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I'm not sure if I'm just spoiled or used to have a postal worker that really liked me, but I recently moved from Florida to Kansas and now every time I mail a card they charge me extra postage. I know sometimes my cards need extra postage, but I don't think a simple bow adds too much weight/height....they even charge me when I watch them pass it through the little measuring slot thingy they test it with at the post office.
Its actually just one postal worker, (he weighs and measures everything) and he tells me that my cards could break the postal machines. I'm just wondering what everyone else usually pays, I think I may have a rogue postal worker on my hands and need to switch post offices! :confused:
I rarely pay extra postage but I mail all my cards from home. Only if its really really bulky do I take it to the PO to be weighed. I've never had any cards returned to me nor has anyone said they owed postage on it when they received them. We have a postal worker like that too...which is why I avoid going to the PO lol.
I have never had to pay. I just moved and hope it doesn't start now. I will add that if the card is real bumpy, I add a layer on CS inside the envie to help. Sorry your postal worker is particular!!!!
I rarely pay extra postage but I mail all my cards from home. Only if its really really bulky do I take it to the PO to be weighed. I've never had any cards returned to me nor has anyone said they owed postage on it when they received them. We have a postal worker like that too...which is why I avoid going to the PO lol.
I'm like you - I seldom mail at the post office. I have my own stamps and drop my cards in the drive through box.
About breaking the machines that the envelopes pass through....That makes sense to me, because I know most mail goes through machines.
I make sure if I have a "bumpy" embellishment, like a button, brad, etc. that I insert the card into the envelope so that the bump is not on the corner of the envelope where the stamp goes. I think that is the part of the envelope that feeds through the machine to be cancelled, and I try to be sure that it is as flat as possible.
I also always pad the card with an extra piece of cardstock to minimize bumps.
__________________ Bugga in OK
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I went to the PO to mail my Christmas cards because they had bows and lumps on them. They theoretically charge you more because they have to be hand cancelled, not machine cancelled. So I bought the extra postage, applied them and handed the cards back to the postal clerk. He handed me the cancellation stamp and told me to do it myself. :o LOL~ So I hand-cancelled all my cards myself and have never gone back to the PO to mail a card. I just stamp them and drop them in the mailbox.
Are you in a small town? I live in Dallas and they could care less. However, I'd had girlfriends that live in the smaller suburbs have problems with this. My theory is that it only becomes an issue when the postal workers have nothing better to do so if you go to a more heavily used post office, you're less likely to have an issue.
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I all ways get hit with an extra .20 nonmachinable charge. Seems like they want to Hand Stamp each and everyone of my cards.
No matter if it is just one bow on a card. I have been charged extra on the last card I sent. It had 3 layers and ONLY 2 brads.
About a month ago, I decided to mail from my mailbox. Card only had one ribbon tied in a knot. It came back for extra postage, and of course postoffice cancelled the stamp on the envy!! I tell you!!!
__________________ The quickest way for a parent to get a child's attention is to sit down and look comfortable. Practice safe eating always use condiments
I have used clear envelopes for the last 4 years and I have never ever added any additional postage to my cards bulky or not. They all go the same. In 4 years I have only had two returned with the little sticker to add additional postage on them. In both cases, I peeled off the little sticker and popped them back in the mail box. They both got to their destinations without additonal postage on them. I will never add postage. It is a shame that each postal station handles our mail differently...blessings.
I've never added postage. A few months ago, I had one really lumpy card and took it to the PO to check. The lady slipped the envelope through their slot template and said it would be fine. She didn't care that it was lumpy, only that it wasn't too thick. It is too bad that the clerks interpret the rules so differently.
I followed some links posted here a while ago, and the actual PO requirements for rigidity are something like if you hold the mail on a solid surface and lift one end with your finger, the mail should bend by at least one inch. It would take a massive number of layers to make it too rigid to bend. The way I read the rules, as long as the envelope meets the rigidity requirement and none of the embellishments makes it over a quarter of an inch thick, it should not require extra postage.
However, if your local clerk thinks differently, good luck arguing that point!
I almost never pay extra for postage unless one of my cards has a larger, thicker bow/ribbon knot.
I cut a piece of card stock 4" x 5 1/4" and I place it over top of my card and then I place my card inside the envelope. This way my card won't get caught in the machine and it helps to somewhat keep the thickness of my embellishments somewhat hidden.
One other thing that I wanted to mention is about having my cards hand cancelled. I generally only do this when I'm mailing a lot of cards, or when I mailed my wedding invitations. When I take my cards to the post office I will ask the clerk to please hand cancel them and it doesn't cost any extra. (I just wanted to mention this because I read a post above that said we pay more for non-machineable mail and at my post office that’s not the case. I only pay more for postage when my envelopes are thicker.)
I almost never pay extra for postage unless one of my cards has a larger, thicker bow/ribbon knot.
I cut a piece of card stock 4" x 5 1/4" and I place it over top of my card and then I place my card inside the envelope. This way my card won't get caught in the machine and it helps to somewhat keep the thickness of my embellishments somewhat hidden.
One other thing that I wanted to mention is about having my cards hand cancelled. I generally only do this when I'm mailing a lot of cards, or when I mailed my wedding invitations. When I take my cards to the post office I will ask the clerk to please hand cancel them and it doesn't cost any extra. (I just wanted to mention this because I read a post above that said we pay more for non-machineable mail and at my post office that�s not the case. I only pay more for postage when my envelopes are thicker.)
You are Soooooo Lucky! If I have a knot from a ribbon or if I have more than 1 brad. There it goes-Hand Cancelled and an additional .20!!!
__________________ The quickest way for a parent to get a child's attention is to sit down and look comfortable. Practice safe eating always use condiments
uhhh... perhaps this thread will be my excuse to why i am terrible about mailing cards!
But i've gotta add... feel lucky that you have the option of another post office! We have one so we don't get the option of going anywhere else...:rolleyes:
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I put in an index card to cover any bumps or brads. I turn my cards around so the front of the card is to the back of the envelope. I've had my fair share of cards needing extra postage but those are the ones that don't go through that slot. I feel the postal workers in both offices I go to are fair. For a long time I just put on 20 cents extra because I didn't want anything to get in the way of my card being delivered. I now can judge better which cards will need extra postage. I have no problem paying extra....I work hard on my cards and I want them getting to their destination.
__________________ All I want is the chance to prove money won't make me happy!
The only time I had to pay extra was when I sent shower invitations. I was told the knot made them too bulky. I had mailed dozens of cards with a knot. I guess one at a time is ok???
We also have a PO here in MS that is dead set on the extra postage. I mail from my house unless I am sending a envelope with a swap in it, then I have to have it weighed. Most of the time I send it prioity because it usually ends up the less expensive wayto go. Luckly, I have the option to use several PO so I usually go to the largest of them.
This has been my experience also. If I take a card to the PO, it costs more; if I mail it from home, nothing. I, too, have never had anyone say they had to pay extra postage. Now keep in mind, mine are not really extravagant heavily embellished cards. Perhaps a ribbon knot or some brad bumps but nothing awful. I'll often put in a CB'd piece of CS to even it out some. HTH.
I've wondered the same thing because it varies here depending on who you get at the PO. I sent my husband to mail a square card last month, and they only charged him regular postage. Go figure ... I doubt anybody really knows what the regulations are. After all, the PO is run by the government - there's so much red tape you have to be a lawyer to understand it all! ;)
I also have found that I take various colors of cardstock the size of the card and run in through my crimper--I have a stack of different colors on hand to put in front of the card when it goes in the envie. I too try to put the bow, brad, etc. on the bottom of the envie and also face it to the back.
I took a 5 x 7 manilla envie yesterday to be mailed that had a card with a large brad and bow on it inside along with some leaves that I punched for a frienf--the post office guy tried to push it through their template and could not, so he said it needed more postage than just sending it regular. I asked where I would get that template thingie and he gave me the item number and said he thought I could find it online. It was not there, so I sent an email last night, but have not heard back yet.
I always send my cards from home or drop in the box and have never had to pay extra.
I've wondered the same thing because it varies here depending on who you get at the PO. I sent my husband to mail a square card last month, and they only charged him regular postage. Go figure ... I doubt anybody really knows what the regulations are. After all, the PO is run by the government - there's so much red tape you have to be a lawyer to understand it all! ;)
Um..no, the post office is not run by the government, it is quasi-government run. That means, kind of, sort of but not really! :mrgreen:
I have a scale and weigh my items at home, but the postal workers here, it's seldom the weight they are looking for. The run their hand across your card/item and if there are ANY bumps....you are charged package rate. The card is supposed to be a uniform thickness they tell me. Then I go to a different post office there they use the slot (they have a slot cut out of plastic), as long as the card fits through the slot, you pay first class rate and not package rate.
Seems to be at the post office's discretion.
For cards, I usually put a piece of card stock or two ON top of the "bumpy" side...that often makes it flat enough to go through for a single postage stamp (occassionally need the .17 extra); But having a brad or a flower causing something to go up to PACKAGE rate seems ridiculous --that's often what happens here though. When in doubt, i just add the extra postage.
The last update to the postage rules was real killer. I used to send out little items to people and be charged by weight. Now I am first charged 1.17 for a "package", then charged additionally by weight!
Ah the PO, you either love them or have a love/hate relationship. When I mail my cards from home I have no problem with needing extra postage, unless I send a large square card, then it is double.
My problem with them is the closure of all the sub stations in town, now I have to drive three times as far and wait and wait and wait. But they are very firendly once I get to the window!
I also have found that I take various colors of cardstock the size of the card and run in through my crimper--I have a stack of different colors on hand to put in front of the card when it goes in the envie. I too try to put the bow, brad, etc. on the bottom of the envie and also face it to the back.
I took a 5 x 7 manilla envie yesterday to be mailed that had a card with a large brad and bow on it inside along with some leaves that I punched for a frienf--the post office guy tried to push it through their template and could not, so he said it needed more postage than just sending it regular. I asked where I would get that template thingie and he gave me the item number and said he thought I could find it online. It was not there, so I sent an email last night, but have not heard back yet.
I always send my cards from home or drop in the box and have never had to pay extra.
Someone mentioned some time ago that the slot in your paper trimmer is the same width, IF it goes thru there it should be alright. Also, I recently received an inside out card-inside the envie inside out and that came thru okay!
Someone mentioned some time ago that the slot in your paper trimmer is the same width, IF it goes thru there it should be alright. Also, I recently received an inside out card-inside the envie inside out and that came thru okay!
I took a card to the post office today. It was in a clear envelope, with the stamp on the outside. It had one tiny brad on the card. The employee got his slotted cardboard and the card slid right through as I knew it would. Then he said, well you still have to pay the extra 20 cents because you have it in plastic and it can't go through the machine... I just started using clear envies and I really like them! For a totally flat card I had not been adding extra postage.....I hope the recipients have not had to pay postage-due!
The problem is the new postal regs are confusing for postal workers as well as average folk.
If you have a piece that would otherwise qualify as a letter, but it is square or has lumps, it's an extra 17� postage. If it's over 1/4" thick (which is the dimension of the slot you need to get it thru), it becomes a package unless you can put it in a big enough envelope to call it a large envelope (or flat); if a piece that otherwise qualifies as a large envelope is over 3/4" thick OR lumpy, it counts as a package.
Where the confusion for the post office seems to come in is that a letter (no bigger than 6-1/8" x 11-1/2" and no thicker than 1/4") does NOT count as a package if it's lumpy. You are supposed to just pay the extra 17� non-machineable charge - as long as none of those lumps make the piece (including card, envelope and anything else you might tuck in there) over 1/4" thick. A piece that is too rigid also needs the extra 17� - but it's still not a package.
Also, a large envelope isn't considered "lumpy" as long as "bumps, protrusions, or
other irregularities do not cause more than 1/4-inch variance in thickness".
Here's a link to their .pdf summarizing what's what. Retail Mail - Physical StandardsI don't know that it will be helpful, though, if the postal worker at the window insists that you pay package rates.
Honestly, never! If I think something is too bulky I'll stick an extra stamp on it. But I usually try to save the bulky ones for hand delivery. I use a piece of cardstock that I've run through my paper crimper to lay on top of my card for mailing. I've been mailing out RAKs for over a year and never had anyone mention that my cards were over. I hope they weren't just being nice!!
I live in Texas too--I guess I need to go to the smaller towns. I am north of Dallas and they could care less. We have a dictatorship at our PO--they were even on the news for not waiting on customers with cell phones. The lines are always out the door and you had to turn off your cell phone when you entered...if it rang they asked you to leave and I am not kidding. There was a huge news story and they have lightened up a little but if you take a call while in line they move you to the back of the line.
I pay waaayy to much as many of my cards have been sent back.
I have used clear envelopes for the last 4 years and I have never ever added any additional postage to my cards bulky or not. They all go the same. In 4 years I have only had two returned with the little sticker to add additional postage on them. In both cases, I peeled off the little sticker and popped them back in the mail box. They both got to their destinations without additonal postage on them. I will never add postage. It is a shame that each postal station handles our mail differently...blessings.
YOU ROCK!! lol ---- rage against the machine! (you would think they would be so happy that someone is still sending letters by pony express - they would just let it go).
I don't understand all the fuss. If you want to add all the thick, heavy embellishments, then just put another stamp on it and mail it. If you took the care and wanted to add all that stuff on the card, then it has to be paid for. Save yourself agrevation and just stick on the extra stamp and mail it. I don't see it's worth the argument about it. You made it for someone special and you want them to get it then just count the postage as part of the gift. It's only a stamp.
Guess my question is ~ if you've received a beautiful card that has postage due on it ~ do you go back & tell the sender? Cause if you don't, they'll never know & always assume that their card went thru without needing extra postage...
Also, just on the side ~ I've received some (otherwise) gorgeous cards, however, because they had the embellishments ripped off ~ they didn't arrive to me as nice as they were sent (& they did not have extra postage or extra paper, etc) & no ~ I didn't have the heart to tell the creators... I really should have thou, I guess...
I didn't start adding extra postage until I received 2 or 3 that required extra postage. I didn't tell the senders because I didn't want to embarrass them.
You bet I add the extra postage! And gladly. I spend a lot of time and put a lot of thought into my cards. I want them to arrive safe and sound and in good condition; not eaten up by the postal machines or returned to me for postage due. If you want to get by with just one first class stamp, then you may as well go back to buying Hallmark cards. :rolleyes:
I had a card "returned" from the PO that was all torn and the card was ruined. It only had a couple raised embellishments. I don't take any chances anymore. If there is anything "bumpy" I add cardstock and an extra stamp. However, my Christmas card this year has a bow knot and gems on it and I send 100. It sounds like I just have to add a 20 cent stamp to the regular one. I'll make sure before I send it. I agree - I put too much work into my cards to have them ruined by the post office!
I pay the extra postage, and I don't mind. I weigh and measure my cards at home and use the USPS.com web site to calculate my postage. I pay extra postage if the card is bumpy and needs to be hand cancelled, if the card is square, if it is too thick, or if it is too heavy for a single first-class stamp. For items that are a bit bumpy, I take it to the post office with the extra postage on it and I ask the person who waits on me to please hand cancel it because it is homemade and a bit bumpy. They are always happy to do so. I feel better knowing that my handmade card won't be chewed up by a machine. Even with the extra postage, it is amazing to me how inexpensive it is to get something from one place to another through the mail.
In Australia...if it fits through the Post Office template...much the same as described here I would think, then all is sweet.
If I have something a little bulky...which will still fit through the slot...I turn the card front to the back of the envelope...and add a thin layer of cardstock.
No way am I risking my work being trashed...What's a bit extra postage in the long run?....
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I take them in and pay extra. I am a new card crafter so my cards are far from beautiful works of art--but I do put much time and effort and money in them. I would rather they arrive safely then have them ruined, so I do the extras. I have had cards that I have received ruined in the mail and I don't want to risk that.
I do not know if it is the same in USA than Canada but here in Canada I bought the Canada Post template for size and envelope and there is holes so I can try the envelope and it tells me if I need extra postage. The max is 30grams and the thickeness is 5mm. If it is more than that I need an extra stamp
Do you usually pay extra postage?
