please do not bend increases charges???

[missmaile]

Hi

I was sent some US stamps to use on my sase and the person who sent them included a sheet with postal priced on it to help me work out what I should put on my sase, they told me that under 6x9 is an envelope rate, over 6x9 is a large envelope rate and if I add cardboard or write please do not bend on my sase it will need postage as package rate.

Is this correcct? I understand adding cardboard might increase postage but will writing please do not bend really make it more expensive?

Thanks

[RYAN J.]

Adding cardboard will increase prices, but putting DO NOT BEND!! will not. at least my post office has never charged me for it.

RYAN J.

[Michele---]

Actually the US Post does have a small fee for rigid envelopes. This is rare from what I have experienced but it has happened to me twice. Both times it was mailing a trading card(s) in a plastic top loader. Instead of the postage being 44 cents it was 64 cents for a small envelope under 1 ounce.

I always use USPS.com to calculate postage when I am not sure about how much. And if you are still not sure just put another stamp on it to be safe.

Good luck with your requests,
Michele

- Oh and putting Please Do Not Bend on the envelope does not result in a fee- nor does it stop them from bending it ironicly

[downtoearth]

- Oh and putting Please Do Not Bend on the envelope does not result in a fee- nor does it stop them from bending it ironicly

Oh so true.

BTW, what do you mean by a fee for rigid envelopes? I mail my letters from the post office and just send a cardboard envelope to begin with, on which I write "do not bend," which results with its getting diagonally shoved into my mailbox and bent

[legendwithoutaname]

My mailman is nice enough to bring my "do not bend"s to the door

[osiris]

- Oh and putting Please Do Not Bend on the envelope does not result in a fee- nor does it stop them from bending it ironicly

Oh so true.

BTW, what do you mean by a fee for rigid envelopes? I mail my letters from the post office and just send a cardboard envelope to begin with, on which I write "do not bend," which results with its getting diagonally shoved into my mailbox and bent

The 20c surcharge is actually for hand sorting the post during it's journey, not when it reaches your mailbox. Rigid envelopes are not sortable by the machines (they dont go round the rollers) so they have to be hand sorted, hence the extra charge.

[khackdrums]

Like said above...

The increased price is due to the "special" handling fees associated with such mail. When writing "Do not bend" on the envelope, the envelope is handled with more care and it is individually sorted rather than processed with everything else through the automated machines that often destroy mail that contains sensitive materials, such as photos. You can write "Do not bend" everywhere on the envelope, but the postal service is only "required" to it handle it with more care if extra postage is added. Otherwise, it will most likely go through the machines with everything else. Skimping on the extra postage is a gamble... Personally, I have never paid for extra postage and I have never had a problem.

Khackdrums

[fennistx]

I mail my post cards in rigid PVC sleeves. I've taken them for mailing to the Post Office for them to calculate the charge. Only once did the postal worker recommend the extra. He did say it was for manual sorting. He told me it would be returned with a 17 cent charge if I did not do it. All the other times (about 10) they just charged 44 cents. I've never had one returned. It must be a rule they overlook.

[Jaffer]

Like said above...

The increased price is due to the "special" handling fees associated with such mail. When writing "Do not bend" on the envelope, the envelope is handled with more care and it is individually sorted rather than processed with everything else through the automated machines that often destroy mail that contains sensitive materials, such as photos. You can write "Do not bend" everywhere on the envelope, but the postal service is only "required" to it handle it with more care if extra postage is added. Otherwise, it will most likely go through the machines with everything else. Skimping on the extra postage is a gamble... Personally, I have never paid for extra postage and I have never had a problem.

Khackdrums

Absolute scum, I hate the postal service. Seinfelds lampooning fo it is spot on