How to Stop Receiving Bulk Mail?

Junk mailers send thousands of pieces of advertising a day. Every day when you pick up your mail, you find some kind of advertisement that has been sent to you by one of these mailers. There are ways that you can stop this from happening. Your name, address and buying habits are a commodity that is regularly sold and traded on the open market. The amount of paper junk mail sent each year in the U.S. is staggering -- some four million tons, nearly half of which is never opened. Direct Marketing Association estimates that listing with their mail preference service will stop 75 percent 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 will 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. Follow these easy steps to stop receiving these junk mailers.

Step 1:

When you order a product or service on-line, indicate that you do not want your information sold or made available to anyone.

Step 2:

When you mail a product warranty card, include a letter demanding that your personal information not be given nor sold to any other company. Ask them to please mark your account so that your name is not traded or sold to other companies.

Step 3:

Never imput your personal information in those for "free" sites on the internet, the ones that guarantee you a free computer or television if you answer some questions.

Step 4:

Bulk mail: The post office throws away bulk mail it cannot 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.

Step 5:

Dial 1-888-5 OPT OUT (or 1-888-567-8688) 24-hours a day to stop receiving unsolicited credit cards through the mail.

Step 6:

To stop unsolicited catalogs, call the company that sent the catalog.

Step 7:

Most bulk mailers are professional companies that will handle your request politely. "ADVO Mailbox Values" and "Harte Hanks Potpourri" are the most common of these mailers. Call ADVO at 1-860-285-6100 to stop receiving advertising with pictures of missing children. You may have to send a postcard to "ADVO Consumer Assistance, POB 249, and Windsor CT 06095-4176" if you can’t get through on the phone.

Step8:

Too much junk to deal with individually: Start by sending a postcard or letter to the 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.

Conclusion

Bulk mailers work for advertisers. They receive your address from many different online (Internet) and offline, (product warranties) sources. There are a number of steps that you can take to be removed from a bulk mailer’s address list. It will require some time and effort. Nevertheless, if you are tired of seeing your mailbox cramped with all kinds of paper advertising, it will be worth it