Sure, it’s easy to put a first class, 44-cent stamp on your mail. You probably have a few lying around your house; it’s cheap and it’s easy. But before you put that 44-cent stamp on your next letter, MAKE SURE you understand the limitations on sending that letter first class through the USPS.
– A first-class stamp has size & weight limitations. The maximum size allowed with a 44-cent stamp is 11″ X 6″ X 1/4″ thick. The maximum weight is 1 ounce, or about 4 pieces of paper inside a normal-sized envelope. If your envelope is too large or too thick or contains too much weight, it will be returned to you from the Post Office because of “Insufficient Postage.”
– Using more than one 44-cent stamp on an oversized letter or package can be VERY inefficient. For instance, let’s say you are mailing a letter that is just over 1 ounce in weight. The quickest thing to do is just put 2 stamps on it, right? However, a 2 -ounce letter only need $ 0.61 in postage–so you are putting $0.27 cents TOO MUCH postage on your letter. The estimate is about $2.7 MILLION DOLLARS worth of postage is wasted every year in this manner.
– Putting more than one 44-cent stamp on a letter does NOT make your letter travel any faster, or more carefully. This may sound silly, but I have people ask me this occasionally. Just keep in mind that once a letter is deemed first-class mail, it is sorted through machines from the time it is picked up until it is put on a truck for delivery. So putting an extra stamp doesn’t do a thing.
– A first class stamp is not insured, nor is it traceable. Therefore, if the letter is Damaged, LOST, or for whatever reason never makes it to its destination, the Post Office cannot tell you where it is, nor will they compensate you for any damages or monetary loss associated with the failure of service.
In other words, if it is fairly important for your letter to arrive in its intended destination; or if what you are sending has value that you would be upset to lose, be sure to ask for alternative methods of sending it. Once you have heard the differences in pricing, you can make an educated decision on how to send your letter–a decision you can be comfortable with.
This message is brought to you by Goin’ Postal Tallahassee, your one-stop shop for USPS, FedEx, UPS, and DHL mailing services. Give us a call at (850) 692-3130, visit us on the web at http://gpoftallahassee.com, or drive to our store at 5810 North Monroe Street, Suite 210A, Tallahassee, Florida, and we can help you package your items safely and cheaply!!!
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