South African Post Office Carrier Info & Tips
Even people in distant lands should be eligible to receive mail and parcels. That is what important role accomplishes South African Post Office or simply SAPO. This company is governed by the state, which holds the monopoly on mail delivery. After long years of development, the South African Post Office has created several departments, which provide services in logistics, mailing, banking, commerce with retail services. It accomplishes delivery not only around South Africa but also across the world.
Domestic
Sending packages to the rest of the world may be easier with a large delivery company in each country. However, domestic delivery plays a far more important role as it connects people from different parts of South Africa. Therefore, SAPO has various available services.
Parcel Plus
In case you are looking for a cost-effective package delivery service, then you need Parcel Plus. It allows the company to deliver a package from one post office to another one. There are two options to choose from:
- EconoParcel. It allows to save money if your package is not heavier than 1kg and it does not exceed 458x324x100mm size.
- Ordinary Parcel. In case your package is heavier than 1kg, and or large than 353x250 x30mm size you will need to use this option. The maximum allowed length is 1m.
It is suitable for eCommerce and some retail as you can use cash on delivery feature. Thus, the addressee will have to pay for the delivery. Moreover, senders can easily track their shipment on every stage of the delivery process.
Fast & Ordinary Mail
Fast Mail is a wonderful solution when you need to deliver something written rapidly. Depending on what item you need to send, there are different envelops, which you can use. Their main difference is the allowed size and weight. Such delivery options are suitable for sending something up to 1kg. It will be performed in one business day if to send around the same city or two business days to other destinations.
Ordinary Mail is almost the same. The requirements for weight and size are the same. However, the prices and delivery time is different. It is definitely cheaper, but to have your mail delivered within a city you will need to wait up to two business days while to other destinations up to three business days.
Registered Mail
It often happens that customers need to send some valuable documents effectively. The registered mail option grants insurance that if it will be damaged or lost, you will receive some compensation. Moreover, the tracking number is attached to such mail. Therefore, you can easily track the delivery process to always know where your mail is. Speaking about envelope sizes and requirements, the customer has three different options:
- Small. Dimensions are 235mmx120mm and the weight limit is up to 50g.
- Medium. Dimensions are 250mmx176mm and the weight limit is up to 1kg.
- Large. Dimensions are 353mmx250mm and the weight limit is up to 1kg.
Post Boxes
Sometimes it occurs that addressee cannot meet the courier to get the delivery. It is not a problem if you have booked a Post Box. This service allows you to have your delivery secured in your personal box, which you can access only with a key. In case you have lost the key, it is not a problem, as you can easily get the new one. Those, parcels that are large than your post box, you still will have to pick up at the post office.
EasiPost
Not every sender has a package, which is suitable for delivery. Therefore, clients of the South African Post Office can use EasiPost. It provides multiple packages, envelops, tubes of different sizes, which make it suitable for various delivery needs. Additionally, you receive a bubble wrap to ensure that your item will not be damaged during transportation.
Fax Mail
Not everyone in South Africa has fax, but important fax documents have to be delivered. With Fax Mail it is quite possible even to some distant addressees. The service fees directly depend on the volume of pages the faxed document has. The addressee just needs to go to the post office to collect the fax. It is necessary to mention that the sender has to notify the person who has to collect the papers, that fax has been sent.
International
There are thoughts that to deliver something to and from South Africa is very difficult. It is not as efficient as in other parts of the world, but it is possible and even quite efficient. South African Post Office offers a vast range of delivery services.
EMS
Express Mail Service or simple EMS is an international delivery service, which follows the guidelines of the Universal Postal Union. It is very fast but may be a little bit more expensive than other services. The delivery price greatly depends on what time of parcel you have and how fast it has to be delivered. By air, it is faster but requires more costs. Surface transportation is cheaper but may take more time.
Parcels
Simple parcels are convenient to dispatch or send goods and materials that are too large for packages that weigh up to 30kg. The maximum weight differs from country to country. It is suitable for both private and commercial purposes. Customs documentation varies according to the requirements of different countries. Products should always be securely packed and sealed by the sender.
This service includes the distribution of parcels received from and posted to foreign countries. The maximum mass of parcels accepted for dispatch to foreign destinations varies from 10 to 30 kg. The maximum length is limited to 1m and the sum of the length and the circumference to 2m. The name and address of the sender and of the addressee should be printed or written on the cover, as well as on the parcel label of every parcel sent by post.
International Mail allows customers to send letters of different sizes together with small packets up to 2kg and large packages to 30kg. The delivery is going to be accomplished by airmail or surface transportation means. It is a fast and convenient option for delivery to distant countries.
Publishers Bags. In case you have plenty of printed material for delivery, you should consider these options. It is oriented on delivering large amounts of letters, newspapers, postcards, etc. without overpaying. The minimum weight limit is 5kg.
PX Containers
This brand's focus is on moving consolidated loads of up to three tons between larger centers in Southern Africa. This unique concept is updated by ongoing innovations focused on customers' needs and keeping pace with modern freight trends. PX services every aspect of clients' distribution and consolidated loads requirements. By focusing on this market, this delivery company is able to offer customers a personalized and specifically tailored freight distribution facility. South African Post Office provides the most important link in product marketing and distribution chain. SAPO believes that this approach makes us unique in the distribution market.
South African Post Tracking Number Peculiarities
Tracking possibilities play a very important role in the delivery industry. It allows customers to know that parcels and mail are not lost. On another side, it helps the delivery company where to look for a shipment if it has been lost, as there are records on the last delivery steps. Every company uses a specific tracking number format. As for the South African Post tracking number format, it consists of 14 characters. The first two are letters, which followed by 1 as a digit, in the middle you have 9 digits, as for the ending is always the same 9ZA. Here are some examples:
- ZX10987654329ZA;
- CN19123456789ZA;
- PE10101020349ZA.
Moreover, SAPO has an EMS service. As it relies on the rules of UPU, it has the same 13-character format of tracking numbers as express services in other countries. They look like this:
- CN123456689AF;
- UK098765432AF;
- US192837465AF.
Average Delivery Time
The average delivery time greatly depends on the destination. While sending something national wide it requires several business days with a maximum of one week if there are some delays. International delivery requires a bit more time.
- Parcels. The target destination greatly influences the delivery time of parcels, which may take up to 5 business days.
- Registered Mail. Such a delivery option requires a little bit more time to be sure that the content will not be damaged during transportation. Thus, it takes up to 6 business days.
- Airmail. It is a quite fast solution to have your mail delivered, and it needs up to 4 business days.
- EMS. Express Mail Service can accomplish delivery your parcels and mail fast enough, which requires up to 4 business days.
