In Prussia and later in the German Empire, parcels were handled by the postal services, unlike in France where they were transported by the railway companies. On May 10, 1871 the German parcel transport system was applied to Alsace-Lorraine.

The postal parcels (packages, or various objects such as baskets, boxes, etc.) had always to be accompanied by a shipping document that mentioned the address of the recipient, the nature of the parcel and its weight. This document could take the usual form of a letter ("Begleitbrief"),or a simple sheet of paper (invoice for example) or a correspondence card.

There is often confusion between the "aus..." deposit labels on the accompanying documents of postal parcels and the "Recommandirt" mail registration labels. The scarcity of accompanying documents with "aus..." labels used for parcels probably explains why they are so little known to collectors.

The labels "aus ... + name of the post office" are even rarer than the registration labels: only about 120 pieces have been listed in this study by Michel Frick for a period of use between 1871 and 1876. To this date the labels are known from only fifty-two post offices: 15 in Moselle, 19 in Bas-Rhin and 18 in Haut-Rhin.

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