‘Learn Useless Talents’: 40 Useless But Very Cool-Looking Things You Can Learn To Impress Others

Slightly more useful, if you get junk mail you don't want and it has a return address on it, you can simply cross out your address and write return to sender on it. If it is addressed to someone who has died, then also write deceased on it, and they should remove them from their mailing list (it has worked on several that my late FIL was getting and they were upsetting my MIL).

Sign. Now for the TRUTH. When you buy a Business Reply Mail permit you agree to pay for return mail up to 1 ounce (about 28 grams) or a postcard. The US Post Office can only 1) forward qualifying mail or 2) return mail if there is a valid return address (different from the permit address) or 3) destroy the offending mail as a 'dead letter'. You can mail a brick, but it will be discarded by the post office. Sorry. And yes, it's always been this way.

Unless OP also writes the "to" address somewhere, that's going straight to the dead letter pile.

Saw a post where a guy stick the pre paid envelope to the outside of a box then filled the box with rocks.

Been doing this since 1986.

Unfortunately, political campaign mailings don't come with envelopes.

This is true, but don't make it too fat or it won't go through all the machines it needs to be sorted correctly. In the picture above, it would be better to wrap all those shreds in one piece of paper on the inside of the envelope so the outside remains smooth. That barcode on the bottom is what the machines read.

I have been doing this for years, BUT all I enclose is the donation slip with my NAME and ADDRESS with note 'Please remove from mailing list'. They usually do that.

Been doing this for many years. They have to pay the postage regardless of what they get back. I might get 2 pieces every 6 months or so.

I've been doing this for ages. Add a few pennies to really ramp up the weight.

Decades ago, it was suggested that we should wrap a brick and use their return labels.

I've done this before in the UK. It soon stops them sending you junk mail if you write "Stop sending me cr@p I'm not interested" when you return the confetti 😉

Just keep in mind that marketing costs (such as return postage) get factored in to the price you pay for the product.

This does not always work. Because people have taken this idea and ran with it, by putting these things on bricks, and all manner of situation, the postal office is allowed to dispose of letters that are obvious attempts at forcing the sender to pay by weight. So if it has an open window that shows shredded paper in it, they'll discard it. If it's attached to a brick, it gets tossed. If it's grossly overweight from what is expected, they'll toss it.

I'm going to try this

Google opt out junk mail.Works for five years doesn’t work for political junk But my mail is about a 10th of what it was

Even better if you have a conveniently sized tungsten plate.

This works best on the envelopes without the windows!

In the UK we get the same kind of junk mail s**t from companies that give you an envelope to send back your reply. I once stuffed empty catfood pouches into the envelope and sent it back :')

Cool. Will it stop junk mail from coming to my home

I've been doing this for a while ... I admit it, it brightens my day a little!

Important to note that Business Reply Mail like this is considered First Class mail and absolutely WILL be delivered. And will cost a bit as well 😁 And kids just LOVE sending letters

Now, I just have to figure out how to stop receiving other peoples' junk mail.

I've done this many, many times. It gives me a small degree of satisfaction knowing that they company is paying for scraps of paper.

We have been doing this for years. Unfortunately it doesn’t stop getting more from the same sender. Still feels good though.

Yass, will do this!

Some of us do the same in the UK!

The mother of one of my friends did this all the time.

I used to gather the stuff these places send (the brochures and other things without my name on it) and put them in each other's envelopes and mail them out, so I was the middleman for them blitzing each other with unwanted junk.

I do this, but have never added extra weight. Today, I learned a new twist.

*Slow claps*

So using a paper shredder and an envelope are "Useless But Very Cool-Looking Things You Can Learn To Impress Others," eh?

First, this is a lovely way to use things that are trash but not harmful to handle, like bubble wrap lined paper mailers, stickers, etc. Second, be sure to write something like "You are formally notified to take my name off this mailing list and all affiliate lists" and scribble a signature because notification in writing IS actually legal even if it's scrawled on something they sent to you. After I started doing this, I rapidly decreased the number of letters I was sent. Also, while not really nice to the post office, if there is a return envelope but it isn't postage paid, you can sometimes use the cancelled stamp. I only do this when I am frustrated in part by the roll that the post plays in physical spam though.

Burn, baby, burn

You can actually fill a box with rocks at tape the envelope as a shipping label... Totally worth it

This man is Legend.

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Fill with ball bearings and wrap with clear packing tape. Follow me for more malicious compliance hacks.

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They used to tell you to attach the envelope to a brick and mail it back but I don't think the post will even pick it up like that.

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This poster needs to learn the "c p" can have a very different meaning.

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Is that Prince Naveen-

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I do this all the time. Also, it helps the postal service since they get the money that the company has to pay.