# Spam snail mail...will this work
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-snail-mail-will-this-work/116376
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 28, 2002, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-snail-mail-will-this-work/116376 "2002-06-28T14:05:17Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@joemama24\_98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joemama24_98)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2002, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-snail-mail-will-this-work/116376/1 "2002-06-28T14:05:17Z")
After receiving the same damn credit card offer 5 times in 2 weeks, I was wondering how to get these buffoons to stop… so, I was wondering…
If I were to attach their reply envelope, which indicated that the postage is pre-paid, to a nice heavy object such as a brick, would USPS deliver it and charge them? Would that be legal? Would I somehow get in trouble?
Just a thought…I can’t stand the crap I get in the mail. Such a waste of paper.
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### Author:  [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2002, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-snail-mail-will-this-work/116376/2 "2002-06-28T14:11:38Z")
There’s certainly tales of such being done.
Hold on…
The master has spoken:
[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_356.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_356.html)
Otherwise I’d say just call them and ask to be removed from their mailing list or placed on their ‘kill’ or ‘suppression’ list.
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### Author:  [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2002, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-snail-mail-will-this-work/116376/3 "2002-06-28T14:12:51Z")
It won’t go. Anything over 13 oz has to go priority mail. Just send the thing back to them as it is.
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### Author:  [@joemama24\_98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joemama24_98)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2002, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-snail-mail-will-this-work/116376/4 "2002-06-28T14:24:50Z")
Dang.
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### Author:  [@Morgainelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgainelf)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2002, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-snail-mail-will-this-work/116376/5 "2002-06-28T15:34:03Z")
Go to [www.the-dma.org](http://www.the-dma.org). You can write to them, call, or register online, and you will be removed from mailing lists for all reputable direct marketers.
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### Author:  [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2002, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-snail-mail-will-this-work/116376/6 "2002-06-28T15:43:43Z")
Rather than use a brick, I simply take ALL the crap they send me (including the outer envelope) and mail it back to them. Postal regs say they pay first class rates on their reply permits, as of Sunday that’s going to be, what, 37 cents for the first ounce, 23 for each after? Sixty cents a pop adds up, they know it.
If you circle your name, and write “Drop my name from your list” alongside it, they’ll get the message.
It doesn’t cost a lot to bulk mail, but the returns will make them cry uncle.
I’ve been doing this for years, only I need to do it less and less each year.
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### Author:  [@joemama24\_98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joemama24_98)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2002, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-snail-mail-will-this-work/116376/7 "2002-06-28T16:44:11Z")
Postcards - thanks for the feedback - i’m going to give that a shot for sure.
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### Author:  [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2002, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-snail-mail-will-this-work/116376/8 "2002-06-28T17:17:45Z")
By the way, I’m fairly sure the ‘paste it to a brick’ idea first came from dear Abbie Hoffman in his classic Steal This Book
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### Author:  [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2002, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-snail-mail-will-this-work/116376/9 "2002-06-28T17:55:23Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by postcards \*
> Rather than use a brick, I simply take ALL the crap they send me (including the outer envelope) and mail it back to them. Postal regs say they pay first class rates on their reply permits, as of Sunday that’s going to be, what, 37 cents for the first ounce, 23 for each after? Sixty cents a pop adds up, they know it.
>
> If you circle your name, and write “Drop my name from your list” alongside it, they’ll get the message.
>
> It doesn’t cost a lot to bulk mail, but the returns will make them cry uncle.
> \*\*
I don’t know if this will actually work. It’s not like you are mailing it to an individual who will say “oh look at all this crap he sent back!” Most likely you will simply just annoy some mail handler on the other end without actually making the problem go away.
Service centers process thousands of envelopes a day. They aren’t likely to take the time to make sure your address is removed just because you send a bunch of crap back as a joke. They’ll just chuck it and move on to the next envelope.
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### Author:  [@USNSPARKS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USNSPARKS)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2002, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-snail-mail-will-this-work/116376/10 "2002-06-30T11:09:11Z")
Two more ideas:
Get two shoe boxes. Fill one with all the junk mail you get and the other with the Business Reply Mail envelopes. Periodically mix up the stuff in the contents box and evenly fill up the envelopes and mail them back. Doesn’t solve much but may make you feel better. Remove name/address from items before adding to the shoebox.
Cross out your name/address and write “DECEASED” in large letters next to it. Send everything back in the supplied envelope.
I’ve been doing this for a good 6-7 months and it seems to have cut down the CC offers a LOT. I don’t recommend crossing out
your address on the original incomming envelope and writing DECEASED and putting back in the mail. It might create problems with you regular mail delivery. Also don’t waste your time writing REFUSED on mail unless it is First Class. The PO doesn’t return
bulk or business rate mail.