Friday
Feb042011
Postage Paid Mailers
Friday, February 4, 2011 at 02:29AM
As you no doubt already know from previous posts, I like to take advantage of pre-paid envelopes. It helps support the United States Postal Service, and more importantly, it costs money for those companies that continue to send me unwanted junk mail. So I was intrigued when a friend recently asked me if I could tape one of those envelopes to something heavy (like a brick) and use it as a mailing label. I wasn't sure, so I did some research.
How does Postage Paid Work?
This was the first thing I wondered. I could not help but think that these mailers may be paid for whether they are used or not, and thus I may be wasting my time. But that is not at all how they work... In fact, this is how the USPS themselves explain Postage Paid Permits...
So when you use one of those envelopes, or one of those little cards stuck in a magazine (called "blow-in cards"), it does, in fact, cost the company money. There will be a debit maid from their account at the post office. So each First Class envelope (up to 13 ounces) costs them 44 cents.
Not bad, but can we mail a brick and really hit'em where it hurts?
No.
Unfortunately, the bricks-for-business scheme, admirable though it is in theory, won't work in practice. According to rule 917.243(b) in the Domestic Mail Manual, when a business reply card is "improperly used as a label" — e.g., when it's affixed to a brick — the item so labeled may be treated as "waste." That means the post office can toss it in the trash without further ado.
Once upon a time things were different. Years ago, they tell me, postal regulations required that all business reply mail be delivered, whether the cards were affixed to bricks, 2x4s, or hand grenades. Furthermore, the recipient was required to pay full first-class postage (a good buck, in the case of a brick) plus 18 cents handling per piece. However, the direct-mail firms usually worked out a deal with the local postmaster whereby unwanted building materials and whatnot somehow became "lost", getting the mailing firm off the hook.
The current regulation makes it unnecessary to resort to this subterfuge. But most people don't realize the mailing firms won't get stuck with the tab, so a fair amount of oddball junk still finds its way into the nation's mailboxes. The postal service regards this as a pain in the neck, and therefore it seems completely unreasonable to try to mail a brick, or any other such nonsense, since it would be a waste of time and effort. Also you might be charged with "abuse of the postal system." It does still make sense, and is perfectly legal, to simply stuff those envelopes full of other junk mail; or funny notes; or scraps of paper; or whatnot and at least make the bastards pay the 44 cents for first class shipping.
Now go have fun!
How does Postage Paid Work?
This was the first thing I wondered. I could not help but think that these mailers may be paid for whether they are used or not, and thus I may be wasting my time. But that is not at all how they work... In fact, this is how the USPS themselves explain Postage Paid Permits...
Permit Imprints are the most popular way to pay for postage, especially for high volume mailings. Instead of using precancelled stamps or a postage meter, the mailer prints postage information in the upper right corner of the mailpiece. This postage block is called a permit imprint.
To use your permit imprint, you set up a postage account at the Post Office where you’ll be depositing your mail. When you bring your mailing to the Post Office, the total postage is deducted from your account. It’s like having a checking account at the Post Office.
So when you use one of those envelopes, or one of those little cards stuck in a magazine (called "blow-in cards"), it does, in fact, cost the company money. There will be a debit maid from their account at the post office. So each First Class envelope (up to 13 ounces) costs them 44 cents.
Not bad, but can we mail a brick and really hit'em where it hurts?
No.
Unfortunately, the bricks-for-business scheme, admirable though it is in theory, won't work in practice. According to rule 917.243(b) in the Domestic Mail Manual, when a business reply card is "improperly used as a label" — e.g., when it's affixed to a brick — the item so labeled may be treated as "waste." That means the post office can toss it in the trash without further ado.
Once upon a time things were different. Years ago, they tell me, postal regulations required that all business reply mail be delivered, whether the cards were affixed to bricks, 2x4s, or hand grenades. Furthermore, the recipient was required to pay full first-class postage (a good buck, in the case of a brick) plus 18 cents handling per piece. However, the direct-mail firms usually worked out a deal with the local postmaster whereby unwanted building materials and whatnot somehow became "lost", getting the mailing firm off the hook.
The current regulation makes it unnecessary to resort to this subterfuge. But most people don't realize the mailing firms won't get stuck with the tab, so a fair amount of oddball junk still finds its way into the nation's mailboxes. The postal service regards this as a pain in the neck, and therefore it seems completely unreasonable to try to mail a brick, or any other such nonsense, since it would be a waste of time and effort. Also you might be charged with "abuse of the postal system." It does still make sense, and is perfectly legal, to simply stuff those envelopes full of other junk mail; or funny notes; or scraps of paper; or whatnot and at least make the bastards pay the 44 cents for first class shipping.
Now go have fun!
tagged crime, evil bastards, fun, funny, ideas, interesting in Humor, Odd News, Thoughts, USPS, envelopes, fraud, fun with mail, junk mail, law, legal, mail, mail carrier, mail man, novel ideas, post office, postage, postage paid, postal crime, postman, spam, united states postal service, white collar crime
crime, evil bastards, fun, funny, ideas, interesting in Humor, Odd News, Thoughts, USPS, envelopes, fraud, fun with mail, junk mail, law, legal, mail, mail carrier, mail man, novel ideas, post office, postage, postage paid, postal crime, postman, spam, united states postal service, white collar crime
Reader Comments (2)
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I didn't fix the BRM label to a brick. I used a plain brown box and threw all my unwanted old paperbacks, ripped jeans, ripped socks, worn out shoes, a few outdated canned goods, an old broken cordless phone, and one ripped pocketbook in. I taped it up with clear packing tape, fixed the BRM to it, and slapped it down on the post office counter. I told them it was all set, prepaid and walked out. I weighed it on my digital bathroom scale before I left the house and it weighed almost 40 lbs! :-) Easy way to do some quick house keeping. Paid for courtesy of an investment firm that repeatedly kept soliciting me. Every time they solicited me, I'd get another BRM in with it. LOL Every time I clean house, they get it back!