Postal package
A parcel is generally referred to as a postal parcel, i.e. a parcel that is sent by post or a comparable service.
history
Parcels are mail items which, due to their size, weight and content, cannot be sent as letter post items . Parcels were accepted in large quantities from the state and Thurn und Taxischen Posten with the establishment of a regular mail service in the middle of the 17th century. Up until the 19th century, the content and value of all mail deliveries had to be stated. All packages had to be sealed. The amount of damages was not limited. Parcel and value parcel could hardly be distinguished. Depending on the content, the fee for the package was charged by weight and distance or by value and distance.
A postal obligation for parcels up to 20 pounds was introduced in Prussia as early as 1715 and expanded to 40 pounds in 1782. With the reorganization of Prussia (1815) the uniformity was lost. Parcels up to 40 pounds in the older provinces, up to 2 pounds in the Rhine provinces and up to 50 pounds in the Bergische Landen, since 1852 at a uniform 20 pounds, were subject to the postal obligation. The maximum weight was also different, while Thurn and Taxis in 1706 only allowed parcels up to 30 or 40 pounds, in 1748 they increased this limit to 100 pounds. The same was true of Prussia. Bavaria had at times set 80 pounds, Württemberg at times 130 to 200 pounds as the limit. With the advent of the railroad, which could offer lower tariffs, maximum weights were no longer an issue. Since October 1, 1919, the maximum weight for domestic parcels was set at 20 kg. The postal obligation fell in 1860 for ordinary parcels and in 1868 for all parcels. After the state took over the post, Bavaria made parcels up to £ 15 compulsory, but allowed exceptions. In Württemberg, mail had been compulsory for certain goods since 1821.
Up until the middle of the 19th century, there was no difference between packages with or without a declaration of value in terms of the amount of the guarantee . In 1852 Prussia introduced a distinction between parcels with and without an indication of the value. The German-Austrian Post Association, Prussia, Bavaria (1858) and Württemberg (1851) limited the compensation for ordinary parcels to 10 silver groschen (Sgr.) Or 30 Kreuzer (Kr.) Per pound of the shipment. The North German Confederation increased the sum to 1 thaler or one gulden 45 kreuzers for the pound. The specified value has been replaced for valuables.
The Prussian postal regulation of 1824 referred to as a package what was worth up to 10 thalers per pound . Postage was 3 Pfg. Per pound and 5 miles , at least double the postage, for packages over 4 pounds at least three times the postage. With the advent of rail transport, the fee fell to 1½ times in 1847 if only the railroad was used. All other provisions remained unchanged. Since 1848, the value of ordinary parcels has been dispensed with. All packages were charged by weight. An insurance fee was added if the value was stated. These things, like postage calculation and shipping regulations, changed frequently.
The parcel accompanying papers, waybills, accompanying letters, parcel addresses, parcel cards were originally only required for larger items of freight, for parcels for which there was no space for an address, and for all transport mail. There was extensive freedom in the form of the accompanying documents. It was common to have properly sealed letters that were transported free of charge up to a certain weight (¾ lot, 1 inch lot). They were not allowed to contain any valuables. However, a sheet of paper (address) was also sufficient, on which, in addition to the address, the nature of the shipment (packaging), the value or other notes were written down. In addition, the cover letter had to contain an imprint of the seal from the same seal with which the package was closed. The obligation to close packages with seals or seals has been lifted in Prussia and Bavaria since 1871 and in Württemberg since 1875. In the northern German postal district, correspondence cards could be used as an accompanying letter. Until 1873, accompanying letters, together with the parcels, were carried with the driving mail, then with the letter post, independently of the parcels. In 1874 the parcel address (yellow stiff paper) was introduced. After use, it became the property of Swiss Post (but not with some foreign postal administrations, such as Switzerland, Belgium, Great Britain, USA). Only the section could always be cut off by the recipient; it could be used for short messages. From 1910 there were also parcel addresses for cash on delivery parcels with an attached postal order. Since July 1, 1914, they have been called Paketkarten.
Package label
A package label guides a package from the sender to the recipient . At least the delivery address of the recipient and the sender address must be printed. For cost reasons, the sticker is almost exclusively created using the direct thermal printing method. The adhesive and thermal paper should be such that the sticker is destroyed when it is removed from the package.
In addition, the following data is often printed:
- date
- Weight
- Number of packages ( package X of Y )
- Package number / identity code as barcode and plain text (see also NVE )
- Router barcode (s) / routing code
- Routing information
- Postage
- Service type (in the example express service 24h )
- Comment (e.g. please do not throw )
Provider (selection)
The US companies United Parcel Service and FedEx are global market leaders in the parcel business . In addition to the respective former state postal service providers, other companies such as Hermes Europe have developed on the European markets .
The DHL Paket is a product of the Deutsche Post DHL Group for the national and international transport of goods up to a maximum weight of 31.5 kg. For both national and international shipping, the minimum dimensions are 15 cm X 11 cm X 1 cm, the maximum 120 cm X 60 cm X 60 cm. In contrast to small parcels, these packages are insured against loss of up to EUR 500 as standard, higher insurance policies can be purchased as an option. In certain cases, the Deutsche Post DHL Group excludes consignments from transport. This includes, among other things, the transport of objects of value over a certain value or of objects or shipments that pose a risk to people or property.
See also
literature
- Packages, packages . Special issue of the magazine " Das Archiv Magazin für Kommunikationgeschichte", issue No. 1/2017; to postal parcels with eight specialist articles and numerous references
