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How does one effectively stop mail spam (real mail, not e-mail)?

someguy

someguy

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Dec 4, 2005
2,351
21
Still here.
I live in a community with very small mailboxes and I'm finding that I get so many advertisements and "junk mail" that, if I don't get my mail for more than a few consecutive days, USPS stops delivering my mail until I come pick it up at their local headquarters.

My community put a trash can next to the mailbox area and now, every time I get my mail, it's full to the very top with other people's junk mail. :D

I plan on calling the community association to see about stopping the newspaper delivery, since there are a few that come to me and they are huge (and I never read them).

But what about services like this?
http://www.directmail.com/directory/mail_preference/Default.aspx

Is that effective? What do you guys do (or what have you done) to rid your real mailboxes of unwanted mail?
 
Jessica Lares

Jessica Lares

macrumors G3
Oct 31, 2009
9,612
1,056
Near Dallas, Texas, USA
Since I do a lot of weird GetPaidTo and other stuff, I get a bunch of junk in my mailbox. I use PaperKarma and it has helped a lot. They send the letters and call the companies up for you.
 
someguy

someguy

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Dec 4, 2005
2,351
21
Still here.
Jessica Lares said:
Since I do a lot of weird GetPaidTo and other stuff, I get a bunch of junk in my mailbox. I use PaperKarma and it has helped a lot. They send the letters and call the companies up for you.
Click to expand...
Wow, that looks like the perfect solution! I can't see any reason not to give it a shot. Thanks for this recommendation. :)
 
smithrh

smithrh

macrumors 68030
Feb 28, 2009
2,722
1,730
You can definitely slow down junk mail, as you've noted, the direct mail industry has places where you can notify them that you don't want unsolicited commercial mail.

It takes a while to slow down, but it does.

There's also a location to opt out of credit card offers, https://www.optoutprescreen.com.

Also make sure you don't sign up for *any* catalogs, once you ask for one, your name will be sold and you may find yourself inundated with them.

Bottom line, it's expensive to send junk mail, if you tell them you don't want it, generally they'll respect that. At this point, I only get bills in the mail, and I'm thinking of going electronic for those as well.
 
someguy

someguy

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Dec 4, 2005
2,351
21
Still here.
smithrh said:
At this point, I only get bills in the mail, and I'm thinking of going electronic for those as well.
Click to expand...
I feel like I should be able to open my mailbox and see only bills, and the magazines I subscribe to. Is that asking so much?

I will opt out of the credit card offers, use PaperKarma every day, and.. should I do that DirectMail thing I linked to in my original post?
 
smithrh

smithrh

macrumors 68030
Feb 28, 2009
2,722
1,730
someguy said:
I feel like I should be able to open my mailbox and see only bills, and the magazines I subscribe to. Is that asking so much?

I will opt out of the credit card offers, use PaperKarma every day, and.. should I do that DirectMail thing I linked to in my original post?
Click to expand...

Yes, that's the very best thing you can do. That's telling the direct mail industry that you don't want their junk, and, perhaps surprisingly enough, they'll honor that.

Just don't expect overnight results.

...and don't sign up for any catalogs.
 
senseless

senseless

macrumors 68000
Apr 23, 2008
1,885
257
Pennsylvania, USA
I have mixed feelings about junk mail. The sender does pays the postal service and it keeps the mail carriers employed. Without junk mail, there would be almost nothing to deliver.
 
smithrh

smithrh

macrumors 68030
Feb 28, 2009
2,722
1,730
someguy said:
Define "catalogs".
Click to expand...

LL Bean, Container Store, Victoria's Secret, etc.

----------
senseless said:
I have mixed feelings about junk mail. The sender does pays the postal service and it keeps the mail carriers employed. Without junk mail, there would be almost nothing to deliver.
Click to expand...

The death of the USPS is, quite unfortunately, just about inevitable.

The situation that they find themselves in just doesn't work out going forward. They could (and may very likely) switch to mail delivery a couple or few times a week - which would cut employment by a huge amount.

Or, they have to raise rates to meet their actual costs, which will lower demand.

USPS is going the way of the milkman and meter reader.
 
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