If you order goods in Germany, eg. by telephone or on-line, then you have a number of different ways of paying for them.

Sending the goods Per Nachnahme means that, for a small fee, the goods are dispatched and you pay for them at the door. The postman collects the amount owed and this is transferred to the seller’s account.

The advantage is that the seller can send off the goods immediately, the disadvantage is that you have to have sufficient funds at home to pay for them.

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Paket and Päckchen are two ways of sending parcels through the post.

You would use a Päckchen if you are something relatively light, with little value or when you do not need proof of sending.

For more valuable and especially commercial goods, you should use a Paket as you have a receipt to show that you sent it, a tracking number to follow the parcel online and insurance. Obviously you need to make sure that the insurance offered is sufficient for the contents of the parcel.

Sending parcels overseas you also have the choice of Päckchen and Paket, but also the choice of sending by land/sea or by airmail. Sending by air costs more and so it is woth considering whether it is really necessary to have the advantages of the Paket.

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If you need proof that you have sent a letter by post, then you send it “per Einschreiben”. In return for paying an additional fee to the normal postage you receive a receipt as proof of posting and can choose between different methods of delivery.

These methods are: the postman documents that he or she put the letter in the recipient’s postbox (Einwurf), the letter is handed over to someone at the recipient’s address who then signs of it (Übergabe), the letter is handed over only to the recipient in person (Eigenhändig), the letter is handed over and is signed for on a postcard which is returned to the sender (Rückschein) – similar to Recorded Delivery in the United Kingdom.

The Einschreiben method is often used when proof of sending and receipt are very important, eg. when cancelling contracts.

To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:

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