First time, help me not mess this up.

Fredrick2003 · Tue Apr 03, 2007 12:57 am

Sorry about this, I really don't like to make "hey am I doing this right?" posts, but heres one anyway... Sorry...

I know I need 2 envelopes, but unfortunately the sizes that have been recommended on this forum I cannot seem to find by me (weired right?). So could I send a 10.5x15 envelope? Is that too big? Or could I send a 8.5x11 envelope (a picture will fit in that right?).

My second question is about mailing this. Now, I know you're going to say something about "living in a cave, etc.". But I have NEVER had to mail a letter. The only thing I've ever had to mail are bills, (thanks to the wonderful world of the internet, rarely anymore) and there is a place nearby for that. Don't you just drop the letter in those giant mailboxes that you can find scattered around your town? Or is the process more complex than that?

I was also reading around this forum quite a bit, because I really don't like to ask questions... But here I am doing it... Sorry for wasting your time, and a response is greatly appreciated. And I'll try to help you out in the future... If I can.

zenbird · Unread post by **zenbird** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 1:23 am

There are no stupid questions.

Really any envelope size is fine, as long as it can fit your SASE, letter and picture (if applicable). Just remember, the post office charges by size, destination and weight, so the postage varies. Also, the bigger the envelope, the greater the chances of damage to whatever is inside it if the contents are smaller than the outside packaging (things bounce and slide around).

I usually find 9x12 envelopes at my local supermarkets in packs of 20 for about a buck.

If you know exactly how much the envelope will cost to mail, and you have the correct postage on the envelope, you can just drop it in the mailbox. If you're not sure about any of this, go to the post office. I always get my envelopes ready and mail them from the PO, so I'm sure the postage is correct.

I can say this - if you live in the U.S., a 9x12 envelope with letter and SASE inside will cost .63 to mail inside the U.S. If you stick in a picture (and a piece of cardboard to keep it straight) the price is .87 cents inside the U.S. Those are the two amounts I encounter most frequently.

Hope this helps!

LEOx3_LOVE · Unread post by **LEOx3_LOVE** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 2:18 am

Hey! Zenbird covered it perfectly, but I'll just tell you what I do! lol..I use the standard white envelopes & fold up a 9x12 envelope inside with my address on it as my SASE & I put 2 stamps on each envelope because I usually include a couple 4x6 pictures & I just mail them all from the mailbox at my house. Good luck with your requests!

Fredrick2003 · Unread post by **Fredrick2003** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 3:40 am

So... lets say I use the 8.5x11.

I take that, I put ANOTHER 8.5x11 folded up inside it with postage and my address (a self addressed stamped envelope), and my letter. Then all I need to do is find the required amount of postage and drop it in the mailbox?

I'm just saying... I'm tired of looking around for the recommended 9x12 and I don't think 1 inch and a half is going to make much difference... Pictures will fit in an 8.5x11 right?

Uhh, this is probably off topic and pointless but I just want to know because I've never heard it discussed... What happens if the postage is incorrect?

zenbird · Unread post by **zenbird** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 9:19 am

You absolutely can use the 8.5x11...no sweat. The only time I've found that a bigger envelope is better is if you're printing pictures from your computer - I tend to print on 8.5x11 size paper, so the fit is tight with the pic, cardboard, SASE and letter.

If your outgoing postage is incorrect the envelope will be retunred to you stamped as "Insufficient Postage" (assuming you put your return address in the upper left hand corner).

If the postage on your SASE is incorrect, a few things can happen:
1. You might get no reply at all
2. The celeb can pick up the slack (as just happenend with me and Malcolm McDowell - he FedEx'd me a reply!)
3. Some folks put their return address on the SASE as well (in the upper left) so that no mater what happens, the envelope goes back to them. I haven't done this, but some people swear by it.

EDIT: fat fingers

onebuffcop · Unread post by **onebuffcop** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 6:27 pm

another avenue you might try if you want to get 9x12 envelopes is looking on ebay or something like that. I just looked them up for you and found that for about $15-$20, you can find a whole mess of listings on there. I found one listing that had 100 of the 9x12 envelopes for $17.99 which is a pretty decent deal. They were the peel and seal variety of envelopes so no need to lick that nasty gummy seal to seal them. Just thought I'd point that out to ya in case you hadn't thought of it yet. Hope that helps ya some! Good luck and like others before me have said, no such thing as a stupid question. We're all here and happy to help out in any way we can! Happy hunting!

Fredrick2003 · Unread post by **Fredrick2003** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 7:57 pm

Yeah I did look on ebay but I didn't find anything like that... What are you using to search? I typed in "9x12 envelope".

onebuffcop · Unread post by **onebuffcop** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 8:46 pm

well the one I was looking at must have expired but here are a few more listings:

http://cgi.ebay.com/GREAT-PRICE-100-9x1 ... dZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Envelopes-Kraft-28l ... dZViewItem

The 2nd of the 2 links I posted is for 500 of those bad boys! 9x12 with metal clasps and gummed seal. Only thing is you have to lick those to get them to seal but for what he's asking ($15 for all 500) is a hell of a deal. I'd even bid on that if I didn't have easy access to them. I'll save them for you though since you need them more than I do. A box of 100 in the store goes for 15-20 bucks so to get 500 of them for that price is unbelievable. Hope that helps!

Fredrick2003 · Tue Apr 03, 2007 11:23 pm

Now come on >_>. Don't not bid because of me, I don't think I would ever use 500 of them anyway. And the auction still has a while to go, so it'll probably get more expensive.

Thats 250 requests though ^_^, if you think 1 for mailing and then 1 folded up side for the SASE.

Fredrick2003 · Unread post by **Fredrick2003** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 3:27 am

I never thought of mailing it right from my house... All you do is leave it in the mailbox right?


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First time, help me not mess this up.

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