Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with postal

See the tear standin' in my eye

TheSecretDecoderRing — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 00:53:20 -0800

The USPS lost the contents of a media-rate package. Many books within. What are the odds I'll get any of it back? A couple weeks ago I shipped a box, shortly before moving to a new address. Today I got a letter saying the contents were found to be missing, and included the original address slips from the box, and a form letter asking to provide info on the contents, to be sent to a mail recovery center.

I'd thrown a ton of random books in there, but I'll probably be able to figure out most of the titles. All in all, everything's replaceable so it's not a complete nightmare (although I'd like the Calvin and Hobbes one back in particular), but has anyone had success getting their stuff back in a case like this, especially when nothing was personalized or really unique? I've looked around online on the matter, and some have suggested trying to find a number to call the center directly. Whatever I do, I'm kind of skeptical they'll put that much effort into tracking everything down.

Considering two of my other packages seemed to have endured a lot of rough handling, I'd hate to see what actually goes on during the course of the shipment process.

And one of the frustrating things was the letter advising me to, in the future, include contact info within the package itself. Wish I'd thought of that earlier. (slaps forehead)

Dead Letter Office

Shepherd — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:01:47 -0800

What happens when I tell catalogue people I am dead? Somehow -- I suspect it was the Folio Society, because it seems to be mostly book companies, British culture companies and classical music clubs -- my name and address has been sold to a list mill. This is addressed mail, not "Occupant" or "Current Resident" mail.

Conventional Internet spam wisdom is "never tell them you don't want their catalogue, because that just confirms the address is valid and raises your spam value rating." Does the same apply to junk mail?

And if so, what's the best way of dealing with it? I have considered drawing a line through the address and putting "UNSOLICITED" on the mail, then leaving it sticking out of the mailbox for the postal person to return to sender, but I'm worried that that's not a recognized reason to send mail back. "DECEASED" is more fun (and kind of cool), but I'm concerned that it, along with "NOT AT THIS ADDRESS," will result in the post office proper thinking I am dead/no longer resident and bouncing legitimate mail. My name, in theory, becomes valueless and is removed from lists (rather than becoming confirmed and therefore more valuable).

I am in Canada, and we do not have an equivalent to the options listed here. I think nipping this in the bud, and telling these companies I am "dead," either by "DECEASED: RETURN TO SENDER" post or by calling their 1-800 numbers, is the best method of getting my name conclusively removed from their lists, because dead people generally do not purchase things by mail order or otherwise.

But are there ramifications to being catalogue-dead that I am not considering?

Vintage Stamps for Face Value

bonheur — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 09:57:28 -0800

Where can I buy vintage, valid US postage stamps for face value or near face value? I like crafting my own greeting cards and mailing them to family and friends. I've pretty much exhausted the postage options currently available at the post office. I'd like to find vintage stamps (like, say, from the '60s and '70s) that are still valid postage, and use several at a time on the letters I send out (to, of course, total up to the current postage rate or a few cents over).
I've looked on eBay and elsewhere online, but it's hard to find usable vintage stamps for face value mixed in with "Stamp Collecting" stuff where a 1 cent stamp might cost $10 or much more.
I'm even willing to buy a "mixed bag" of older but still valid stamps from a stamp dealer-- but how? Who? Where? Please help!

Find post code with latitude & longitude.

BigBrownBear — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 14:04:12 -0800

Find post code with latitude & longitude. Is anyone aware of a webpage where i can find international postcodes using latitude and longitude coordinates? (the google earth format)

Specifically, I am trying to find Spanish postcodes. I have an excel file with 1200 addresses and would love to find some program to help me find the post codes....

How do I apply for an ideal job whose application deadline has just passed?

Chorus — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 02:36:39 -0800

How do I apply for an ideal job whose application deadline has *just* passed? After a horrific week at work, I spent Friday afternoon jobhunting online and came across the IDEAL job for me at the local courthouse. Great pay, great location, couldn't ask for a more fitting opening to find to the point it's so suiting, it's rather freaky.

The only problem? The closing date for applications was at 4pm yesterday. The exact time I found the job description? 3:58.

I called the courthouse - but the department I needed had gone home for the weekend already [can you see another reason why I'd want this job?]. Plus the job will only take postal applications. I really, really want to apply and am totally kicking myself I hadn't discovered the opening earlier.

Should I:
1. Forget about it.
2. Drop an application in the post ASAP
3. Do #2 PLUS mention I realize the deadline had passed in the cover letter
4. Try calling again on Monday to see if they will accept a late application, ONLY THEN mail one in?

Can an American visit friends in Kyrgyzstan safely?

Vorteks — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 22:22:18 -0800

Is it safe/practical for an American to visit Kyrgyzstan for leisure? And can their postal system be trusted? Two Japanese friends of mine are going to Kyrgyzstan for a number of years to do humanitarian-type work. I admit, before they told me this I had never heard of the country. Now, I've read the Wikipedia and CIA Factbook pages about Kyrgyzstan, but they haven't really addressed my primary concern - is it practical/safe to visit the country? I don't like the idea of not seeing my friends for years, but at the same time I don't want to take any unwise risks. Does anyone have any insight?

Also, secondarily, I'd like to know if it's generally safe to send letters and gifts through the Kyrgyzstan postal system. Would my packages likely be stolen or lost? Are there any special customs issues I should be aware of? Again, any insight is most appreciated.

Thank you in advance, fellow Mefites!

Lost Letter Laws

nomisxid — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 11:08:27 -0800

It's illegal to open someone's 'mail'. But when does it become mail legally? I'm getting ready to recycle some newspapers that piled up while I was out of town over christmas, and an envelope falls out of one. From size, style, and paper's date, I'd say it's a christmas card. It's got the TO address hand written on it, but no stamp, and no return address. My guess is that my paperboy-guy accidentally dropped the card into his newspapers during morning prep, so it's never been in the postal system. I'll just put a stamp on it and drop it in the mail on my next trip out, but it got me wondering, when does mail become legally protected?

Does the law kick in as soon as you seal the envelope, affix postage, or place into a mailbox? For that matter, if I forget to seal an envelope, do contents become fair game?

zip+4 to lat/lon? Where? & precision necessary?

pax digita — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 12:04:55 -0800

I want a free-as-in-beer way to put in a ZIP+4 postal code and get back a latitude and longitude. Unless that's more precision than I need for terrestrial astronomy. Do I need that precise a translation for an Earth-based astronomy program like Cartes du Ceil, or will a simple five-digit ZIP code do me? I see from previous posts that I could spend a while researching that question, but I just want a quick translation of my posit.

How is a postage stamp authenticated?

odinsdream — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 11:00:41 -0800

How is the authenticity of a postage stamp verified in the normal mail delivery process? When mail is delivered, how is a stamp validated? There are so many thousands of stamps from so many different years, all of which are valid postage. Combinations can be made of different stamp types and values. I assume the valuation is done through OCR or image-matching with known stamps. Verifying whether it's a real stamp, though, must be an additional step.

Why can't I print any picture at all on glossy sticker paper and cut it out with "stamp edge" scissors from an art store? Or, if I can, why do people buy stamps?

The point of this question is not to figure out how to fake stamps - it's to better understand how the mail system works, and was prompted by the recent FPP about the absentee ballot stamped with the alleged 100k stamp. Differentiating between rare stamps and very good counterfeits isn't really what I'm curious about; just everyday verification.

Help! I'm wasting half my day filling out the same forms over and over...

clango — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 10:47:08 -0800

I fill out a lot of the same postal form, just with small amounts of different information in it. This form needs to be printed out a couple dozen times a day. Is it possible to dreates a PDF in Acrobat or Indesign that has a user-fillable text box that will show up when printed? I'm currently just editing and printing a Word doc, which is less than ideal.

predict my future: prison or evening news?

krautland — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 21:17:45 -0800

predict my future: prison or evening news? I am sure you all know these cards. they fall out of every magazine and newspaper you get. subscribe now! one thousand percent off! business reply mail! no postage necessary if mailed in the united states!

I always hated these things. even magazines I already subscribed to sent me five or six with every issue and they had a nasty habit of falling out when I wasn't looking. don't bother hiding your dirty magazines if you don't feel like retracing your steps through the living room.

so I decided to store these cards. instead of throwing them into the trash, I filled a vacant kitchen drawer. and another one. there was room below the kitchen sink, so I delegated a few more there. I think that now, six months later, I have around 5,000 (yes, I do read a lot) and it's time to get rid off them.

I have a video camera, spray-mount and an idea.
I want to make a christmas movie for the conde nasties.

would it be legal to attach these return postcards to heavy junk and throw them into a mailbox? would they have to pay? could I get into trouble? (I of course intend to milk the PR - I after all do hope they will finally stop attaching this junk.)

I want to mail three boxes of from Philadelphia to Spain. What's the cheapest option?

BigBrownBear — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 10:18:40 -0800

I want to mail three boxes of from Philadelphia to Spain. What's the cheapest option? The boxes are fairly heavy (about 50 books in total, several big and hardcover). I know there are bookrates with the US Postal service, but i'm wondering if a shipping service might be cheaper. I've searched online but can't find something that looks good and reliable.

I'm in no rush to receive the books (just sending them to myself).

Postal System - mail routes

bright77blue — Sun, 30 Jul 2006 14:06:15 -0800

Postal service - how does a letter travel from Canada to Namibia - via Europe? Does it go to one country in Africa, and then to Namibia. I have looked everywhere, UPU etc, but cannot find an answer. Is there a directory of physical postal routes? Thanks! BB My aunt claims that we send her mail but it is stolen in some African country before it reaches her in Namibia. Any ideas?

When will our neighborhood get door-to-door USPS mail delivery?

pwb503 — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 16:09:32 -0800

Why do some neighborhoods get USPS mail delivered to their door (or at least to their property) and other neighborhoods get USPS mail delivered to mailboxes on the street near the recipients' property but not on it? Every house I've ever lived in had the mail delivered to the door, or a mailbox near the door. This last summer I moved to a smaller town, and while this neighborhood was maybe 20 years ago kind of "in the country", in my opinion it wouldn't be considered "in the country" any longer. The school district head quarters is a block away, there's a golf course a few blocks away, numerous houses and developments, ten blocks to a mini-mall, etc... Is there any chance that one day this neighborhood will get door-to-door mail service like I'm used to? What does it take to get the USPS to upgrade your neighborhood?

I'm not injured and I don't have a pressing need for this change, I'm just curious. My mailbox is across the street, and I currently feel safe crossing it to get the mail currently, but that will likely eventually change as the traffic picks up due to all the construction in the neighborhood. For what it's worth, I'm within the city limits of Corvallis Oregon.

Snail Mail Spam, how to stop?

joshgray — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 15:49:48 -0800

It seems like almost every time i open my mailbox i get this advertising mailer in there. How on earth do i go about complaining and get this crap to stop! I assume there are laws like there are spam these days, if you say "unsubscribe" they have to obey? Googling for it only came up with the link i pasted above and looking on the Kansas City Star website was no help either. Any advice?

Why does some of my mail have small scribbles on it?

skallas — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 11:22:52 -0800

Why does some of my mail have small scribbles on it? My credit card bills (but not applications) and other financial stuff I get in the mail have a small scribble at the top. I can't tell what it is, but its hand written with a black pen. Sometimes it looks like a 21. Why is this there? Do postal carriers write on certain pieces of mail? Why is it just my credit card bills and other financial stuff?

USPS Sunday pickup times

jayder — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 14:55:35 -0800

What happens to a piece of mail after it is deposited in a USPS mailbox that lists a Sunday pickup time? Often I will go to the trouble to put something in the mail by Sunday at 1:30 p.m., in the USPS mailbox with that pickup time not far from my house. I have hoped that such an item would get to its destination more quickly than if I waited until Monday to mail it.

But it occurred to me that, quite possibly, no processing is done to that mail until Monday --- and that the mail from that box may just get taken somewhere to sit in a bin until the Post Office opens up on Monday morning. If that is the case, then the mail I dropped in the box on Sunday would probably not get to its destination any more quickly than something mailed on Monday morning.

Do any of you have knowledge about this? Does my item get there any more quickly if I mail it by Sunday at 1:30 p.m., instead of Monday morning? In case it is relevant, most Monday pickups are in the afternoon, around 2 or 3 p.m.

this is why i shouldn't be a manager

bilabial — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 15:29:20 -0800

tax idiot filter: I need to get some things postmarked today. It's 6:30pm where I am. My boss left me to deal with the accountant and our tax forms. They are here with me, but they need to go to some of our former employees. And the tax man. How can I find a contract location that will get this postmarked like I need?

Also appreciated would be some calming words to use tomorrow when he signs the forms and writes the checks and realizes that there will be a penalty. (what will that penalty be?)

How to snail mail a document from a web form?

chrisfromthelc — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 07:33:43 -0800

MailADocumentFilter: I want to auto-snailmail a document. I'm in the process of building a website that will assist a user in filling out a document, but giving 'plain English' questions, and plugging the answers in where appropriate in the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' document. I will have it set up with an option to forward the document via email (which is the obvious and easy part), but I am also interested in having it sent to a third party who would process and snailmail the document to the intended reciepient. I'm trying to keep as low-cost as possible, as the intended audience is not a spendy group.

Any suggestions?

Writing to folks in Russia

ORthey — Tue, 09 Aug 2005 13:16:06 -0800

How do I find a postal code for St. Petersburg, Russia? I'm having a devil of a time using google on this one... I stayed with a host family in St. Pete many years ago, and I remember the address, but not the postal code. I'm trying to send them a letter. Anyone know how I can find this? (For the record: Ulitsa Kazanskaya, dom 38).

I am seeking alternatives to Royal Mail's Presstream magazine distribution

ajbattrick — Fri, 13 May 2005 02:18:00 -0800

I am trying to a UK-wide postal distribution system for a bi-monthly magzine. Presstream 2 by the Royal Mail is what has been suggested to me. I want to know if there are there any others?

Also if anyone has experience of setting up distributions like this, I would appreciate some pointers - more specifically, I will be charged with creating the subscriber database and no doubts have to clean our data too.

Question number 12371

klarck — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 12:26:56 -0800

SnailMailFilterFilter: Are there any failsafe rules to separate USPS junk mail from real mail (or vice versa) without opening it? I know I needn't worry about an ink SoBig virus, but I just hate being suckered into opening an important-looking envelope only to find another Visa/MC application. [More Inside]

Question number 10514

trharlan — Tue, 28 Sep 2004 11:21:17 -0800

The Post Office has screwed up my mail forwarding, and every person with whom I speak gives me a different story. How do I reach a competent person who will take ownership of the problem? (Chicago, IL)