Knowledge / Postal Shipments / Shipments / Categories

Shipment Category: shipment classification dependent of the kind of shipment and / or sender

Public Shipment: shipment category for public use without limitation

Shipment Destination: shipment category depending on the destination

Local Shipment: shipment category for local postal shipments

Neighboring Local Shipment: shipment category for postal shipments sent to a nearby location

Inland Shipment: shipment category for inland postal shipments

Foreign Shipment: shipment category for postal shipments in cross-border traffic

Foreign Shipment In Border Traffic: ship-ment category for postal shipments in cross-border traffic between 2 towns e.g. no more than 30 kilometers apart

Basic Postal Shipment: collective term for all postal shipments that can be sent by post

Articles For The Blind: free of charge basic postal shipment which may only contain written material in braille or audio recordings

Letter: sealed basic postal shipment for sending messages

Letter Printed Matter: fee reduced basic postal shipment as a hybrid between letters and printed matter

Book Post: fee reduced basic postal ship-ment for shipping printed works (e.g. books, sheet music)

Book Order: fee reduced basic postal ship-ment for ordering books and other printed matter

Dialogue Post: fee reduced basic postal shipment for bulk shipping in larger quantities

Printed Matter: fee reduced basic postal shipment whose content was only produced by mechanical or photomechanical reproduc-tion (e.g. printing)

Business Documents: fee reduced basic postal shipment whose content does not have the characteristics of a personal com-munication (e.g. files, documents)

Info Letter / Infopost: fee reduced basic postal shipment whose content was only produced by mechanical or photomechanical reproduction (e.g. printing)

Land Transportation: basic postal ship-ment in international traffic that should be transported via the slower but cheaper overland route

Bulk Rate Printed Matter: fee reduced basic postal shipment for sending printed matter in larger quantities

Small Parcel: basic postal shipment for sending small-format goods weighing up to 2 kilograms

Parcel: basic postal shipment for sending goods

Money Order: money transfer with cash payment to the recipient by the deliverer

Business Parcel: basic postal shipment for business parcel or small parcel with the same posting number

Postcard: basic postal shipment for sending short messages

Postcard With Answer: connected double card consisting of a question and an answer part. The first sender describes the question part and sends the double card to the recipient. This removes the question part and sends back the described answer part

Direct Mail: fee reduced basic postal ship-ment for sending mass printed matter with a collective address (e.g. to all households)

Student Letter: fee reduced basic postal shipment for sending pen pal letters between students that were transported internation-ally by airmail at land rates

Wrapper Newspaper: fee reduced basic postal shipment whose content was only produced by mechanical or photomechanical reproduction (e.g. printing)

Consignment Of Goods: fee reduced basic postal shipment for sending samples or paper goods

Business Printed Matter: fee reduced basic postal shipment which could contain a combination of printed matter, business papers and product samples

Payment Card: money transfer with cash payment at the post office counter and credited to a post office checking account

Additional Services: collective term for postal services that can (usually) be demanded from a sender for an additional fee to the basic shipment

Urgent: additional service in which a parcel is transported to the destination post office as quickly as possible and immediately del-ivered to the recipient by a special courier

Personal Delivery: additional service where a postal shipment is only given per-sonally to the specified recipient

Special Delivery: additional service in which a postal shipment is immediately del-ivered to the recipient by a special mes-senger after it has been received at the post office of destination

Throw In Registeration: additional service from Deutsche Post in which the sender rec-eives a certificate of delivery and the deliver-er documents the insertion into the recipient´s mailbox

Air Mail: additional service in which the transport takes place by aircraft at the request of the sender

Balloon Air Mail: additional service in which the transport takes place by hot air balloon at the request of the sender

Rocket Air Mail: additional service in which the transport takes place by rocket at the request of the sender

Air Field Post: free of charge additional service in which the transport of a military postal shipment is carried out by aircraft

Cash On Delivery: additional service in which the postal shipment is only handed over to the recipient after payment of the amount of money specified by the sender (special service in Germany until May 31, 1890)

Postident: additional service in which the recipient´s identity is determined in accor-dance with the law

Poste Restante: free of charge additional service in which a postal shipment is not delivered but is picked up by the recipient at the counter of a post office (charges apply in Germany until November 31, 1923)

Prio: additional service from Deutsche Post where a postal shipment is more likely to reach the recipient just one day after it is posted

Advice Of Delivery: additional service in which a recipient must acknowledge receipt of a postal shipment on a receipt which is then sent back to the sender

Express Parcel: additional service in which a parcel is transported to the destination post office as quickly as possible and immediately delivered to the recipient by a special courier

Fast Shipment: additional service in which a parcel is immediately delivered to the recipient by a special messenger after it has been received at the post office of desti-nation

Bulky Goods: additional service for a large format parcel that exceeds the maximum dimensions for standard parcels

Submarine: additional service in which the transport takes place by an underwater vessel at the sender´s request

Handing Over Registeration: additional service in which the sender´s delivery is certified and the recipient must confirm receipt of the postal shipment in writing

Value Declared: additional service in which the sender´s delivery is certified and the recipient must confirm receipt of the postal shipment with a signature. In the event of loss, the post is liable for the actual amount up to the stated value (special service in Germany until September 30, 1919)

Open Insurance: postal shipment with a value statement that this additional service can be identified "Wert M 156,000,000"

Silent Insurance: postal shipment with a value statement where this additional service is not visible on the postal shipment but on the delivery note

Confidential Official Shipment: additional service where an official shipment is only delivered to the specified recipient group (Vertrauliche Dienstsache)

Affidavit Of Service: additional service where a form is enclosed with a postal shipment on which the deliverer documents the formal delivery and then sends it back to the sender (special service in Germany from August 1st, 1964)

Special Services: collective term for postal services that can be charged to a sender for a fixed fee

Aerogramme: special service for a foreign letter with airmail consisting of an envelope or folded letter made of thin paper that weighs no more than 5 grams

Issuance Fee For Duplicates: special service in which a copy (double) of a postal document is created (e.g. certificate of posting)

Individual Address Check: special service in which the post checks the accuracy of a recipient´s address

Collective Address Check: special service in which the post office checks several recipients´ addresses in a city for accuracy

Cash On Delivery: special service in which the postal shipment is only handed over to the recipient after payment of the amount of money specified by the sender (additional service in Germany from June 1st, 1890)

Forwarding Request: special service with which a recipient instructs the post to for-ward the mail addressed to him to his new address

Postal Order: special service with which the post is commissioned to collect an amount of money from a recipient or to present a bill of exchange or check for redemption

Pneumatic Mail: special service in which the transport takes place in a can through pipelines using compressed or suction air (additional service in Germany from August 1st, 1927)

Consignment Of Goods With Proof Of Delivery: special service for shipments of goods in which the deliverer documents the insertion into the recipient´s mailbox

Value Declared: special service in which the sender´s delivery is certified and the recipient must confirm receipt of the postal shipment with a signature. In the event of loss, the post is liable for the actual amount up to the stated value (additional service in Germany from October 1st, 1919)

Newspaper Order: special service for ordering newspapers

Newspaper Matter: special service for the subsequent delivery or reordering of news-papers

Zeppelin Air Mail: special service in which the transport takes place by zeppelin aircraft at the request of the sender

Affidavit Of Service: special service where a form is enclosed with a postal item on which the deliverer documents the formal delivery and then sends it back to the sender (additional service in Germany until July 31, 1964)

Consumer Group Shipments: shipments that may only be sent by a specific group of senders

Official Shipment: mostly free of charge postal shipment between two authorities or an authority and a customer

Official Shipment From A Communal Authority: mostly free of charge postal shipment from a communal authority on official matters

Official Shipment From A State Author-ity: mostly free of charge postal shipment from a state authority on official matters

Error Message: free of charge postal shipment in which a destination post office notifies the posting post office of a missing postal item (e.g. parcel or newspaper)

Government Shipment: mostly free of charge postal shipment from a government office on official matters

Field Post Shipment: mostly free of charge postal shipment between a soldier and his relatives or two military units

Prisoner Of War Shipment free of charge postal shipment between a prisoner of war and his or her relatives

Homecoming Shipment: free of charge postal shipment for returning soldiers who have not yet been able to be released due to their wounds or illness

Post Office Shipment: free of charge postal shipment between two postal institutions or the post and a customer

Postal Check Letter: mostly free of charge postal shipment for the purpose of submit-ting orders from an account holder to his postal check office

Voting Letter: mostly free of charge postal shipment for returning the completed postal voting documents