Setting The Record Straight On Mailboxes

[65hoss]

I have a customer that he is a postmaster for one area and his wife is for another. I asked him about putting flyers on mailboxes. Here is the answer from the post office:

Nothing can be put on the receptacle (mailbox)! This means nothing on the flag or taped to the box. Nothing inside either.

BUT, you can put things on the post or whatever is holding the mailbox.

He called the postmaster generals office to research this and this is the offical word from them.

Hope this helps everyone. I thought it was time to take the grey out of this question.

[LoneStarLawn]

I really didn't know that this was a grey topic.....It goes to show you how some listen to advice on this forum.

[KirbysLawn]

Thanks Eric.

My Uncle is also a postmaster and I verified this also, seems you can't get this message thru to some. Someone always says they checked and it's ok, we know it's not. See if anyone post that it's ok to do so.

[HOMER]

It is OK, til somebody hollers like a panther pi$$in', then it ain't OK:rolleyes: best to leave the mailbox to the mail man. I'd hate to be put away for trying to get some business.

[cos]

There are so many rules and regulations with mail boxes. They have to be so many inches off the ground. they have to be so close to your door, unless it is a driver's route, blah blah. My uncle is also a post master, but never asked about that subject. I think homer said it. J- walking is a crime, but who is going to pursue it?

[MikeLT1Z28]

i wonder if since the post office is a federal office, and a mail box is federal property, if you'd do hard time for putting a flyer on one? the other prisoners would just LOVE to have someone like that for a newfound "friend". :D

[geogunn]

I'd settle for a few fliers from time to time. In my area about this time of year there's a bunch of mailbox bashing.

I went a long time and just had it sitting on the post. they'd whack it with the ball bat and the next day I'd set it back on the post.

GEO

[plymouthvaliant73]

Originally posted by geogunn


I went a long time and just had it sitting on the post. they'd whack it with the ball bat and the next day I'd set it back on the post.

GEO

I knew of a guy who took one of those supersize mailboxes and stood it up on end then put a regular box inside with the door removed. Filled the space between the two with concrete. Let it set and mounted the whole affair.

Said he could hear the basher scream that night when he broke his wrist trying to bash that box. :dizzy:





i wonder if since the post office is a federal office, and a mail box is federal property, if you'd do hard time for putting a flyer on one?

MikeLT1Z28

The PO can collect all your flyers then charge you for first class delivery.

[geogunn]

plymouthv.--OOOHHH! I would love to hear that scream!!!

GEO

[65hoss]

I didn't ask, but I think there is a substantial fine involved if they push the issue.

Eric

[HarryD]

last week here in my town some kids were out hitting mail boxs with a golf glub the guy in the front passenger seat was the guy hitting the boxs guy in the back passenger seat got killed when the golf glub broke on impact bounced off box and hit him in the head .
parents of kid that got killed did not file any charges do to the fact they were all doing it

[greenman]

Hoss, so that is a federal law then? not just according to state?

[KirbysLawn]

Originally posted by greenman
Hoss, so that is a federal law then? not just according to state?

Yes, federal lawn.

[65hoss]

Originally posted by greenman
Hoss, so that is a federal law then? not just according to state?

United States Post Office. Yes, Federal law.

[Sean Adams]

About 8 or 9 years ago we spent a little money and had a very nice looking flyer made up. We folded them in 3 and placed them in small plastic bags with a business card inside. We hit about 7 or 8 neighborhoods - about 200 homes in each. As we got to the end of the last culdesac, a mail carrier in a jeep flagged us down. He motioned with his index finger for us to come over to his jeep. We walked around back and found trays full of our fliers. My heart almost dropped. Never made that mistake again.

[BigJim]

Down here you can stick whatever you like in someones mailbox.Infact if you pay the Post office they will stick them in for you.Only trouble is this time of the year theres so much Christmas shopping junk mail in the mail boxes it's hard to stick your flyers in.And if your like me, when I get home I just pull them all out and bin them.

[Richard Martin]

BigJim wrote:

Infact if you pay the Post office they will stick them in for you.Only trouble is this time of the year theres so much Christmas shopping junk mail in the mail boxes it's hard to stick your flyers in.

We have the same problem here with the Christmas shopping junk mail. And the Post Office will stick the flyers in the box for you for a fee.

[cos]

If you know the mailman, just simply ask him if you can stick them in the boxes. Most of them don't care.

Yes, the post office is owned by the federal goverment.

[gusbuster]

Originally posted by cos
If you know the mailman, just simply ask him if you can stick them in the boxes. Most of them don't care.
Yes, the post office is owned by the federal goverment.
Cos,
The reason they don't care is out of ignorance of postal regulation.

But here is a question that nobody has asked. Why is MY mail drop federal property when my mail drop is built into my house? Why is MY mailbox federal property, when some kid comes along and bashes the mailbox and I have to pay $60 for a replacment mailbox???

John

[Gravely_Man]

Thank you very much for finally cleaning up this question. This matter has been discussed several times but hopefully your response will put this issue to bed.


Gravely_Man

[cos]

Gusbuster,

Please don't turn me in for j-walking, cause I do that all the time! LOL :) j/k

My mom's cousin is a postmaster and he said he wouldn't know how they (postal inspectors) would persue people with flyers. He simply calls the # on the flyer and asks them to desist if people are constant violators or someone complains. A couple of letter carriers that I know, say that they see them all the time and it ain't worth the bother and leave them in there. If there is mail in the box, simply throw your flyer on the pile and the carrier will never see it for the resident will have picked it up before the next day.

I am in no way advising anyone to do it, but if you can get away with it, then.......

[gusbuster]

Cos
If my reply came as a knock off, no offense intended.

In my area, yes the postal inspectors do take this problem seriously. They do issue tickets and charges.

There was this Vietnamese gardener that ended up paying over $1000 fine for his refusal to stop putting flyers in people's mailbox. Enough people complained to the post office that this fine was given after 10 attempts to get him to stop. His excuse" I don't read English"

John

[cos]

No No, not at all.

I can imagine there are alot of postal inspectors that take their job very serious. That is like the the cop in a small town giving tickets for spitting. :)

I'll try that excuse next time I get pulled over, "I don't read Engrsih" LOL

[SIRCAESAR]

Hey guys don't be fooled by your Federal Government, as always its about the Money.. the Usps, does not want you adverstising for free on or in people's mailboxes, when they can get paid from your direct mail to those same customers. don't be fooled into thinking their that concerned about your privacy.. vandalizing is one thing and should not be tolerated. but think about this. Have you heard the usps complain about direct mail? hundreds of millions of pieces of junk mail come thru the mail system, No cause it makes them rich, I forgot exactly what the stats are but its in the billions of dollars for direct mail advertising in postage costs. but hey If you have got the capital to run a good direct mail campaign with color postcards etc, then do it. But if your like me on a budget, Just put the flyers on doors or, the best advertising of all.. go door to door, and hand the prospective customers your flyers. Trust me you'll be surprised..it does take some time. but your face to face with the customer. even if they do not make a decision they have your face and conversation in mind..and are more likely to remember you. make sure you carry your contracts with you. Make them an offer they can't refuse, if their being serviced by an lco already, ask them if their happy. if after estimating the property you think its feasible for you and you think its worth it. underbid the current Lco by $5, trust me those that are loyal to their lco's won't leave them because its not all about price, its about quality. those that do leave, means their lco really was not giving them the service they desire, so you don't have to feel that you took someone else's work. cause really its the customer that has the deciding factor. Uncle sam is not going to let you get it for free. You all know that!




__________________

[65hoss]

Originally posted by SIRCAESAR
Hey guys don't be fooled by your Federal Government, as always its about the Money.. the Usps, does not want you adverstising for free on or in people's mailboxes, when they can get paid from your direct mail to those same customers. don't be fooled into thinking their that concerned about your privacy.. vandalizing is one thing and should not be tolerated. but think about this. Have you heard the usps complain about direct mail? hundreds of millions of pieces of junk mail come thru the mail system, No cause it makes them rich, I forgot exactly what the stats are but its in the billions of dollars for direct mail advertising in postage costs. but hey If you have got the capital to run a good direct mail campaign with color postcards etc, then do it. But if your like me on a budget, Just put the flyers on doors or, the best advertising of all.. go door to door, and hand the prospective customers your flyers. Trust me you'll be surprised..it does take some time. but your face to face with the customer. even if they do not make a decision they have your face and conversation in mind..and are more likely to remember you. make sure you carry your contracts with you. Make them an offer they can't refuse, if their being serviced by an lco already, ask them if their happy. if after estimating the property you think its feasible for you and you think its worth it. underbid the current Lco by $5, trust me those that are loyal to their lco's won't leave them because its not all about price, its about quality. those that do leave, means their lco really was not giving them the service they desire, so you don't have to feel that you took someone else's work. cause really its the customer that has the deciding factor. Uncle sam is not going to let you get it for free. You all know that!
__________________

OH BROTHER! I think I'll respond to this absurdity later. If I do now it will not be nice.

[gusbuster]

Originally posted by SIRCAESAR
if their being serviced by an lco already, ask them if their happy. if after estimating the property you think its feasible for you and you think its worth it. underbid the current Lco by $5, trust me those that are loyal to their lco's won't leave them because its not all about price, its about quality. those that do leave, means their lco really was not giving them the service they desire, so you don't have to feel that you took someone else's work. cause really its the customer that has the deciding factor.

It's this kind of attitude that has destroyed the residential LCO market here in the San Francisco Peninsula.

When you outbid somebody $5 just to get that account, all you're doing is screwing yourself and everybody in the industry because it just starts a vicious cycle of trying to outbid the next person.

Now it's a different reason you can outbid that person by $5 because you run a more streamline operation and have better cost control, the latter, very hard to attain.

I do not take a client that I got because I was cheaper since in over 30 years in the trade I see that this type of client is the one to complain the most, always be the late payer.
John

[promower]

About 5years ago a guy did that same trick filling his mailbox with cement or something similar. The guy that tried to smash his mailbox got seriously hurt, sued the homeowner and won.:confused:

[tiedeman]

go figure promower

We once took an old milk container and stuck our post with mailbox in that and filled it with cement. Well, some punk kids that it would be funny to take their truck out and drive into mailboxes and smash them...wrong. They hit the container, it dragged them down into the ditch, where they popped up in the yard and hit the telephone pole. I think that they learned their lessons.

[Flex-Deck]

Quote by Gusbuster: """"When you outbid somebody $5 just to get that account, all you're doing is screwing yourself and everybody in the industry because it just starts a vicious cycle of trying to outbid the next person.
Now it's a different reason you can outbid that person by $5 because you run a more streamline operation and have better cost control, the latter, very hard to attain."""""

Thanks, gusbuster - the second half of your statement is exactly true. Around here (SE Iowa if you bid $15 per acre - you might get it - that means you better be efficient - streamlined etc.) And BTW - the a more streamline operation and having a better cost control, the latter is not hard to attain.

Thanks, Brad

[bastalker]

A few years ago we kinda raided a few sub divisions mail boxes with flyers. Hell it was easy! Just drive around like the mailmain an deliver em. Was great for the rainy days. Then I got "THE CALL".

The post office told me on the phone, in a not so pleasant voice, "STOP IMMEDIATELY, OR WE WILL FINE YOUR BUTT OFF."

Pretty much stuck to yellow pages, an newspaper adds after that...lol

[TotalCareSolutions]

Hello Flexdeck-

I am a scrub. I do not have any insurance. I pick a man up at the corner everyday and pay him $7.00hr. All my equipment is paid for. My business card says: "Your lawn service quote is $30" and I put them everywhere.

Can you streamline your legitimate operation and have better cost control than me?


I met a guy at a gas station with 2 'gentlemen' in the truck with him that showed me a business card just like I described and bragged about his business just like I described...

[Turf Dancer]

I got my butt reamed by the mail carrier last year because I went to the customers mail box to get my check which he said would be in the mailbox. The mail carrier got all pissy ! I said I am only picking something up that was left by the homeowner for me. He told me that was against the law. Hell you can't even attach anything to the paper rack which is on alot of mail boxes around here.

[Fareway Lawncare]

Try the Supersavers.