Mail Services

All student mail is processed by Mail Services and may be collected either at the pick-up window or from self-service lockers, both located on the garden level of the Julia McWilliams Child ’34 Campus Center.

When a letter or package is received, students will receive an email notification to their Smith College email address indicating that the item is being prepared for pickup. Please allow up to two hours for processing, sorting, and placement into a locker. During peak periods (such as the beginning of the academic year or other high-volume times) processing may take up to one business day.

Once a package has been loaded into a locker, a second email will be sent with detailed pickup instructions and locker information. If your package has not been loaded after two hours, please visit the pick-up window on the garden level of the Campus Center to retrieve your package.

To pick up a letter or package at the pick-up window, please visit Mail Services during open hours and present your Smith College OneCard and Student Unit Number.

For safety and policy compliance, the following items may not be sent to the college mailroom or residence houses:

• Hazardous materials (flammable, explosive, corrosive, or toxic items)
• Alcohol, illegal drugs, and controlled substances
• Tobacco, nicotine, and vaping products, including e-cigarettes and related devices
• Weapons or weapon components, including firearms and ammunition
• Candles, incense, and open-flame or heat-producing devices
• Live animals or insects
• Items prohibited by residence house or campus policies

Packages containing restricted items may be refused, returned, or disposed of at the sender’s expense.

For questions or exceptions, contact Mail Services before shipping.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you will be living off campus, please notify banks, subscription services, friends, and family of your new address or permanent home address. Magazine and newspaper publishers should be contacted well in advance, as address changes can take up to four weeks to take effect.

Mail Types and Forwarding Policies

First Class Mail (Letters, bank statements, official documents, etc.)

• U.S. Addresses:
   Mail Services will forward all first-class mail to the permanent U.S. address on record. If you would like your mail forwarded to a different U.S. address, please email Mail Services with the updated information.

• Students are responsible for submitting a change-of-address request with the United States Postal Service when relocating from their permanent address.

• International Addresses:
   Mail Services is unable to forward mail to international addresses.

Standard Mail (Magazines, Newspapers, Catalogs, Etc.)
Standard mail is not forwarded and will be recycled. Students are responsible for contacting publishers and subscription services directly to update their mailing address.

Packages
All packages will be returned to the sender. Students are responsible for updating shipping addresses with all online retailers and vendors.

Mail Forwarding for Graduated Students

Graduates may request first-class mail forwarding for up to six months after graduation.

To ensure your Amazon deliveries reach Mail Services accurately and on time, please review and update the delivery address settings in your Amazon account. Incorrect or missing delivery settings may result in delays or failed deliveries.

Ordering from Amazon

When adding your Smith College address in Amazon, make sure the following settings are selected:

• Include your Student Unit Number in the address
• Property Type: Business
• Delivery Hours:
   Monday - Friday: 9:00 a.m. -  4:00 p.m.
   Saturday - Sunday: Closed for deliveries
  Federal Holiday Deliveries: No

Delivery Location: Mailroom

Where can I pick up my mail and packages?
Mail Services is located on the garden level of the Julia McWilliams Child ’34 Campus Center at 100 Elm Street. The facility features  staffed pickup window and 600 self-service lockers for convenient package retrieval.

When can I pick up my mail or packages?
When students receive letters or packages, they will be notified by email. Letters, large envelopes, magazines, and oversized packages can be picked up at the staffed window.

If the email indicates that a package is in a locker, students should go to the designated locker bank and either enter the provided PIN or scan the QR code. Locker banks are accessible during all open hours of the Campus Center.

Can I return packages through Mail services?
Mail Services accepts returns with a prepaid shipping label that includes a barcode. Returns with only a QR code cannot be accepted.

Can I mail out items or purchase stamps from Mail Services?
Yes! Mail Services provides outgoing shipping through USPS, UPS, and FedEx. A variety of shipping supplies are also available for purchase, including stamps, envelopes, padded mailers, and cardboard boxes.

When should I ship my personal belongings to Smith?
Due to high volume and limited space, items should be shipped to arrive no earlier than five days before a student’s arrival date at Smith. Thank you!

Will I be able to receive perishable items at Smith?
Yes. Perishable packages are marked as “perishable” when logged in and are processed immediately for pickup.

If I live off-campus but, in the area, will I be able to send items to my Smith address?
No. Students living off campus in the local area should have their mail and packages sent to their off-campus address.

Personal Mail or Personal Packages: Personal mail and packages can be brought to Mail Services' Retail Window for processing.

Payment Method: Mail Services accepts cash, check or Campus Cash. College business may charged to a department's org.

Interdepartmental Charge Back Method: Mail Services charges the org on the postage order form submitted with the mail to be sent out. If a Postage Order Form is not provided to Mail Services with the mail, then the return address on the envelope is used to charge a department's default org.

If a Postage Order Form is not utilized and the envelope does not have a Smith College departmental return address, then Mail Services has the right to open the envelope to identify a department to charge.

Tracking Postage Charges: The Mail Services Postage Order Form is the only method for tracking postage charges. If your department opts not to use Postage Order Forms, then Mail Services cannot substantiate your department's postal charges.

Campus Mail vs. Outgoing Mail: Please keep outgoing mail separate from campus mail. The campus mail is for delivering official college communications. Mail in your department to be picked up by the college mail truck and that exceeds the 5 bucket, letter trays, box or 50 lb. limit, must have a special pick-up. To arrange for a special pick-up, please submit a work order to Facilities Management via FacilitiesLink.

Campus Building Addresses (Excel doc)

First-Class Metered Mail: This service is used for Smith College business correspondence. Mail Services will not process any personal mail. Any Smith College business item that can be mailed can be sent via first-class mail. This includes postcards, letters, large envelopes and packages. Any piece over 13 ounces will be sent as priority mail.

First-Class Mail Presorted: First-class presorted mail gets processed the same as first class mail, but at a discounted rate.

• For a mailing to qualify for first class presort service, the mailing must meet the minimum of 500 identical pieces.
• The entire mailing must be in sequential zip code order, from lowest to highest, in the mail trays, before being sent to Mail Services.

Nonprofit, Standard, Library & Media Rate Mail: These are various discounted rate mailing options primarily used for books, magazines, newsletters and production (bulk) mailings. Departments can obtain substantial savings by using any of these options.

• Plan ahead with your mailings by allowing a few extra days for the material to reach its destination, versus the more costly first-class option.
• Automation of a nonprofit or production (bulk) mail has a 200 piece minimum.

Nonprofit: Eligibility to use nonprofit rates is based on the eligibility of the content of the mail piece. Mail classified as Nonprofit Standard Mail must meet the general standards for Production Mail.

• Prohibitions and restrictions: Nonprofit prices are not permitted for mailing promotional material, for credit cards, and promotional material for commercially available insurance and travel arrangements.

Media Mail: Media Mail service is a cost efficient way to mail books, sound recordings, CD's, DVD's, and printed music. Media Mail cannot contain advertising except for incidental announcement of books. The maximum weight for this service is 70 pounds.

Library Mail: This service can only be used for items on loan from or mailed between academic institutions, public libraries, museums, and other qualified organizations.

• The content is limited to books, sound recordings, academic theses, and other certain items.
• The name of the school or nonprofit organization must show in the address, or return address of each mail piece.

Certified Mail & Return Receipt: This service provides you with a receipt for proof of mailing and a tracking number.

Registered Mail: This service provides the maximum protection for valuables, particularly useful for overseas mailing.

Express Mail: This service offers overnight delivery to many destinations within the United States. Express mail is delivered to many locations 365 days a year.

Priority Mail: Priority Mail is an expedited service. It is usually two to three days for delivery, though there is no guarantee. Priority Mail is required on any mail piece that weighs more than 13 ounces.

• Mail Services carries many Priority Mail shipping envelopes and boxes in many different sizes. Please feel free to call and check availability.

Please provide two copies of forms to Mail Services if you would like one returned for your records.

• Customs Forms (USPS Online)

Mail Services collaborates with UMass Amherst for production mail jobs. The Production Mailing Form and mailing materials should still be sent to Mail Services.

• If the UMass Bulk Mail Center has any questions, they may contact you directly.
• Our goal is to process all addressing jobs within 48 hours of receipt of all the job materials.
• Please allow a 48 to 72 hour processing lead time for all addressing jobs.
• Submit all addressing jobs to Mail Services with an Excel spreadsheet (sent via email) and the Production Mailing Form. All job requests must be submitted by the project coordinator or person responsible for the job.

Requirements

All materials must be received by Mail Services no later than noon for same day delivery to UMass. Please allow an additional 24 hours to process all jobs.

Mail Piece Specifications

• Size requirements: at least 3" x 5" up to 13" x 15-1/2"
• Thickness: no more than 1.25" thick
• Weigh less than 16 oz.
• Matte or Dull paper finish: If glossy or coated paper is used, the address block must be masked (in print terminology, this is called a knockout)
• Please remember that field names must be identified with headers. If multiple files are being used, the format and fields must be identical and common amongst the files submitted. Campus mail, Five College mail and international records must be in unique columns.
• Please remember that for mail to countries outside the United States, the country name must be spelled out on the spreadsheet.

Indicia

The indicia for Smith College is tied to Smith’s permit at the Amherst post office. Please use this indicia when creating new publications and mailings with the indicia preprinted on the material.

Please note:

1. The indicia needs to reside in the upper right corner of the address panel
2. The minimum font size is 8 point
3. The indicia can be any color, but the density must be 80 percent or higher

The software that Mail Services uses to verify addresses or address moves is call Satori. The Satori software identifies new addresses of recent moves, and helps to correct inaccurate addresses by adding missing information such as apartment numbers. This helps cut down on the number of undeliverable mail pieces.

The new USPS® Move Update Standard took effect on November 23, 2008. In a continuing effort to reduce undeliverable as addressed (UAA) mail, mailers are now required to demonstrate they have updated their mailing list within 95 days (formally 185 days) and now applies to all Standard and First-Class Mail.

The address verification service will help you meet this USPS requirement and help to ensure all your mail reaches its destination.

Please submit an Excel spreadsheet in the format below. Address Format (PDF File) Mail Services will run the addresses through the Satori software and return your Excel spreadsheet to you with information to help correct issues identified by Satori Software.

Address Check Pricing
$0.03 per address (100 address minimum)

For packages that require a customs order form, please submit the appropriate completed customs form if required.

• For packages less than four pounds use form 2976
• For packages four pounds or over, use form 2976-A