforce items should arrive before 3.00pm.
• For urgent same-day postings, call 0118 378 6530 before delivery.

Sending items outside the UK

Items containing anything other than documents may require:

• A customs declaration
• A Pro Forma Invoice
• Commodity (tariff) codes
• Additional product identification details for European Union (EU) shipments

Please see our non-UK customs and UK tax implications guide (and example Pro-Forma-Template) when sending items outside the UK. Alternatively, you can contact Postal Services to advise on requirements, but the sender is responsible for providing accurate customs information.

Bulk mailings

For large mailings:

• Separate 1st and 2nd Class items.
• Keep all items facing the same way.
• Bundle items in manageable known quantities.
• Separate UK, EU and Rest of World destinations where applicable.

Please contact Postal Services before sending large bulk mailings so that collection and processing can be arranged.

Receiving Mail

Royal Mail items for most buildings are delivered via the Whiteknights House mail hub, while halls of residence and some buildings receive direct deliveries. Royal Mail sort these by postal code before delivery.

Therefore, please:

• Always use your building’s full address and postcode, and update us if your department relocates.
• Please use the current building addresses and postcodes, as the previous PO Box-based system is no longer in use.

Other carriers should deliver correctly addressed items directly to each accessible building.

Tracked items

Whiteknights House is not a central delivery point for signed-for parcels (except Royal Mail items). To avoid delays and misplaced deliveries, staff should only accept and sign for items clearly addressed to their own building, and all sites are encouraged to maintain a local tracking process for signed-for deliveries.

Late or missing items

If you are expecting a tracked or signed-for delivery, first check with the building where it was addressed, as each University location manages its own deliveries. If the item cannot be found, ask the sender for proof of delivery and a copy of the signature, then email postroom@reading.ac.uk with the tracking number, courier, signature details and delivery date so we can help trace it. If delivery cannot be proven, request a replacement or refund from the sender.

Business Reply Services

We are able to supply postage-paid envelopes and stick-on labels printed with the University business-reply address for surveys, research projects and similar applications.

Reply-paid envelopes come in two sizes:

• DL (white) - 110x220mm
• C5 (Manila) - 162x229mm (suitable for A5 unfolded)

Please email an order for the number you want in each size to postroom@reading.ac.uk. Stock items will be sent immediately but please allow at least two weeks for back orders.

Need a separate Postal Services account for a new project? Email the project name and finance code to postroom@reading.ac.uk. Once your account is set up, choose a unique return reference (for example, Survey XXY or Exciting Research Project 99) and send it to us for approval before mailing. The approved reference must appear within the dashed box on every reply-paid envelope, using ink, a label or printed text. This ensures returned items can be identified and prevents delays or surcharges caused by markings in Royal Mail's clear zones.

Charges

The following charges apply for each unused envelope we supply:

• DL - 5p each or £5 per 100
• C5- 6p each or £6 per 100

These prices are subject to change (up or down) depending on the size of orders we make, which will vary as demand and space permit. Prices include VAT.

We also charge the Royal Mail Standard Response service prices (Response Service charges) on any envelopes that come back.

Setting up your own service

If you would like reply-paid envelopes returned directly to your department, with your own address and branding, you will need to apply directly to Royal Mail for a Business Reply or Freepost licence. We recommend avoiding the Standard versions for large or heavy returns, as these can be costly and more economical tracked collection services may be available via Postal Services.

When designing the envelopes, ensure they comply with Royal Mail's specifications for layout, fonts and spacing, and obtain Royal Mail approval before printing. You should also check the envelope requirements, including paper weight, colour and opacity.

Contact postroom@reading.ac.uk for more information and guidance.

Finally, once you have received your licence details from Royal Mail and the designs have been approved please visit the Design and print studio website to arrange printing the design on envelopes.