A sorting machine for automatically sorting a plurality of postal items, the sorting machine comprising: a plurality of sorting modules, each sorting module including: an elevator assembly having an elevator frame, an elevator cabin movably supported by the elevator frame, a plurality of trays arranged as a vertical stack of trays inside the elevator cabin, and an elevator mechanism (166,168) arranged to move the elevator cabin up and down in a vertical direction relative to the elevator frame, wherein each tray is adapted to be displaced with respect to the elevator cabin between a first position and a second position, the first position being inside the elevator cabin and the second position being at least partially outside the elevator cabin in a horizontal direction; and an input conveyor arranged at a fixed vertical position with respect to the elevator assembly, said elevator mechanism being arranged to move the vertical stack of trays up and down to selectively bring at least one tray into vertical alignment with said input conveyor to facilitate a transport of a postal item (200a,200b) disposed on the input conveyor to the tray which is in vertical alignment with the input conveyor, characterized in that: the sorting machine is arranged to transfer a postal item from the input conveyor to the vertically aligned tray by first moving said tray outside the elevator cabin to the second position where the tray is disposed, at least partly, beneath an upper surface of the input conveyor and subsequently simultaneously operating the input conveyor and displacing the tray in a direction of movement of the input conveyor to the first position such that a postal item leaves the input conveyor and is deposited on the tray while the postal item is travelling in the same direction as the tray. a plurality of sorting modules, each sorting module including: an elevator assembly having an elevator frame, an elevator cabin movably supported by the elevator frame, a plurality of trays arranged as a vertical stack of trays inside the elevator cabin, and an elevator mechanism (166,168) arranged to move the elevator cabin up and down in a vertical direction relative to the elevator frame, wherein each tray is adapted to be displaced with respect to the elevator cabin between a first position and a second position, the first position being inside the elevator cabin and the second position being at least partially outside the elevator cabin in a horizontal direction; and an input conveyor arranged at a fixed vertical position with respect to the elevator assembly, said elevator mechanism being arranged to move the vertical stack of trays up and down to selectively bring at least one tray into vertical alignment with said input conveyor to facilitate a transport of a postal item (200a,200b) disposed on the input conveyor to the tray which is in vertical alignment with the input conveyor, an elevator assembly having an elevator frame, an elevator cabin movably supported by the elevator frame, a plurality of trays arranged as a vertical stack of trays inside the elevator cabin, and an elevator mechanism (166,168) arranged to move the elevator cabin up and down in a vertical direction relative to the elevator frame, wherein each tray is adapted to be displaced with respect to the elevator cabin between a first position and a second position, the first position being inside the elevator cabin and the second position being at least partially outside the elevator cabin in a horizontal direction; and an input conveyor arranged at a fixed vertical position with respect to the elevator assembly, said elevator mechanism being arranged to move the vertical stack of trays up and down to selectively bring at least one tray into vertical alignment with said input conveyor to facilitate a transport of a postal item (200a,200b) disposed on the input conveyor to the tray which is in vertical alignment with the input conveyor, characterized in that: the sorting machine is arranged to transfer a postal item from the input conveyor to the vertically aligned tray by first moving said tray outside the elevator cabin to the second position where the tray is disposed, at least partly, beneath an upper surface of the input conveyor and subsequently simultaneously operating the input conveyor and displacing the tray in a direction of movement of the input conveyor to the first position such that a postal item leaves the input conveyor and is deposited on the tray while the postal item is travelling in the same direction as the tray.