Christmas Cards and Postage

[AuburnTigerTN]

I'm working on my Christmas cards and I keep hearing stories from people about how shocked they were to get to the PO and find out their cards were going to need more than the normal 41 cent postage.

Anyone taken theirs yet?

[knightrone]

Last year when I took my card, it cost .58 a piece to mail, which would be no big deal, but for 80+ cards it gets a little expensive, considering you are already out the money for the cards. I just took mine to the post office today, and thankfully, she says it wont require more. I didnt pop up the layers like I wanted to though, but I have spent a ton of money on this one, so I had to do something to keep it under control.

[stamper1996]

Thanks for the heads up. I have a postal scale at home and can weigh them and check. Fortunately, I don't have any unusual envelope sizes or thick envelopes to worry about.

[jess_witty]

I send handmade cards every year and have always paid extra to mail them. They are not checked only for weight - they also have to be thin enough and flexible enough to fit through the automatic machines. If they are not, they will hand cancel them and that is what incurs the additional postage. Even having a ribbon knotted around the card can prevent them from going through the machine. Unfortunately, every post office and postal employee is different in how they enforce the rules, so some employees will tell me I need the extra postage and a different post office will tell me I don't.

I always include the extra postage because if I've taken the time to make 130 cards, I darned sure want them to get there, ya know?

[okstamper]

I have the same problem when I go inside my post office. If I get this one mail clerk and I have my handmade cards, she'll will feel for every bump and want to charge me .58..I've gotten mad at her and told her that she was the only one that did that to me. So since then, I have just purchased my stamps and mailed them from my house. I never had a problem since. When I do have a bump of some sort, then I put a piece of c/s to cover the bumpiness.

Bonnie

[stampbystep]

I sent one today that needed an extra $0.17... because it was not "machineable". Apparently, if you use dimensionals, or have a bulky spot in the envelope, it has to be hand cancelled. And of course they feel that they have to charge for this...