Outgoing Mail

Outgoing mail is picked up daily by the USPS from Station B Post Office and The Commons Center daily at 4:00 p.m. Any mail collected in the drop boxes after 4:00 p.m. will be processed on the next business day.

Baker Building Drop Boxes
USPS outgoing mail or campus mail deposited at this location after 10:20 a.m. will be processed the next business day.

Addressing/Preparing Your Outgoing Mail

The accuracy of the address affects the speed and handling of your mail. You should never have more than five total lines.

Example:

Company Name
Person / Recipient
Suite# / PO Box
Address
City, State, ZIP- +4 (if +4 is known)

Return Address — Print, type, or use pre-printed labels with your return address in the upper left-hand corner on the front of the envelope. Be certain to use your PMB number if you are mailing from campus.

Extra Services — Place labels for extra services, such as certified, signature, or delivery confirmation to the left of the postage and to the right of the return address.

Street Address — Use a post office box or a street address but not on the same line. The last two lines should always be the physical street address and the city, state, and ZIP code. Always use a directional (for instance, NW for Northwest); be sure to use this because there may be more than one Main St.

Apartment or Suite Number — The correct apartment or suite number helps to ensure delivery to the right location. This should go above the address or below the name of the recipient.

City, State, and ZIP Code — This should always be the last line below the physical street address. To find the correct spelling of a city name or to find a ZIP code, visit http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/ or call 1-800-ASK-USPS. Using the correct ZIP code helps to direct your mail more efficiently and accurately. It also helps to use the correct plus 4 code.

Mailing Supplies — Supplies and forms for USPS Express Mail, Priority Mail, Certified Mail, and Signature Confirmation are available free of charge at the Station B Post Office and the Peabody satellite office at The Commons Center. While you are not required to use the free envelopes and boxes, you are required to use the USPS address labels for Express Mail and certain other services. Station B sells only #10 envelopes for personal mailing; however, the Vanderbilt Bookstore sells all types of envelopes and shipping supplies.

Separating Mail

Mail will receive faster processing through Vanderbilt University Mail Services if it is separated into bundles. Foreign mail should be clearly marked and separate from domestic mail or campus mail. Registered, certified, insured, and other special-service mail should be bundled separately. Self-stamped or pre-stamped mail should be separate from mail needing metering or campus mail.

Metered Mail

All metered mail should be separated into bundles, international, domestic, special services, and other services.

Sealing Envelopes

To save your department time, we can seal envelopes for free at the time that meter postage is applied; however, all flaps must be flat down (like they came out of the box). We do charge .02 cents each to seal envelopes that already have postage applied. We charge .05 cents for all items that are non automation or will not go through our metering machine and require a meter strip.

Grouping by Weight

Mail that has been grouped by weight can be metered faster, i.e., all 1oz. letters together, all 2oz. letters together, and so on.