Mail and parcel processing overview
Campus Mailing Services provides pick up, sorting, and distribution of UBC inter-departmental mail free of charge. We also pick up mail and parcels to be sent to off-campus locations. Any mail or parcels being delivered on behalf of UBC departements are charged back to departments on a cost-recovery only basis, with no additional markup. There are substantial savings to departments because of this service, as due to the volume of mail and parcels we process on a daily basis we are able to negotiate substantial volume discounts for the University. We can use virtually any carrier you’d like, and at any service level you require.
If you are not familiar with our mail distribution operations, including delivery schedules and service levels, you may want to visit Incoming Mail Sorting and Distribution before proceeding.
Setting up a mail metering account
In order to facilitate billing to departments on a monthly basis, departments who would like to use the outgoing mail processing services of CMS must fill out and submit an Application for Metering Services. Please note that it is the responsibility of departments to ensure that the information we have on file for their department is correct and up-to-date. Please ensure you contact us at 604-822-6046 or at campus.mail@ubc.ca immediately if there are any changes to your account.
If you are responsible for setting up several speed charts for billing at one time, you can use our Application for Metering Services – Multiple Accounts form.
Reconciling mail charges
Postage charges are posted to FMS on a monthly basis to account code 641000. If departments require backup or supporting documentation of these charges for audit purposes, they can obtain this by printing monthly statements available online, signing them, and filing them for records. Discrepancies can be looked into by contacting 604-822-6046. Please see the Mailing Services Viewer page for more informaton.
Preparing mail and parcels for processing
Before mail is picked up from your department, it must be separated and bundled into the following groups:
1) Inter-departmental mail
2) Outgoing domestic (Canadian) mail
3) Outgoing United States mail
4) Outgoing international mail
5) Outgoing ‘special’ mail (registered, courier, express, priority, etc.) with instructions
Each bundle must be individually marked with the speed chart to be charged, as well as contact information for the sender (name, department, and phone number). If mail is bundled incorrectly, or is not labeled with the correct speed chart, it may be refused or there may be substantial delays in processing your mail or parcels. In addition, anything being sent outside of Canada must have appropriate customs and duty information attached, including contents, value, purpose, intended recipients, etc.
If you have a preferred vendor to send your parcels with, please indicate this on the parcel. Canada Post is used for most shipments by default unless otherwise noted. We will always endeavor to send parcels and mail at the lowest cost to you.
Secure Tracking
When Campus Mail drivers pick up your mail, normally there is no sign off by mail staff indicating we have taken possession. For particularly sensitive items, or anything you’d like sign off on indicating we have picked it up, please do not leave it with your regular mail. We can provide this type of service (for a nominal fee) via our courier driver. Please call our courier service at 604-822-9495 and our driver would be happy to provide a signature upon pickup for sensitive items. If your item is inter-departmental, we will enter it in our internal tracking system once it reaches the mail room, and will get a signature from the end recipient. If it is destined for UBC Okanagan, or for external distribution, we can email you a tracking number for the carrier being used if you place your email address and speed chart on the item.
Furter information on our courier service, including hours, service levels, and rates, can be found here.
Addressing mail
All mail or parcels being sent out from the University must comply with strict addressing guidelines. These can be found on our Addressing Mail section. Mail addressed improperly will be returned to sender for re-addressing.
Large (bulk) mail outs
If you are planning on sending out a bulk shipment (>200 pieces) of mail across campus, then you must ensure that it is sorted appropriately. Bulk orders must be sorted first into UBC mail zone (1-4), and then by department name. If this sorting is not completed, there will be significant delays in sorting and distributing your mail. If you are having printing done by an off-campus printer, please ensure they are boxed by mail zone and then by department within that zone.
If you are sending out a bulk shipment externally, please contact us at 604-822-6046 to discuss your needs. The more advanced notice we have, the better we will be able to ensure we can meet your deadlines and keep your postage costs low. There may be substantial savings available if your mail meets certain requirements, and we are happy to help you realize them.
We highly recommend that you consult Canada Post’s ‘Machineable Mail Advisor‘ if you would like us to send out a high volume of mail, postcards, advertisements, etc. on your behalf. This website provides specific guidelines of what is requred to have mail billed as ‘standard’ (cheaper) versus ‘non-standard’ (more expensive). By making sure your mail is compliant with Canada Post’s guidelines, you could save up to 50% on your postage costs.
Campus Mailing Services is not responsible for either increased postage costs, or items being returned to sender, if your mail is deemed not compliant by Canada Post. To save yourself unnecessary delays, increased printing costs, and original postage charges, please consult Canada Post’s website before having your items printed. Please call us at 604-822-6046 if you have any questions.
Business reply account
To apply for a Business Reply Account, departments must complete and submit an Application for Business Reply Mail Account.
Canada Post charges an annual account fee for business reply mail and Campus Mailing Services (CMS) maintains an account with Canada Post on behalf of the UBC.
To recover the initial cost of the Canada Post account, CMS will charge all Business Reply Mail users an annual fee of $100.00. Payment for this is charged automatically to the speed chart you provide on the registration form. This charge will go through annually until CMS is instructed to close the account. All additional costs for postage will be debited directly from your departmental speedchart through UBC’s Financial Management Information System (FMS).
Further questions? Want a quotation?
If you have any questions about your mail account, or would like some guidance on what various services may cost, please contact our Mail Processing Coordinator at 604-822-6046.