Whenever I post out a parcel I add a small sticker to the back with the word sender followed by my name and address. A couple of times recently the post office clerk has put a line through it and again today he did it to 2 of my parcels. Intrigued I asked why - the response was that the address is scanned and sorted electronically and if the parcel happens to go in upside down it will scan my postcode and send the parcel right back to me. I was told I should put a line through my postcode so it couldnāt be read by the scanner. Just wondered if anyone had heard of this before or indeed actually had a parcel sent back to them in this way.
I never put my name on parcels but I always put my house number and post codeā¦the ladies at the post office do this if I forget itā¦I DO put FROM in large letters as wellā¦never had anything backā¦(yet)
Iāve heard of some one having an item delivered to them twice rather than being sent to the TO address on the front (they popped it back in the box after the first incorrect delivery). I always abbreviate my sender address to my surname, house number and postcode and put a large āfromā next to it - never had any problems with this.
I have some very small stickers (about 1 inch square) with my shop name and address on and always put one on the back at the very end of the parcel. Havenāt had a problem so farā¦
I always put my address on the back with sender in capital letters (I have one of those rubber stamp kits so I just stamp it on). The Post Office I go to always check to make sure that there is a sender address on the back.
Also if you use online postage the labels have a field for you to enter the sender address which goes on the front of the parcel!
Also I am sure some of the envelopes/packaging you buy from Royal Mail have Sender adress on there too. So really confused 
1 Like
I always put my house number and post code under āsenderā on the back and I havenāt had anything back or been told to put a line through the postcode, not heard of that before!, ā¦Although there was a lady at the post office the other day who was reposting a parcel that she had posted as it had been sent to her and not to the address on the front, so itās possible that her postcode was scanned like you say and that is what happened to her?
I have small printed stickers with my shop name and address on which I stick on the back of the package eveythings been ok so far (touches wood).
Never heard of this before I always put sender name and address, itās a new one for me, will have to ask at PO next time.Thanks for the tip
Yeah, Iāve always written āsenderā and the my surname, house no, and postcode, never had an issue. ātouches woodā
I always put my name house number and postcode on back and mark as sender. When posting internationally name and full address is on the front, then the lady in the PO puts a line through it for the reason given to Roz @OrchardFelts but has never crossed out the abbreviated version on the back. But thereās always a first time.
Gill
I have my āfromā details as a line at the bottom of the customer address label, but in a much smaller font. I canāt forget to add my details, and it avoids the ātwo labelsā problem.
Never heard of that before I always put a return address on but do not put my shop name on in case it is seen to be of value
1 Like
Maybe itās just how itās written- and if itās written in a way that just looks like a normal address without āsenderā or āreturn addressā written next to it it can confuse people/the machine? Just a thought as Iāve never had an issue.
I have a label that I always stick on the back (baring in mind I use art tubes) I put the address Iām sending to in the middle and my return address sticker on the back and near one of the ends.
My sticker says āreturn address:ā followed by my address- I donāt bother putting my name on that part though. Itās always checked by the post office staff as well to make sure it has the return address on. No one has ever crossed through it- nor has my own delivery ever been sent to me.
I always make mine a small Sender with my folksy shop name and my address.
In fact once I forgot and my post office lady said youāve forgotten to put your return address on the package and give it back so I could write it on.
I only send parcels and I always have a return address label on the reverse. Itās placed in a corner, rather than the main address label which is central (if thereās enough room for the postage label), the return address is also a lot smaller font than the main address, and it has got āSenderā at the top before my name and address underneath. I canāt believe the post office computers canāt cope with two addresses being on the parcels, or weād all be getting loads of our own parcels coming back to us. The scanner must pick up the postage label and make sure the parcel is facing the right way before the delivery address is read, or that would be totally random.
I have some small printed stickers with my business name/address and always put one in the top left corner on the front of my parcels/jiffy bags I take them to the Post Office and the lady behind the counter has never crossed it out.
We have a business label and a domestic one, printed here on my computer (8up on A4 = A7).
Here is a copy of our domestic version (home address has been changed to remain private).
So our return address is just part of the label. Itās always worked well for us.
J
1 Like
I use a a small printer address sticker on the back but the other way round, if you know what I mean. The Post Office I send from always check that my I have my address on the back because they said that they must have a return address.
I was advised by my uncle, whoās been a postman for many years, that itās important to put your street address and postcode in the back of a parcel incase it canāt be delivered and has to be sent back. I write from in capitals and just my business name, street address and postcode. I donāt bother with a full address.
Also, I have had one item returned to me after something went wrong my end and the number of the recipients house smudged and clouding be delivered. It came back to me with my address exactly as it was, no lines through anything.
The post bags and boxes from Post office have a space for a senders address. My local PO always check Ive put a senders address on and have never seen them cross out the postcode