Junk Mail: send back that empty postage-paid envelope

by Jen (November 8, 2007)

For the past year, whenever I get a credit card or insurance offer that has a postage paid envelope for me to send back my application, I just seal that empty envelope and pop it back in the mail. I believe this is actually working, because my junk mail offers have decreased in that time. A lot of companies that were sending me stuff at least twice a month have completely stopped after receiving a sealed envelope back from me. I suspect the barcoding on the emvelopes lets them know what address it went to, and after paying for the shipment of nothing once or twice, they take you off the list.

It could be a coincidence, but I’ve talked to other people who do the same trick and also reported a decreased in what used to be very regular junk mailings.

Another tip I’ve been using for a while. When I get unwanted crap I don’t even need to open to recognize, I write “refused: return to sender” on the envelope and stick it in the mailbox on a streetcorner. I got this tip from the California Integrated Waste Management Board:

Return junk mail stamped “address correction requested” or “return postage guaranteed.”
Return junk mail unopened to the sender by writing “Refused. Return to sender.” on the envelope. Without this special notation; the post office will not return the mail to the sender.

This gives the sender a pretty strong hint that you’re serious about not getting mail from them.

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