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My friend just called from another state. She took in a card embossed with Divine Swirl. When she took it to the PO to mail to me on Friday, they charged her extra because they could feel the bumps from the embossing!! I think this is just outrageous!
This is starting to get ridiculous! I have to think that either the PO sent a memo to be on the look out for homemade cards, OR these people are trying to turn people away from coming into the PO! Effectively losing themselves a job! LOL Oh well, everything goes into the mailbox from now on.
That's not what she's talking about. We totally understand the "thickness" part over a 1/4 inch thick = more postage, no problem! It's this "new" rule about the "bumps" on the cards. Now if a card is "bumpy" it needs more postage! The problem here is there is no standard for how bumpy is too bumpy. One guy at one PO says it's fine and another guy/gal at another PO says it needs more postage. That is the problem! If you get a postal worker on a bad day, you are going to be spending WAY more than if you get one on a good day. There seems to be no standard!
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The secret to mailing your cards is to not go to the PO. Just put it in your own mailbox or drop it in one of the blue boxes and let it go. This is how I have mailed every card I have ever sent and they are all bumpy and all have ribbon, brads, etc. and no one has ever told me that they needed to pay when it got to them and I have never had one sent back
I do suggest taking a piece of scrap cardstock cut the exact size of your card and laying it over the bumpy side of your card so they cant feel it;)
The secret to mailing your cards is to not go to the PO. Just put it in your own mailbox or drop it in one of the blue boxes and let it go. This is how I have mailed every card I have ever sent and they are all bumpy and all have ribbon, brads, etc. and no one has ever told me that they needed to pay when it got to them and I have never had one sent back I do suggest taking a piece of scrap cardstock cut the exact size of your card and laying it over the bumpy side of your card so they cant feel it;)
i do this too! :mrgreen:
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
I mailed some last week with small plain white index cards layered over the bumps. They were extras I had on hand and were the perfect size. My local Walgreens often sells packages of two sizes of index cards at either two or three packs for $1.
Good ideas. I used to put something over the ones where I was afraid brads and such might poke through. The Cuttlebugged cards are no thicker and nothing will poke through, but I guess we must appease the postal workers. It is getting ridiculous though.
What a great way to get rid of all those orchid opulence scraps! ;)
spew!!! that was one of the first colors I bought. I *thought* it was so pretty but I never use it! It just doesn't seem to go with anything!:rolleyes:
spew!!! that was one of the first colors I bought. I *thought* it was so pretty but I never use it! It just doesn't seem to go with anything!:rolleyes:
I hear ya! I'll order the other three color families in assorted packs, but not the bold brights. I figure I'm wasting 3 sheets of cardstock per pack that way, so it's cheaper to buy the individual colors when I need them LOL!
Sorry about the highjack, back to our regularly scheduled "complain about the USPS" thread... :mrgreen:
I read somewhere about turning your card inside out before you put it into the envelope. Just put a little note explaining why you did it. Sounds good to me.
DO NOT TAKE MAIL TO THE POST OFFICE! Mail is almost NEVER returned for being non-machinable (within reason) or for lacking postage (within 1 ounce). This does not apply to international shipments.
__________________ If you can't be a good example, be a dire warning.
-River City Rubber Works Stamp
I've recently had mail returned in my mailbox that I dropped in a blue box because it was too bumpy. It had one ribbon knot. So dropping in a box instead of taking it into the PO isn't the answer, although it might decrease the likelihood.
Putting an additional piece of cardstock over the the whole front of the card does NOT prevent them from detecting a "bump." They STILL charged be extra for it.
The other day I mailed out cards with brads and I used a cuttlebug embossing folder and it went through no problem. I just mailed them in a regular mailbox with a 39cent stamp.
I have never heard of this bumpy issue.. when did this start?
When I go to the Post Office, they just drop the cards thru their plastic thing with a 1/4" slot. If the card drops through, it's regular postage, if not it's 13cents more. Almost every card I mail has bumps from ribbons, brads, eyelets, etc.
Has anyone mailed a card and had the receiver get a postage due notice because of a 'bumpy' card (less than 1/4")?
__________________ Sue
...no matter where you are, there you are! my gallery
I have never heard of this bumpy issue.. when did this start?
When I go to the Post Office, they just drop the cards thru their plastic thing with a 1/4" slot. If the card drops through, it's regular postage, if not it's 13cents more. Almost every card I mail has bumps from ribbons, brads, eyelets, etc.
Has anyone mailed a card and had the receiver get a postage due notice because of a 'bumpy' card (less than 1/4")?
Glad you posted this answer because I was going to post yes, there is a standard, they have this plastic guide for both size of the envelope and a slit that the card needs to pass through. If the card passes through without a problem it doesn't matter if it is 'bumpy' or not. And I am starting to rethink tying ribbon knots because a knotted ribbon always costs me extra postage. I'm thinking I might turn to the staple technique.
I use cereal boxes as "card guards"....I just cut them down to 5 x 4 and have not had any problem sending my cards (cuttlebugged, ribboned, etc.) at all. I don't carry them to the post office to have them checked....I just stamp them and drop them in the mail.
I have a cute little poem that I print and tape on the gray side of the cereal box....if you want it just pm me and I'll send it to you!
Glad you posted this answer because I was going to post yes, there is a standard, they have this plastic guide for both size of the envelope and a slit that the card needs to pass through. If the card passes through without a problem it doesn't matter if it is 'bumpy' or not. And I am starting to rethink tying ribbon knots because a knotted ribbon always costs me extra postage. I'm thinking I might turn to the staple technique.
The new thing is that it does not matter if it fits through the slot. If they can feel any bumpiness you get charged. My friend said the card was only one layer! No ribbons, no nothing. The person just felt the cuttlebugging only. She said it could have been over double that thick and still would have gone through the slot.
Hmmmm this seems too wierd to me! I have a tax client who is a local postmaster - I will have to ask him about this when he comes in (think the appt isn't until next week though...)
My DS is a mail carrier for a large city (Minneapolis) he is out of the main downtown station. I asked him tonight if he knew of any new rules regarding "bumps" and he said no, that if the card is within the weight limit and is the proper dimensions and less than 1/4", it doesn't matter how bumpy it is. He says you wouldn't believe the stuff he delivers and I should feel free to continue mailing those cards just as I have been.
PS.. This Christmas I sent out very bumpy Christmas cards, checked them out at my Post Office first (to make sure they were less than 1/4" thick), the Post Office worker took them without hesitation.
__________________ Sue
...no matter where you are, there you are! my gallery
I think this varies from state to state.
But, I mail many, many cards every year (handmade, with embellishments, cuttled and all). I ALWAYS slip the regular envelope into a clear envelope and put the postage stamp on the outside. I mail them from my home mailbox or drop them off at the blue box outside the PO - after doing this for two+ years, I've never had one returned because of postage issues and they've never been received by the recipient with damaged envelopes.
Try it - clear envelopes add the extra protection without adding more weight or bulk.
I really wish that there was a standard answer but I can guarantee that I've never had to pay extra postage for any card that I've ever sent--clear envelope, lots of layers, embellishments, cuttlebugged, etc! About the worst that has happened to me is that my envelopes have ripped open--2 times in my card making history and they weren't overly thick or embellished.
__________________ Kathy
Proud Mama to Mason 4/3/99, Miles 5/25/02, and Maya 8/26/04
I had one lady at the PO give me a hard time about my handmade post cards. They were just the one layer- a flat card, but stamped and colored and she tried to tell me it had to go into an envelope because it was now a LETTER?!!?!?!?
I have no problems with bumpy cards in the mail or bringing it to the PO. Just to be on the safe side, one could buy a sheet of 13 cent stamps and just add it to the 39 cent stamp. I sell cards to my sister's book club ladies and I always tell them if it's bumpy at all put 2 stamps just in case (not many people have 13 cent stamps). Most people don't mail stuff anymore, so an extra stamp to mail a card isn't ever a problem with them. Better safe than sorry!
I paid extra for every one of my 60 homemade Christmas cards. It was expensive and now postage is going up again. Oh well, I'll never give up my card-making.
My friend just called from another state. She took in a card embossed with Divine Swirl. When she took it to the PO to mail to me on Friday, they charged her extra because they could feel the bumps from the embossing!! I think this is just outrageous!
If you don't want to feel the bumps from the embossing, Take a extra piece of Cardstock and lay on top of the card.
But really I think depends on which Post Office you take it to. I haven't had a problem with this.
the only thing I do is if I made a card that was a little thicker or has something on it. Then I'll put and extra .13 cent on it, Just in case. I have had some cards come to my house saying Postage Due...Which I'm not paying
For me it depends on who is at the window. I took some cards in clear envelopes and expected to pay extra postage and didn't. The next week I took the exact same card design in a clear envelope and had to pay extra postage. According to the postmaster (who I called after the inconsistency) is it should fit through the slot without having to 'work' it. But he also recommended putting something on top because the embellishments get caught in the postage machine.
I think this varies from state to state.
But, I mail many, many cards every year (handmade, with embellishments, cuttled and all). I ALWAYS slip the regular envelope into a clear envelope and put the postage stamp on the outside. I mail them from my home mailbox or drop them off at the blue box outside the PO - after doing this for two+ years, I've never had one returned because of postage issues and they've never been received by the recipient with damaged envelopes.
Try it - clear envelopes add the extra protection without adding more weight or bulk.
It actually can vary from postal worker to postal worker. My Christmas cards all needed additional postage because the clear envelopes were considered "non-machinable". I got even with the worker at the window and made her do the metered postage for EACH ONE since they don't sell a 13 cent stamp to add to the 39 cent and 5 stamps going across the envelope covered up the return address or part of the address label if I tried them in rows, so she got her payback by having to spend almost 15 minutes entering the zip and printing a meter strip for EACH CARD. HA!
It really is, unfortunately, up to the window clerk as to whether they think the item will get caught in the machinery or not. Most of them have never used the machines, so they are just guessing, I think. I brought a couple cards in one day and the gal at the window made me put extra postage on one of them. I had another of the same card going out a couple days later and dutifully put the extra postage on it. When I handed it to the gal at the window (different worker), she thanked me for contributing to the "Postal Workers Retirement Fund" because the card didn't need the extra postage, even tho the SAME CARD mailed 2 days before did need it. She said, "Oh, well so-and-so has been really cranky lately.... guess she decided to take it out on you. Sorry!"
Ya know...I don't know if it really makes a difference, but I always put the card in facing the back of the envelope so the bumpy side is at the back. I thought maybe it would go through the postmark machines easier with the smooth side up. I don't know if that's at all true, but it seems to be working for me.
__________________ Debra ---artist * teacher * designer Say yes. Be generous. Speak up. Love more. Trust yourself. Slow down. ---Patti Digh
Eeeek. Cuttlebugged cards=more postage?!?!
Mailing Cards With Bumps
