How to prepare an India Post bulk booking file
Bulk booking rejections almost never happen because of something complicated. They happen because one row has a five-digit PIN code, a weight in grams where kilograms were expected, or a customer name with a stray comma that shifted every column after it. This guide covers how to assemble a booking file that passes on the first attempt.
What a bulk booking file actually is
A bulk booking file is a structured spreadsheet describing each consignment you want to book: who it goes to, where, how heavy it is, which service it uses and whether money must be collected on delivery. It replaces filling a form per parcel at the counter.
The exact column set depends on the booking channel and service your account uses, so treat the list below as the common core rather than a universal specification. Always confirm the template with your booking office or service provider before a first large run.
The core columns
| Field | Why it matters | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Reference / order number | Links the consignment back to your store order | Duplicated across two rows |
| Recipient name | Printed on the label and used at delivery | Commas breaking CSV columns |
| Address lines | Delivery routing | Everything crammed into one line |
| PIN code | Determines routing and serviceability | Five digits, or a leading apostrophe from Excel |
| Phone | Delivery contact and failed-attempt follow-up | Country prefix or spaces |
| Weight | Tariff and service eligibility | Grams entered where kilograms are expected |
| Declared value | Insurance and customs-free movement | Blank for COD shipments |
| COD amount | Amount to collect on delivery | Left filled on a prepaid order |
Validation worth running before you submit
- 1PIN codes are exactly six digits and stored as text, not numbers.
- 2Phone numbers are ten digits with no prefix, spaces or punctuation.
- 3Weights use a single unit across the whole file.
- 4COD amount is zero or blank on prepaid orders and non-zero on COD orders.
- 5No duplicate reference numbers inside the same batch.
- 6Address lines are split and none exceed the character limit of your template.
- 7No prohibited or restricted content descriptions.
Excel silently reformats PIN codes and phone numbers. Format those columns as text before pasting, or import the CSV with the column type set explicitly.
Importing the result file
After submission you receive a result file containing article numbers and booking dates against your references. Import it back into your shipment records immediately — this is the step that makes tracking and COD reconciliation possible later.
If a row failed, the result file usually carries a reason. Fix the source row, keep the same reference number, and re-submit only the failures as a smaller batch.
Doing this in PostVery
PostVery holds the mapping between your export columns and the booking template, runs every check above on upload, and holds failing rows back from the generated file. The row-level error report lists each rejection with a reason so corrections take minutes rather than an afternoon.