.39 postage...

[Guest]

Guess what? The post office told me it is illegal. It's like messing around and reversing the return address and the real address and mailing without postage which = ILLEGAL. The post office told me to black out the return address OR not put on one on at all...that way they HAVE to deliver it to you. That's the easiest and only legal way to do it.

[rpbluesman]

I see.

Hey, why don't you register with fanmail? It's free.

[Joey]

I'm confused about what is supposedly illegal.

Can someone fill me in?

Thanks


Joey

[rpbluesman]

I think that what our un-registered guest is trying to say, is that if you send a SASE to a celeb and don't put enough postage on it, then you can put your address as the return address and the "To Address" thus making it to where it will be delivered to you regardless of the amount of postage.

This can result in you not having to pay for postage at all. Whether or not this is a federal offense, like he/she says, I don't know.

--Daniel

[Guest]

I was stating that that is illegal, yes. The following is the reason why. By not addressing the envelope properly and/or paying sufficient postage, it is an attempt at defrauding the United States Post Office of revenue. Take this situation for instance:

I take an autograph request complete with SASE to be mailed, full well knowing that there is a decent chance my SASE won't be returned to me before the postage rates increase, so I decide to address the SASE with my address as the sender and addressee and I use the current 49 cent rate of stamps for a large envelope weighing under 1 oz. Assuming I get my SASE back after the rate increase and assuming that my letter isn't caught by postal inspectors (the odds of not getting caught may be decent..I'm not sure), I get my SASE back marked "return to sender". Now would I run to the post office and tell them it was all so that I could receive my SASE back and give them the balance due on the postage that I had shorted the envelope? Of course not! The post office will always deliver postage deficient mail, with the condition of it being postage due. Like I said before, the easiest and probably only way to make sure you get your SASE is by marking out the return address, so therefore they ONLY have your address to mail it to with a postage due notice. It's difficult for me to believe that anyone wouldn't know that using insufficient postage and still receiving the mail in question without paying the balance would be illegal.

[Guest]

And here is the U.S. Code Law which states how using no postage is indeed against the law.

United States Code
Title 18 - Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Chapter 83 - Postal Service
Section 1725 - Postage unpaid on deposited mail matter (this would include switching the sender/addressee addresses)

Whoever knowingly and willfully deposits any mailable matter such
as statements of accounts, circulars, sale bills, or other like
matter, on which no postage has been paid, in any letter box
established, approved, or accepted by the Postal Service for the
receipt or delivery of mail matter on any mail route with intent to
avoid payment of lawful postage thereon, shall for each such
offense be fined under this title.

[jdp3577]

This is the last thing Im going to say about this, I never said anything about not putting postage on it. what I said was if you put your address in the return address spot, you would be sure to get it back no matter what. Im also not saying to keep sending them out with the 37 cent stamps on your return evelopes, sorry you didnt understand

[Guest]

Hm, there would be no reason to put your address as the return address if you used the increased postage, so that was implied.

[rpbluesman]

Alright Alright Alright. Quit this childish bickering. Let's just say that no postage is illegal and that putting you address as the "To Address" and the return address insures your chances of getting the letter.

[Guest]

I agree with you rpbluesman. I was just stating that defrauding the post office out of the balance due on postage is fraud, dangerous and I wouldn't recommend anyone trying it. Seeing the same address on both places on an envelope wouldn't be that hard to catch. Since no one at the post office can tell me the new rates for a 9x11 envelope yet and the post office advised me to, I can't see why not to just black out the return address rather than take the risk of getting caught trying to chance it.