I've been doing all my packages the same way, where I put a piece of cardboard in my return envelope, and it keeps the whole bundle rigid, and everything. And then I weigh the envelope with a postage scale, and calculate postage using the USPS site. I always click on the "large envelope" option. So far, I haven't had a lick of trouble. And then, the most recent one I sent out this week, came back to me, saying it need 57c extra, which I thought was looney, because I'd weighed it a billion times, with the same result. Long story short, today, another member of my family took it to the post office for me, and they told him that the reason it came back, is because as soon as you put a "stiffener" in the package, and put "do not bend" on it, it requires LOTS more postage! I had NO idea, especially since all my other packages, which weigh the same, and had the same postage on them, and which all had stiffeners in them, seemed to go out just fine. I did just go to the USPS site, and I clicked on the little question mark next to the "large envelope" option, on the "calculate a price" page, and it does say that rigid envelopes have to be sent out as "packages". Yay! So not only was there a mix up, but now I feel SUPER smart, too.
Bahahaha! Yes...My idiocy is quite profound.
But, anyway! because I did not know about this, it's possible that none of my return envelopes have enough postage on them.
*More weeping* (Well, not really...I'm inwardly weeping.) All I can say, is that it seems like it's not very consistent, considering that all the other packages seemed to go out fine. So maybe some of them will be okay. I just don't know. If I had been there today, and found that out, I would have asked for my package back, opened it up, and put more postage on the return envelope. Grr! Wish I had gone myself! I've sent out probably 5 or 6 in the last 2 weeks. Double yay.
So yeah...I'm like, totally bumming. And for future packages, I either have to shell out a lot more moolah, or not include the piece of cardboard, and risk the photos getting messed up. *Blink* I am....perturbed.
If any of my fellow writees do not know about this "stiffener" rule, WORD! Take note.
Debated whether to stick this here, or in the Autograph Discussions forum, but this does contain some info, which SOME (like me) may not already know, so I put it here. Hope that's okay.
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