Distribution Services

Most parcels go straight into a smart locker, available 24 hours a day. Anything too large for a locker is held at our office for pickup.

Package Pickup Process

1. Wait for your email notification. It contains a QR code or pickup instructions. Do not come to the office before you receive it.
2. Smart lockers. Located in the 1st floor hallway near rooms 1118 and 1120. Use the code or QR code from your notification email. Lockers are accessible 24 hours a day.
3. Office pickup. If your parcel was too large for a locker, come to Room G106 with your notification email and student ID during counter hours.

Counter hours: 1:00PM to 3:30PM

Location: Room G106, Lambton/Erie Hall basement

Bring: your notification email and student ID. We cannot release a parcel without ID.

Counter hours are changing soon.

The hours shown above are in effect now. Distribution Services is moving to a new schedule, and counter hours will change. Updated hours will be posted on this page and included in your parcel notification email before the change takes effect.

Processing time: please allow time for parcels to be processed before pickup. A parcel that has arrived on campus is not ready until you receive your notification.

Pickup Window

Parcels are held for 3 days, after which they are returned to sender. Please collect promptly, especially in September and December when volumes are highest. If our counter hours do not work with your schedule, reply to your notification email and we will arrange a time.

Before You Order

• Have parcels addressed to you at Lambton Tower, using your full name exactly as it appears on your student record. A parcel addressed to a nickname may be delayed or returned.
• Include your student number if the sender allows a second address line.
• Oversized items cannot go in a locker and will require a trip to the counter during our open hours.

More Information

• Living in residence? See Residence Mail Information.
• Sending mail yourself? Current rates are published on the Canada Post postage rates page.
• Questions: distribution@uwindsor.ca or 519-253-3000 Ext. 2016.

Daily Schedule

• 8:30 AM – Incoming mail received from Canada Post
• Morning – Mail sorted and delivered with inter-office mail
• 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM – Courier pickups (times vary by carrier)

Outgoing Mail

Apply your own postage, then leave outgoing mail one of two ways:

• In your outgoing mail slot, or
• If your building has a mailbox, bundled and labelled OUTGOING

While Distribution Services is open, please do not take regular outgoing mail to Shipping and Receiving — use your slot or mailbox. Same-day Canada Post items are the one exception; see below.

Urgent Outgoing Mail

For items that cannot wait for your next scheduled collection. Postage must already be applied.

• The outgoing mail drop box at Lambton Tower takes letters and parcels. It is emptied during office hours, so anything left after the last collection of the day goes out the next business day.
• If a Canada Post item must leave the same day – take it directly to Shipping and Receiving, ahead of the 1:00 PM collection. The drop box cannot guarantee same-day dispatch.
• On days Distribution Services is closed – take urgent items directly to Shipping and Receiving, or to a Canada Post retail outlet.

Sending Mail — Requirements

• Sort and bundle mail by type: Campus, Canadian, U.S.A., International

Interoffice mail only:

• Use tape to seal envelopes — no staples
• Include the recipient's name, faculty or department, building and room number
• Contact Distribution staff if you need interoffice envelopes or courier supplies

Receiving Mail and Packages

• When ordering, ask the sender to include your departmental name and building on the shipping label
• Canada Post mail only: items arriving after your scheduled delivery day are held until the next one. If something is time-sensitive, you can collect it from Lambton Tower during office hours, or ask us to place it in a locker for pickup — email distribution@uwindsor.ca to request this.

Special Services

• Large pickups – 4 or more bins? Call ext. 2016 to arrange a special pickup
• Bulk store orders – 1 to 2 days notice required
• Bulk and oversized deliveries – arranged separately. Contact us before the shipment arrives so we can plan the drop.
• IUTS – free inter-university mail to Ontario university libraries (correspondence only)

Important Restrictions

• Personal shipments are prohibited on university accounts
• No PO Box addresses for courier shipments
• Canada Post Express Courier services are no longer offered
• Regular mail over 500 g must go by third-party courier

Billing

• All inbound and outbound mail and packages must show the shipper or receiving name, departmental name, and charge account number
• Courier service receipts are sent to Accounts Payable for processing
• For billing inquiries contact Accounts Payable at ext. 2120 or 2123

Holiday Hours and Closures

Winter Break 2026–2027

• December 23–31, 2026 – CLOSED
• January 1–3, 2027 – CLOSED
• January 4, 2027 – regular hours resume

No mail delivery or courier service during closure dates. Service resumes the next business day. Please plan time-sensitive mail around these dates.

Questions

Distribution Services: distribution@uwindsor.ca or 519-253-3000 Ext. 2016

The University has preferred rates with four courier services. All waybills must be generated digitally through the courier's website.

Sending a Courier Item

Best practice: call your courier and schedule a pickup for your items. A scheduled pickup is the most reliable way to get a shipment moving on the day you want it to move.

Otherwise, leave outgoing courier items in the Distribution outgoing mail box, or in your building's normal outgoing mail slot — the same places you leave outgoing mail. Items are taken to Shipping and Receiving, where the couriers collect.

Preferred Couriers

Pickup times below are when each courier collects from Shipping and Receiving. Allow enough time for your item to reach them.

Purolator

Best for: national shipments

Collects: twice daily

Contact: 1-888-744-7123

UPS

Best for: USA and international

Collects: twice daily (around 12:00 PM)

Contact: 1-800-742-5877

FedEx

Best for: general shipments

Collects: once daily (2:00 – 3:30 PM)

Contact: 1-800-463-3339

DHL

Best for: UAE and Arabic countries

Collects: once daily (2:00 – 3:30 PM)

Contact: 1-800-CALL-DHL

Each courier name links to that carrier's shipping instructions.

Before You Ship

• Generate your waybill digitally through the courier's website — handwritten waybills are not accepted
• Departments ship on their own courier accounts
• Full address details are required. No PO Box addresses.
• Personal shipments are prohibited on university accounts
• Time-sensitive, high-value and confidential items should go by courier rather than regular mail

Urgent Shipments

If a shipment is urgent, schedule a pickup with the courier directly, or take it to the courier's own drop-off location rather than waiting for the scheduled campus collection.

International Shipments

Required for US and international shipments:

• A completed customs declaration form
• Three copies of the commercial invoice for international packages
• Full address details — no PO boxes

Export assistance: contact the courier directly for export help.

Detailed customs information: see the Customs webpage or email customs@uwindsor.ca.

US Orders Alternative

International orders that cannot ship directly to campus can be sent to a US warehouse instead. Email customs@uwindsor.ca for warehouse details.

Questions

Courier collection: Shipping and Receiving, Maintenance Building, 2601 Union St., ext. 2859
Customs and international: customs@uwindsor.ca

Deliveries and Pickup

Who handles my departmental deliveries?

Shipping and Receiving, Maintenance Building, 2601 Union St. Ext. 2859 or shipping@uwindsor.ca.

Why is my mail no longer delivered to my office?

Deliveries are being consolidated to one designated point per building, served on a scheduled day. This lets us maintain reliable service across campus on a fixed route.

What if I miss my building's service day?

Incoming items are held and delivered on the next scheduled day. If something is time-sensitive, you can collect it from Room G106, Lambton/Erie Hall during office hours, or ask us to place it in a locker for pickup — email distribution@uwindsor.ca to request this.

My package shows delivered but I haven't received it. What should I do?

You will need the tracking number. Where to ask depends on the carrier:

• Canada Post – delivers daily to Distribution Services, ext. 2016
• All other couriers – deliver to Shipping and Receiving, 2601 Union St., ext. 2859
• Students in residence – wait for your email notification before coming to pick up

Can students still pick up parcels in person?

Yes. Most parcels go into a smart locker, but anything oversized is held at the counter during counter hours, and alternate times can be arranged by replying to your notification email.

What time can I drop off mail or parcels at your office?

You do not need to come to the office. Leave outgoing items in your building's outgoing mail slot, or in the Distribution outgoing mail box, which is available at any hour. If you do need to come in person, the office is open [office hours].

Outgoing Mail and Postage

When is my outgoing mail collected?

Have it in your slot, or bundled and labelled OUTGOING, by 8:30 AM on your building's mail pickup day. Collection takes place between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM, so anything not ready before the carrier arrives waits until your next pickup day.

When do couriers pick up outgoing packages?

Courier items are collected with your outgoing mail and taken to Shipping and Receiving, where the couriers collect:

• UPS – 12:00 PM
• All others – 2:00 – 3:30 PM

If timing matters, call your courier and schedule a pickup directly. That is the most reliable way to get a shipment moving on the day you want it to move.

Where do I buy stamps?

Order PERMANENT (P) stamps from the Canada Post online store, or buy them at any Canada Post retail outlet. Buy booklets or coils rather than singles — the stamp is worth the same and costs less.

How many stamps does my letter need?

A standard letter within Canada up to 30 g needs one P stamp; 30 to 50 g needs two. Heavier, oversized, U.S. and international mail needs more — see the postage guide, or send it by courier instead.

What happens if I forget postage?

The item is returned to your department unprocessed. It is not held or metered on your behalf.

Other Questions

I received a notice about fees owing instead of my parcel. What do I do?

This is a charge that has to be settled between you and the carrier before the parcel is released — usually Cash on Delivery, import fees or customs fees. We cannot accept payment or collect the parcel on your behalf. You need to do it yourself; bring the slip or a copy of it, along with your government ID.

Canada Post will tell you the amount owing and where to collect. Other couriers provide payment instructions and then leave the parcel at their pickup location or depot.

Can I recycle batteries and toner cartridges?

Yes. Bring used batteries and toner cartridges to the Chemical Control Centre for recycling, Room B-37C, Essex Hall.

Still have a question?

Email distribution@uwindsor.ca or call 519-253-3000 Ext. 2016.

IUTS is a free inter-university mail service connecting Ontario university libraries. It carries correspondence only and is available through Distribution Services at no charge to your department.

What You Can Send

• Correspondence to another Ontario university library
• Bundle IUTS mail and label it clearly, and send it along with your other campus mail
• Address each item with the recipient's full name, department and institution

How Often It Goes Out

Questions

Distribution Services: distribution@uwindsor.ca or 519-253-3000 Ext. 2016