Are names important in mailing address?
Posted by Party_Quail1405@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 19 comments
I need to ship something to my friend’s place in London, next month I’ll get it from him while visiting. Do I have to write his name on the package or I can write mine?
Cuz in the US, all you need is the correct address, package gets send to the address they don’t care about the recipient’s name.
Fluffy_Race_3766@reddit
Royal mail and post office only use 2 things. The post code and the door number. Everything else is redundant. Names are only for the recipient but royal mail couldn't care less. Post code and door number is all that matters
PipBin@reddit
See, now you got two upvotes for that. I said exactly the same and got a downvote
Fluffy_Race_3766@reddit
Oh. Sorry I wasn't copying you. I just answered the question and closed it. I learnt it from working at a post office a while back. I assume you know cos of similar reasons
Stripycardigans@reddit
The name isn't important for delivering it, but if they're not home and they have to pick ot up from a depot they may be asked for ID which matches the name on the parcel
fiddly_foodle_bird@reddit
Not really, but it is good etiquette.
In fact you could probably just put the post code and it's still very likely to arrive. But it's best to stick to a policy of "the more information, the better".
PipBin@reddit
All you really need is the postcode and flat or house number. No one cares about the name really.
Maximum_Scientist_85@reddit
But in the real world the final mile or so is delivered by a human, so it’s sensible to put a name and address on
(My dad was a postie and, whilst they still make every effort to get the letter/parcel to the right place, it’s annoying as they’re on a schedule to deliver stuff - not trying to play summer bizarre logic/deduction game for fun)
Bbew_Mot@reddit
No unless you're sending mail to Germany in which case the surname is absolutely compulsory.
Party_Quail1405@reddit (OP)
Thanks!
Which-Balance-1427@reddit
No, you can even just write “to the occupant” if you like, it’ll get there.
Party_Quail1405@reddit (OP)
Thanks!
EllieW47@reddit
I was always taught in those circumstances to write:
Your name, C/O his name, Address
C/o being an abbreviation for care of.
BriefAmphibian7925@reddit
/u/Party_Quail1405 It's better to do this in case your friend misses the delivery and needs to collect it or something. It probably wouldn't be a problem anyway but just in case.
Party_Quail1405@reddit (OP)
Yes it makes sense, didn’t know the c/o thing, thanks
Party_Quail1405@reddit (OP)
Thank you!
tmstms@reddit
If your friend is there, it really really doesn't matter.
It only matters if someone who is a complete stranger is living there and does not realise it has intentionally been sent there.
Philluminati@reddit
It should arrive regardless of the name on the package.
When people move home they can set up mail forwarding to a new address, where name would be significant identifier is how the mail is handled but in this scenario writing your own name would be fine.
No-Jicama-6523@reddit
You could write no name, his name or your name and it will very likely be fine. However, it takes barely any extra time to write it out in full as Your name C/o his name His address Gives more room for error if anything goes wrong.
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