Postage paid return envelopes

[bigtiller]

A lot of junk mail wants me to reply. If they pay the postage, I will reply.
But sometimes the envelope gets mailed back empty, or with some other junk mail.

My question is, am I helping the USPS stay solvent or am I increasing the burden on them.
Any current or past mail carriers care to respond?

 

[Doofy]

Kudos. Support the USPS. Most of the Junk Mail is just that, JUNK! At our local PO, they have a huge garbage bin on wheels in the Lobby and most of of the paper spam never leaves the building except on its way to the dumpster.

 

[Oaktree]

A lot of junk mail wants me to reply. If they pay the postage, I will reply.
But sometimes the envelope gets mailed back empty, or with some other junk mail.

My question is, am I helping the USPS stay solvent or am I increasing the burden on them.
Any current or past mail carriers care to respond?

Not a mail carrier, nor have I ever played one on tv, but I would think the USPS already has the money for the postage on these return envelopes whether they get used or not. Less clutter in the system if you just round file them.

 

[Bird]

60 years ago, I was a clerk in the Dallas Post Office and one job I used to have was handling those. I have no idea how much it costs senders now, but back then, when normal postage for an envelope was 4 and later 5 cents, those envelopes you could return with no postage required from you were referred to in the Post Office as "penalty envelopes". The sender had agreed to pay the normal postage plus 2 cents penalty for each one he got back. It's been quite a while now since I did anything like this, but I, too, have sometimes sent them back stuffed with the garbage they sent me. And of course I always made sure they'd know who sent it back in hopes that would stop future garbage from them, but it actually doesn't work.

Oaktree, as I said, it's been long ago, but I don't think the USPS has gotten the postage from those envelopes unless you send them back.

 

[TheMan419]

Not a mail carrier, nor have I ever played one on tv, but I would think the USPS already has the money for the postage on these return envelopes whether they get used or not. Less clutter in the system if you just round file them.

They do not have the funds. The postage reply envelope has information on it that gets scanned and the business billed for each one that is actually used. We have such a permit and get a bill each month based on the items returned. It is less than regular postage, but I cannot remember the discount.

 

[reb]

TheMan has it right. I wonder, tho, whether the comment that some of them make about saving the original sender money by putting a stamp on it really works. If the post office scans the envelope, does the presence of a stamp void that scan?

 

[japody]

TheMan has it right. I wonder, tho, whether the comment that some of them make about saving the original sender money by putting a stamp on it really works. If the post office scans the envelope, does the presence of a stamp void that scan?

The mail is processed on automated equipment. The number of pieces going to the permit holder is billed accordingly. The equipment recognizes the bar code at the top center of the envelope as being business reply and therefore does not recognize the stamp.

 

[Doughknob]

Now if we could only figure out a way to send spam phone calls back charging the callers……..

 

[Semper Paratus]

Many years ago one of my "friends" signed me up for a skanky adult entertainment products catalog. They sent me stuff several times and I tried to get them to drop me. Didn't happen until I started taping the prepaid postage reply by mail envelopes to boxes of sand, gravel or bricks. After a few cycles to clear the stuff in the pipe I did not receive any more. In more recent days I was getting lots of unsolicited stuff from folks like Planned Parenthood I would use their business reply by mail envelopes and send back a variety of stuff reflecting my conservative leanings. I guess it got too expensive so they have largely stopped.

 

[bigtiller]

Many years ago one of my "friends" signed me up for a skanky adult entertainment products catalog. They sent me stuff several times and I tried to get them to drop me. Didn't happen until I started taping the prepaid postage reply by mail envelopes to boxes of sand, gravel or bricks. After a few cycles to clear the stuff in the pipe I did not receive any more. In more recent days I was getting lots of unsolicited stuff from folks like Planned Parenthood I would use their business reply by mail envelopes and send back a variety of stuff reflecting my conservative leanings. I guess it got too expensive so they have largely stopped.

Now that is a good idea.