How to Eliminate Junk Mail

re: How to Eliminate Junk Mail

Bartman — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 03:32:34 GMT

Whenever I get junk mail for credit card offers or other stuff, any time they use a postage paid return envelope, I stuff it with their own junk mail, and sometimes a little extra, then mail that back to them. I don't include anything that would have my name on it though. If enough people start sending back junk mail to the originators, maybe they'll get the point.

re: How to Eliminate Junk Mail

organicone — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 01:19:04 GMT

Haven't read all of the posts to see if someone clarified this, but I use the prepaid envelope to mail back my name and address asking them to take me off of their mailing list.

re: How to Eliminate Junk Mail

purplebird — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 19:14:26 GMT

If a person is very serious about eliminating junk mail and catalogs, why not send a change of address to the company for a post office box you set up for a short time or to a vacant house. I probably wouldn't do the latter, but it did just pop into my head. Has anyone tried this?

re: How to Eliminate Junk Mail

newworld_203 — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 20:02:14 GMT

How about taking pity on those of us without high-speed internet connection and putting the essential text of the video on the webpage? I would LIKE to have this info but have no way to get it at present. Thanks.

re: How to Eliminate Junk Mail

lyra_203 — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 20:14:43 GMT

My uncle wrapped a brick and taped the postage-paid envelope to it. They had to pay a lot extra for that one. I have put a lot of trash or whatever they sent me back in the free envelope, so they would have to pay more. Whatever we can do to discourage this waste of trees, time, money, and greediness will be wonderful.

re: How to Eliminate Junk Mail

markchevy_lentz — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 19:21:15 GMT

I say everybody should take there junk mail and stuff it back into those postage paid envelopes we all get and mail it all back to these BIG companys. This would not only get rid of your junk mail it's also fun to think about them opening these envelpoes with all the trash in them. It will also help out the Post Office because they get paid to deliver this junk back.

re: How to Eliminate Junk Mail

webwitch6 — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 06:04:55 GMT

I worked for the Post Office for a few years and the Post Office will NOT SEND BACK THIRD CLASS, BULK MAIL, such as credit card offers that are marked "pre-sorted mail" or catalogs. They always ALWAYS have on the catalogs- "OR CURRENT RESIDENT" because they cant get the catalog backs through the postal system so they hope to at least get someone else interested. So to refuse catalogs wont work. You need to do the work and contact the people who send you the catalogs.

re: How to Eliminate Junk Mail

HK student — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 03:48:38 GMT

I use the prepaid postage envelopes & send back my name and address from their mail and state, "Please take me off your mailing list. I throw these out." And I highlight it in florescent yellow. It has cut down some. There is also an opt out telephone number that can be called. You can choose to opt out for 5 years or for good.

1-888-567-8688

re: How to Eliminate Junk Mail

beegie — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 03:12:52 GMT

Great ideas and comments from everyone, thanks. Especially stuffing the pre-paid envelope idea. Never thought of that.

1. Tip: Be sure to opt-out on all those little privacy notices the credit card co's send. I never get credit card offers anymore, so I think it really works. However, I do get TONS of junk from one of my OWN credit card co's, low-APR checks, transfer checks, ad nauseum. CapitalOne is the WORST for doing this.

2. Re: catalogues, they ARE a royal pain and clog up my small apt.-mailbox cubicle. However, some of them I would LIKE to receive, but only like 1 catalogue every six months or so, rather than 1 every 2 weeks, etc. How to get them to do that? -- BTW, loved the catalogue-fire-logs idea, lol, but I don't have a fireplace. Otherwise, it would be my extreme pleasure to burn them all, lol.

3. Another royal pain, and I hate to say this, are Christian ministries who I have either donated to in the past, or from whom I may have bought a product in the past. But then they bombard you forever more with mailings every month, some more often. I have emailed and USMailed them to no avail. I called one that was especially bad w/their incessant catalogues and that DID work but I was so ticked off by then, I wasn't very nice about it. How totally unChristian of me, eh? :-/ -- My next plan of action was to do as mentioned in these comments, ie, to send them back "Refused Return to Sender." I also quit giving to any ministry that sends junk mail, and only to those who do NOT use their donation money to send out paper-mailings (such as Perry Stone, Les Feldick, etc).

4. Lastly, I wanted to say I have also always done as one commentor suggested, ie, recycle the junk mail sheets that have one blank side, cut them up and use them as note paper. I have not bought note paper in years and years! ;-)

/beegie

re: How to Eliminate Junk Mail

Kestrel — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 22:45:49 GMT

This article reminds me of the last doctor I was in practice with. He would actually subscribe and receive huge amounts of junk mail. He would then roll them into log-like cylinders and burn them for heat all winter in his vacation cabin. Now that is a great use of junk mail.

re: How to Eliminate Junk Mail

energymaster — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 20:15:45 GMT

What many do not realize is that without this unsolicited mail, thousands, perhaps millions of good employers and their businesses would go belly up. I depend on it in mine quite a bit. I think that's what dclifton was referring to w/ tongue in cheek (?) What we need is a way to solicit business without wasting so much paper. I am amazed at the number and high quality (cost) of catalogs, offers, and solicitatioins for charities I receive every single day. There has to be a better way. I have enough address labels to last me forever at this point! The one thing I do not get is why a mail order company I order from would sell my name and address to a competetor for a few cents, and then watch me order form them instead...

re: How to Eliminate Junk Mail

joline — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 18:58:13 GMT

I don't know where you guys went, but I clicked on the first place to click and got opting out of credit cards and insurance offers. The hitch? You need to give them your SS# and birth date. I don't think so.

Am so glad here is a place to vent my frustration, or is it anger? Hmmm-m-m-m.

re: How to Eliminate Junk Mail

EQ — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 18:52:53 GMT

Moving without a forwarding address is one way to get off lists, but it's not feasible for most people.

Before I moved, I found it impossible to get Guitar Center to stop sending me mailings. I asked at stores, I called their customer service, and I called their headquarters. This went on for a couple of years. They would say that either I wasn't on their list or they would take me off, and it never happened. I told them I would never shop there again if they didn't remove me. So now I won't ever buy from them, and I encourage my other musician compadres to do the same. I've been lucky to be able to find small businesses who are able to be competitive. Sometimes they have a pro discount.

So even with boycott threats, these companies don't care about the massive amounts of paper that is being wasted on their mailings. Bulk mail is one of the things I hate the most. I'll only give anonymously to environmental organizations because I don't want to get all their junk and renewal notices. Even environmental organizations! How crazy is that?

re: How to Eliminate Junk Mail

Dr Rik — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 16:35:38 GMT

Lots of junk mail has nice 8 x 10 letter size paper, blank on one side. Good for printing many of my documents that don't require dedicated stationary. RECYCLE

re: How to Eliminate Junk Mail

larkyst — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 14:56:39 GMT

I have a great way to slow the tide of credit card offers. I always write "NO THANKS" in big letters on the application and then stuff their postage prepaid envelope full of their paperwork, the evelope their offer came in, along with as much of the other junk mail I've received that day into their envelope, seal it up and send it back to them. They pay by WEIGHT for their return mail. When they get my rejections that can weigh several ounces (or more), they take my name of their mailing list. It made a dramatic difference in how many of these offers I get in the mail. Hopefully, they recycle their trash so I don't have to worry about recycling all that junk mail at my house! Hope this works for you too!