A lot of people don’t realise that franking machines are now able to process a lot more than just 1st and 2nd Class letters; gone are the days of queuing in the Post Office in your lunch hour just to get proof of postage!
A Mailmark franking machine offers the highest discounts on all accessible services, and enables you to pay for all products from the comfort of your office. When utilising some of these products, the Royal Mail provide stationery that must be used in accordance with the service selected – the most common are additional options to collect a signature upon delivery (Signed For), or to guarantee that your item gets there next-day (Special Delivery Guaranteed, either 9am or 1pm):
Signed For is a domestic service only (within the UK) and whilst you aren’t able to track the item through the postal system, a signature is collected upon delivery and you can view that at www.royalmail.com/track-your-item. It is worth noting however, that the Royal Mail do offer an International Signed For service which also provides the same signature upon delivery but must be recorded in another posting book (using sticker P4723) – further details below.
Special Delivery Guaranteed is also a domestic product, but the item being sent is fully trackable as it makes its way through the postal system. A signature is collected upon delivery (see www.royalmail.com/track-your-item) and compensation is included for anything that doesn’t arrive at its destination (up to either £500 or £1,000). It is also worth noting that the Royal Mail do offer an International Tracked & Signed service which provides all of the above (using sticker P6696) but at a significantly higher cost.
Important information – The Royal Mail will be updating this service on 1st November 2022. From this date your franking machine will need to print the 1D tracking barcode replacing the requirement to affix the orange and silver adhesive labels. Read more about these changes.
Both Signed For and Special Delivery Guaranteed services require a sticker with a tracking number attached. You can keep a copy of the tracking number yourself in a posting book. Signed For is orange and Special Delivery Guaranteed is silver.
To be able to access and order mail supplies, you need to register as a business on Royal Mail. Simply visit www.royalmail.com/business and select ‘register’. Make sure that you use the same email address that will be used to order mail supplies as this will become your login. After registering, check back in 24-48 hours for access. This is a new system so there are still a few teething problems, however issues can be quickly resolved by using the online ‘chat’ facility.
Once registered, visit https://shop.royalmail.com; you will need to login (using the details for the account your created above).
For stationery, including SignedFor books and tracking labels, and Special Delivery Guaranteed books and tracking labels; click on the ‘Online Mail Supplies’ drop-down menu, and select either:
Royal Mail Signed For
The Signed For posting book is used ONLY for items being sent in the UK – USE LABEL P2223.
or Special Delivery Guaranteed
The Special Delivery book is used for recording items being sent:
1. Special for delivery before 9am or 12pm in the UK – USE LABEL P6396
2. International Signed For – USE LABEL P4723
3. International Signed & Tracked – USE LABEL P6696.
Add the product(s) you require to the basket and click ‘Checkout’. You will need to check and confirm your delivery details before continuing to the “payment” page. After agreeing to the Terms & Conditions, place your order – delivery takes 3-5 working days. We would recommend keeping a spare posting book and roll of labels in your office so that you don’t run out.
In the online shop you are also able to purchase items such a stamp books, jiffy bags, envelopes and polythene bags; or order trays for your Business Mail Advanced post:
Type ‘trays’ in the search bar and select the first option that appears ‘Royal Mail Trays’.
The default order quantity is 10 trays but you can order as many or as few as you need. You must separate items by size, service and class – ie. all the 1st Class DL letters in one tray, and all the 2nd Class C4 Large Letters in another tray. Each tray will hold a maximum of 340 x DL/C5 (Letter) items, (or 80 x C4 (or Large Letter) items, and there is a maximum weight of 10kg per tray. Please note that Signed For or Special Delivery items must be kept separate and handed to your collection driver.
