Pop dots = extra postage?

[housefan]

Does someone actually run their hand over every letter that comes through every post office? Seems to me that that amount of time consuming labor takes more money than redesigning the machines to be accomodating of mail!

[Sillybird]

Ha ha oh I am glad it is not just our post office system in UK then, they brought in new postage ways just before christmas that sometimes are beneficial but mainly not!!!! Anything that doesn't fit through the 5mm maximum thickness slow (with measurements of 240 x 165mm max) gets charged as a Large Letter which is about 44p instead of 32p and then it gets more ridiculous as the sizes go up!!!!

[nox1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Gardener

I just dropped some of the first cards I've made into a grocery store box for valentines. They will be sent to another city in my state to be hand canceled with a special postmark. I used brads and silver cord which made a lot of bumps on the cards so I'm anxious to see whether or not they will be returned. I used one 39 cent stamp on each!

This reminded me of something and made me laugh. When I sent out my wedding invitations I drove all the way up to Loveland to mail them out. The post office had closed just before we got there, so I dropped them in the slot. I knew they wouldn't get hand stamped, but I figured the machine stamp would say "Loveland"...nope...they all said "Denver". I may as well have dropped them in the PO Box outside of work. Aaarrrghhhh! LOLOLOL. Oh well, I love Loveland, so it was a nice day anyway.

[stamps&cars]

Quote:

Originally Posted by housefan

Do they actually have a top when it comes to machines? Don't they just get put through any direction or does someone actually make sure they are right side up. If so, why?

The machines do have the envies fed through all going in one direction from what I have heard. The machine reads the zip code and sprays a bar code on the bottom to expediate delivery.

To make mine smoother, I often put a piece of fun foam over the brads and such and then no bumps.

[lindylou1220]

Quote:

Originally Posted by laurakj

I took it to the PO to pay the extra and didn't have to pay the .39 again.

I never knew this and have always re-enveloped and re-paid. Won't be making that mistake again!

[phillipsn]

Can someone tell me what the exact weight is for a card that would require just the regular 39 cent stamp?

[stamphappykt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nwshelly

it really depends on the day and the person...i've found.

i mailed something that actually went through the electronic cancellation machine only to be returned to me for an additional 13 cents because it says per the rubber stamp 'it had to be manually cancelled'?????

so I went to the PO to buy 13 cent stamps...guess what...they didn't have any!?

crazy!

I have to agree with that above comment. It does depend on the day and person. You can never tell until you go in to mail, but personally I've never had this problem. YET.

[CrazyStampFrog]

Sometimes, but not always, the "bump" get caught in their machines--and maybe your card goes through and maybe it doesn't, but the next 50 or so get ruined. This is what I was told. I have never worked at the PO or seen this machine, but I believe they are talking about the electronic sorting machines. The bumps snag on the sides and then all @#$& breaks loose. I try to point the "bumps" out to them to see what they think. you could also put the bumps closer to the top of the envelope, because they read the addresses right side up--Also could wrap the card in scrap cardstock to shield the bump.

[WeimFamily]

The PO is a bit of a haul for me. If I have cards I want handstamped, can I put on the extra postage and leave them out in my mailbox for my mail carrier? How can I indicate they are to be hand cancelled?

[jutta]

Boy oh boy, I could write a book about this subject! I mailed about 80 large (5.5 x 8.5) Christmas cards in clear envelopes and the all came back because there was a wire in the design. There was, but it was totally flat. I mailed off some graduation cards that were flat and had no pop dots and they all came back. I never could found out why. We have a small post office that does not actually cancel the mail, so when I go in to find out why something happened, they can't tell me, because the "problem" was discovered in a city an hour away. I too have one of those templates from the post office, but following that doesn't always mean that you won't have any problems. I think that the system is very dependent on the individual and their mood the day you mail something! ;)

Jutta

[jpmayo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by phillipsn

Can someone tell me what the exact weight is for a card that would require just the regular 39 cent stamp?

I believe it is 1 ounce or under is .39, then it is .63, then .87 and on up. I put postage on all the mail at work, a couple hundred items a week and this is what our little scale says anyway. HTH but it may not be exact...

[blueheron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrazyStampFrog

you could also put the bumps closer to the top of the envelope, because they read the addresses right side up--Also could wrap the card in scrap cardstock to shield the bump.

At my PO, as I indicated above, it doesn't matter where the bump is or even if it is covered with extra cardstock--they pull it and charge extra. I've even tried adding a layer of thin bubble wrap and they STILL say it has a bump--extra postage.