Mail It Monday: but on a Tuesday! USPS Postal Regulations

Well, it is Mail It Monday, but because it is a holiday, the USPS is closed today. So we will have to mail our beautiful handmade cards tomorrow! Hence, Mail It Monday, but on a Tuesday!

(Those of you who have children who love The Lego Movie will totally get my title for today!)

In honor of the postal holiday, I figured it would be a good time to address (ha!) the different postal regulations that pertain to card-mailing. All of the USPS postal regulations can be found here: Quick Service Guide.

These are issues that I have personally dealt with. There are a million different cases, but these are a few quick tips and tricks to keep in mind.

1. Square envelopes require more postage. Keep to rectangles. 
2. Bulky cards, with foam-backed items or embellishments like enamel dots, need to be packaged differently. Envelopes must be less than 1/4" thick. To keep things smooth, try these ideas:
1. I like to add a panel of card stock. Place it over the bumpy side of the card to smooth things out inside the envelope.
2. Turn the card inside out. Its weird, but it works.
3. Wrap the card in a small piece of tissue paper.
4. Check out this video from Hero Arts with some FAB ideas! Click the link below.
1. Mailing Cards With Bulk 
5. With too much bulk, I use a padded mailer. The postage is more, but not terrible. And with a special card like that, the recipient is worth it! :D
3. Do not add strings or closures, or other items hanging from your card to the outside of your envelopes, as they can incur a charge.
1. If you chose to do this, place the envelope inside another plain envelope. Keeping in mind the thickness and weight.
2. Washi tape, if pressed flat, is not an issue.
4. Clearly address your envelopes on the front. Making sure your state abbreviations are correct, along with the zip code.
5. Return addresses can be placed on the front or the back of your envelopes. But be sure it is somewhere, just in case.
6. When in doubt of your card's thickness or weight, bring it to the counter. Better safe than making your recipient pay to get their card. :D

As I continue to get better about mailing cards, I am sure that I will learn more and find more great products to help us all out. I will be sure and share those ideas with you. And please share your ideas with me and everyone else! The comments on the Mail It Monday posts have been sweet and touching, but also SO helpful! Keep sharing your wisdom with all of us!


Winners! Congratulations to the winners of the organization bags from last week's post! Please email me at Kimberly 1 Crawford at gmail dot com with your name and mailing address! :D

1. Judy I, St. Louis MO said...
2. Dawn Gross said...
3. Sandra Schroeder said...

Sincerely Yours,