The Aerogramme Over The Sea

May 16, 2008 5:42 AM

Can Air Mail envelopes be used for domestic mail?

I'm working on self-promotional physical mailing, and one idea I have is to do a 'fake' air-mail envelope (blue and red border, vintage-y air-mail typography, etc) as part of a larger concept relating to the contents of the letter.

The only thing is, that the envelopes would be sent from within their relevant destination countries (in this case, Australia, North America, and Europe), and would actually end up as domestic post and not air mail.

Would this design stop the letters from being delivered? If so, is there anything I could do to avoid this? I know each countries postal system would have different regulations, but you never know what pearls of wisdom lurk deep within the hive mind...

posted by LongDrive to Grab Bag (7 answers total)

I'm in the US, used to work for a marketing department, and we had all kinds of crazy-looking envelopes and packages that we successfully mailed within the US. None of them specifically looked like air-mail envelopes, but as long as the recipient's address is clearly marked, and you have the appropriate postage for that country, I do not think you'd have a problem. Within the US, I wouldn't recommend spoofing the return address as being from another country, as it might attract unwanted attention. Also, be aware that items over 16 oz must be taken to a post office in person.
posted by desjardins at 6:05 AM on May 16, 2008

In the U.S. there is no "air-mail" anymore. Here are the classes of mail with the USPS.
posted by netbros at 6:14 AM on May 16, 2008

In the US, the design of the envelope won't affect how the package is mailed anymore, especially if it's a homebrewed design. I wouldn't take a UPS box and mail it from USPS (I don't know if they do it, I think it depends on the mood of the teller) though.
posted by wangarific at 6:25 AM on May 16, 2008

In the US it's the postage class that matters, not the box/envelope . although many of the USPS tellers still don't understand this.

Also, be aware that items over 16 oz must be taken to a post office in person.

i think it's international items over 16 oz BEARING stamps that must be taken to the post office in person.

i ship internationally all the time through USPS, mostly 4lbs or less, and print my shipping labels online, and i just leave in/near my mailbox with flag up. I've enven put them in the big blue drop boxes, no problem
posted by Mr_Chips at 6:41 AM on May 16, 2008

Air mail doesn't mean anything in the US. It does become an issue though if you plan to send items to foreign countries.
posted by tinkertown at 6:41 AM on May 16, 2008

i think it's international items over 16 oz BEARING stamps that must be taken to the post office in person.

Anything over 13 oz., domestic or international, must be taken to the post office, since July 30 of last year.
posted by Zed_Lopez at 7:50 AM on May 16, 2008

Oops. I left out a key part: and bearing stamps.
posted by Zed_Lopez at 8:42 AM on May 16, 2008