How can I keep from getting junk snail mail?

Question

I get a ton of it & I heard there was a way to keep from getting junk snail mail at home.

How do you keep away junk mail?

Thanks.... :)

Answer 1

call each one you get and demand they remove you from their mailing list.

google life lock

Answer 2

You put a note on your mail box that says no flyers, personalized mail only the mail person will not give you junk mail unless it has your name on it.

Answer 3

This is how I stopped them from sending me junk mail.  Since they usually send you an envelope that you don't have to put postage on, I stuff their envelopes with other junk mail and send it back to them.  I've sent them,  walmart, kmart, and other store flyers, I took my address off stuff and sent the rest of the junk from other mail, I've giving them labels from cans in my cupboard, and all kinds of junk.  Whatever I don't want, I send it back to them.  They are paying for it anyway.  I figure the person that has the job of opening the mail is having fun when they get the return from me.

Answer 4

This is just a dumb thing my hubby and I have done. We used to get a lot of those credit card pre-approval letters even though we both have terrible credit and don't have a snowball's chance at the equator to actually get one of those cards. So, since they come with those nifty prepaid envelopes, we would open them, take the prepaid envelope and mail everything right back to them. We figured they might have a recycling program so we didn't have to keep throwing them away *grins*. Anyway, don't know if it was coincidence or not, but we only did that for a few months and we haven't seen one since.

Other junk mail, don't know. But anything that comes in a prepaid envelope...Send it right back to them. That probably tells them pretty clearly you want off their list. At least it seems to have worked for us, and we got a chuckle out of sending junk mail back to the junk mailers ^-^

Answer 5

Here's an article I found. Personally, I called the credit cards privacy policies and canceled each one from selling my address. You must also be careful what charities you give your name and address to. Better to donate anonymously if you'd like to skip getting calendars and address labels to last you a lifetime. Be persistent, be kind, and just keep thinking of all the trees and other resources you're saving!

Also try this website. They have an opt-out guide!

http://www.newdream.org/junkmail/index.p...

The amount of paper junk mail sent each year in the USA is staggering -- some 4 million tons, nearly half of which is never opened. Even if you recycle there are still enormous environmental costs in terms of ink, energy to produce deliver and recycle the paper, recycling inefficiencies and loss of virgin forest to create the high quality glossy paper much junk mail uses. There is a lot you can do to reduce the cost to the environment and your own time:

    * First class mail: Cross out the address and bar code, circle the first class postage and write "refused: return to sender". Drop in any mail box, it will be returned to the sender.

    * Bulk mail: The post office throws away bulk mail it can't deliver, so returning it does no good. Bulk mail is the hardest to deal with because the USPS actively provides addresses, support and encouragement to mailers. However, if "address correction requested" is written on the label: circle "address correction requested" and treat like first class mail.

    * Sexually Oriented Advertising (SOA):The only help you'll get from the Post Office in controlling junk mail is for explicit stuff. Fill out USPS forms 1500 if you wish this type of mail to stop. You define what you find to be explicit -- if that's an automobile parts catalog the post office won't disagree with you.

    * Credit offers: The major credit agencies all sell aggregate credit information any bidder. Direct mail and credit companies generate mail based on demographics including zip code, income band and credit payment patterns. Stopping this is easy, you just need your address, former address within two years, and social security number. One call does it all for agencies Equifax, Trans Union, Experian and Innovis. Dial 1-888-5 OPT OUT (or 1-888-567-8688) 24 hours a day.

    * Catalogs:

          o Call the company's 800 number and have the label handy.

          o Write your instructions on the mailing label and fax it to the company. Mark "ATTN: customer service".

          o Tear off the label, write your instructions on it, and enclose in the postage-paid ordering envelope. Mark envelope "ATTN: customer service". This method is the least effective.

    * AOL (America On-Line): You could pave the nation with the free discs these people send out, call 1-800-605-4297 (24 hours a day) to get off the list. Tell them your first name is "current", last name "resident".

    * Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes: You can get the Clearinghouse to stop clogging your mailbox by contacting customer service at 1-800-645-9242 (8:30 am to 8:30 EST), sending a fax to 1-800-453-0272, mailing to 101 Channel Drive, Port Washington, NY 11050, or you can send email to [e-mail]. PCH will remove any number of names from a specific address, but you have to list each name exactly and insist nicely.

    * American Family Sweepstakes: Ed McMahon and d**k Clark will stop telling you "You have definitely won 11 million dollars (maybe) " if you call them at 1-800-237-2400. AFP is a division of Time-Warner.

    * Local business & supermarket fliers: All mailings must be identified, by postal regulations. Each lose-leaf bundle of fliers, by postal regulations, must be delivered at the same time as an address card. Locate this address card; the cards usually have an advertisement and a photograph of a missing child. Call directory assistance to get the phone number of the sender, and call to get off the list:

          o ADVO (Mail comes with pictures of missing children). Call 1-860-285-6100 to get off the list. You may have to send a postcard to "ADVO Consumer Assistance, POB 249, Windsor CT 06095-4176".

          o Val-Pak Coupons: click the link and fill out the form - easy, but don't give them your email address.

          o Carol Wright Call 1-800-67-TARGET to get off the list.

          o Your local newspaper & supermarket (look for a phone number on the piece).

      Most senders are professional companies which will handle your request politely. "ADVO Mailbox Values" and "Harte Hanks Potpourri" are the most common of these mailers. Your local supermarket's monthly coupon books may be handled by these companies, so be sure to specify if you want to continue to receive those. Your letter carrier is accustomed to giving each house a bundle, so you may also need to inform him or her of your action separately. The post office is prohibited by law from delivering unaddressed mail, so you should have little trouble convincing the carrier.

    * Too much junk to deal with individually: Start by sending a postcard or letter to Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, PO Box 643, Carmel, NY 15012-0643 Include your complete name, address, zip code and a request to "activate the preference service". For up to five years, this will stop mail from all member organizations that you have not specifically ordered products from.

      The Direct Marketing Association estimates that listing with their mail preference service will stop 75% of all national mailings. They process 50,000 requests a month and requests are kept active for five years. If you fill out the post office change of address form, the DMA will track the new address (you'll get a few months of mailings to the new address before they catch up to you). It can take up to six months for your request to be fully processed. You can also opt-out online, but they charge $5. The best way is to fill out their online form, then mail them a printout.