Need Help
 

I am helping to make cards for the prayer group at church to send out. When I make cards I never pay any attention to how lumpy they are. I just take them to the post office, tell them they are nonmachinable, and pay the extra postage. I need to know what you ladies have sent through the mail on a regular 39 cent stamp. Eyelets, brads, hemp tied in a knot, etc? I am finding it challenging to come up with flat card ideas that look finished. Thanks in advance for any ideas.

Wow! I guess I haven't been sending cards right for the past 7 years. I have never had to explain that they wouldn't go through the machine and I've never had anyone not receive them or have to pay extra for me. I use lots of embellishments, too. I hope they would tell me if I need to do this. My sister has worked at at PO for a long time and she said that they should be fine.

Robyn

If you go to the post office and ask them they can give you weight and width deminsions. they have a plastic template and if the card can slide through it, then it usually doesn't need extra postage. I have only had 1 card in 3 years that needed extra postage and I send cards with lots of layers and brads and eyelets and ribbons tied with a knot. Hope this helps, good luck.

I usually just maill them - at least no one has told me they had to pay extra. One time I had a card that seemed extra thick, and I asked at the window - the guy told me it was fine.

I try to make sure that the lumpy part is turned away from where the postmark will go - if possible.

I've had to pay extra postage several times--and as many people here know, I am "embellishment challenged" (just have to force myself to use them), so it is not like I have used a ton of them on a card.

What I hear from my P.O. most often is not that it is too thick or too lumpy, but too "stiff" for it to go through the machine. Am I being ripped off, or is this also a legitimate reason to charge extra?

I had a shaker card come back to me & I had to add postage, but other than that nothing. Well, not that anyone has ever told me!! I sure hope people aren't receiving my cards with "postage due", lol!!

Only one time I had to pay extra... But, I usually just pop them in the box outside the PO or leave them in mine for carrier pick-up.

And are you aware that you can get one of these dandy little plastic dimension guides from the post office free of charge? I did this so that I would know before I left the house if a card was "over fat" or not. Its a helpful tool to have on hand!:D

I am definitely going to ask for one of those dimension guides. So the uneveness doesn't matter as long as it fits through the guide? My post office seems to be picky. Maybe it doesn't matter if you just put them in the outside mailbox. I was always being extra careful taking them inside. Thanks for all the helpful info.

Thanks for advising that we can get a free dimension guide. I did have one card returned for extra postage so I mailed my Thanksgiving cards and put the extra 13 cents worth of stamps on the envelopes to make sure that everyone would get their cards in time for the holiday.
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Beverly

I sent Christmas cards a couple of years ago with beads on them. Some of the envelopes tore a bit but everyone still received them. Eyelets or knots have gone through okay.

I've had problems sometimes. Sometimes I've got a card back that says "Needs addt'l postage" when it's flat and there is times that I've sent out cards that have a peice of bubble wrap in it and it's fine.

Last week I sent out 2 identical cards for a swap and one came back with needs more postage, twice. The other never came back. I think that it's the person at the post office. If they are in a mood then they send it back.