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A stamped or written reason code on undelivered mail being sent back.
Also known as: Undeliverable mark, Gone away mark, RTS mark
A return to sender mark is applied to mail that cannot be delivered, and the part that matters is the reason beside it: gone away, addressee unknown, refused, no such address, not called for, deceased. Each has a different consequence for the sender — one means correct the address, another means delete the record, a third means the address is right and the recipient declined. Reading the mark as merely 'it came back' throws away the only useful information on the envelope.
Carries a reason code that decides what the sender should do: an address error to correct, a record to delete, a refusal to respect, or a bereavement to handle carefully.
Contexts: History, Public information
Is read by most senders as nothing more than a failure, which throws away the only information on the envelope — the reason is the difference between a correctable error and a permanent one.
Contexts: History, Public information
A stamped or printed rectangular block containing a short phrase, sometimes with a row of small boxes and a cross marked in one of them.
Both are operator markings applied in transit.