# To what extent does the post office honor "Return to Sender" ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 13, 2006, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463 "2006-04-13T01:08:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463/1 "2006-04-13T01:08:13Z")
I’ve got this Return to Sender stamp in red ink. What i’d like to do is send back all junk mail and mail from anyone who doesn’t live here anymore. Does the postal service have any policy wrt this? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463/2 "2006-04-13T03:18:47Z")
> [@alterego](#): > > I’ve got this Return to Sender stamp in red ink. What i’d like to do is send back all junk mail and mail from anyone who doesn’t live here anymore. Does the postal service have any policy wrt this? Generally, it only works on First Class mail – not mail sent at bulk rate (junk mail). For that mail, the Post Office will only return it if the sender has indicated that they will pay for returns, forwarding, etc. This will be indicated by statements like “Address Service Requested”, “Return Service Requested”, “Change Service Requested”, or “Forwarding Service Requested” printed below the return address on the piece of mail. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463/3 "2006-04-13T03:47:52Z")
**alterego** > [@](#): > > To what extent does the post office honor “Return to Sender” Well, they did issue an Elvis Presley commemorative stamp many years ago. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463/4 "2006-04-13T03:51:18Z")
So if I stamp or write “return to sender” on a piece of junk mail and drop it in the outgoing slot, what happens to it? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463/5 "2006-04-13T04:20:54Z")
> [@yBeayf](#): > > So if I stamp or write “return to sender” on a piece of junk mail and drop it in the outgoing slot, what happens to it? The postman carries it back to the Post Office, and workers there throw it into the garbage (or a paper recycling bin). This costs them time and effort, all of which is paid for by **your taxes** and the stamps you buy. If you and lots of others do this often, it increases Post Office expenses and they raise the price of stamps. Don’t do this! Just throw it away yourself. ---
**Author:** ![rwhbyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@rwhbyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rwhbyu)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463/6 "2006-04-13T04:50:50Z")
I thought that the post office has been independant of gov’t funding for a while. Am I wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463/7 "2006-04-13T12:30:53Z")
Yes. Interesting [history of the US postal service.](http://www.usps.com/history/history/his1.htm) Looks like they’ve been independant of government financial subsidies since 1971. ---
**Author:** ![Renob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8c91f0/32.png) [@Renob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renob)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463/8 "2006-04-13T14:16:02Z")
Except they are still protected by a government-granted monopoly to deliver first-class mail. While not a direct susidy, it certainly helps prop them up. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463/9 "2006-04-13T14:21:48Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > The postman carries it back to the Post Office, and workers there throw it into the garbage (or a paper recycling bin). > > This costs them time and effort, all of which is paid for by **your taxes** and the stamps you buy. If you and lots of others do this often, it increases Post Office expenses and they raise the price of stamps. > > **Don’t do this! Just throw it away yourself**. Bolding mine for emphasis. I can understand just throwing away junk mail, but if you’re throwing away legitimate mail for someone who used to live in your house, or mis-addressed mail for someone you’ve never heard of, does that come under the heading of mail tampering? ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463/10 "2006-04-13T15:38:33Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > The postman carries it back to the Post Office, and workers there throw it into the garbage (or a paper recycling bin). > > This costs them time and effort, all of which is paid for by **your taxes** and the stamps you buy. If you and lots of others do this often, it increases Post Office expenses and they raise the price of stamps. > > Don’t do this! Just throw it away yourself. Wouldn’t it be in the Post Office’s interest to raise the charges for bulk mailing in this case since bulk mail would be generating the excess return-to-sender mails? ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463/11 "2006-04-13T16:03:06Z")
> [@Renob](#): > > Except they are still protected by a government-granted monopoly to deliver first-class mail. While not a direct susidy, it certainly helps prop them up. Are you saying that if Butlerco decided to start delivering letters (non USPS) to any address in the US, the USGov would block Butlerco from doing so, if I was willing to provide the service at a rate competative to the USPS? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463/12 "2006-04-13T16:11:08Z")
> [@butler1850](#): > > Are you saying that if Butlerco decided to start delivering letters (non USPS) to any address in the US, the USGov would block Butlerco from doing so, if I was willing to provide the service at a rate competative to the USPS? I think the monopoly is on using your USPS MAILBOX. FedEx can’t legally stick your packages in there, even if they’re the FedEx Small Envelope variety. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463/13 "2006-04-13T16:17:35Z")
> [@butler1850](#): > > Are you saying that if Butlerco decided to start delivering letters (non USPS) to any address in the US, the USGov would block Butlerco from doing so, if I was willing to provide the service at a rate competative to the USPS? Yes they would. My godfather was put out of business by the Post Office in the 1970s. He wasn’t using mailboxes, either. They pointed out that he was violating federal law and he ceased, and then desisted. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463/14 "2006-04-13T16:22:25Z")
> [@saoirse](#): > > Yes they would. My godfather was put out of business by the Post Office in the 1970s. He wasn’t using mailboxes, either. They pointed out that he was violating federal law and he ceased, and then desisted. Was he undercutting the post office’s postage rate? How could he have been making money? ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463/15 "2006-04-13T18:44:34Z")
> [@Mr. Slant](#): > > Was he undercutting the post office’s postage rate? > How could he have been making money? He wasn’t in business for very long, but he was offering same-day delivery, or next-day delivery. He was actually sued in Federal Court, USPS v. Brennan. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463/16 "2006-04-13T18:53:40Z")
[More than you ever wanted to know about the Private Express Statutes and their exceptions](http://www.nalc.org/depart/cau/pdf/manuals/pub542.pdf) (pdf) ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463/17 "2006-04-13T19:40:42Z")
> [@saoirse](#): > > He was actually sued in Federal Court, USPS v. Brennan .[United States v. Brennan](http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=439&invol=1345), 439 U.S. 1345 (1978) (Marshall, J.) (denying stay) contains a summary of the arguments. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463/18 "2006-04-13T19:44:42Z")
> [@saoirse](#): > > Yes they would. My godfather was put out of business by the Post Office in the 1970s. He wasn’t using mailboxes, either. They pointed out that he was violating federal law and he ceased, and then desisted. I consider my ignorance fought. Never would have though such a thing existed… ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463/19 "2006-04-13T19:48:23Z")
> [@Gfactor](#): > > .[United States v. Brennan](http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=439&invol=1345), 439 U.S. 1345 (1978) (Marshall, J.) (denying stay) contains a summary of the arguments. Case title is actually _Brennan v. USPS_ ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463/20 "2006-04-13T19:50:42Z")
The postal employees would just throw them away. The companies that send you these advertisements pay for their delivery. The post office is \*\*bound by law \*\* to deliver them to you. What you do with them after that is your business. If you have a problem with these mailings, take it up with the companies doing the advertising, not the postal employees who are busting their ass to deliver your mail. I’m not yelling at you, I realize you are just asking a question, I just don’t want anyone to get any ideas that it’s ok to take out their frustrations on the post office folks when it’s not their fault. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-does-the-post-office-honor-return-to-sender/352463.md?page=2)