Hi ladies! I'm all set to mail out my Save the Date cards and when I went to the post office to buy stamps, they measured my A2 envelope and said that I needed a $.58 stamp, not a .$41 stamp! Has anyone heard this before? Has anyone successfully mailed out their A2 envelope with $.41 stamps? Thanks in advance!
Maximum dimensions for First-Class Mail card rates: 6 inches long, 4-1/4 inches high, and 0.016 inch thick. Presorted First-Class Mail letters are subject to a $0.17 nonmachinable surcharge (if outside these dimensions).
Yes, your envelope is too large. Be happy it's not also over 2 ounces and non-bendable (thick pocketfold with multiple inserts) - mine are defined as a parcel rather than a letter, and are costing $1.47 to mail.
On the up side, you envelopes can't go through the machine, and so should arrive in better shape.
The problem with trying to second guess the system, my post office lady tells me, is that if she under-rates them on this end, the recipient can end up being charged postage due by the receiving post office. And that would suck.
I mailed out save the dates with an A2 envelope (5 3/4 x 4 3/8) and it was only a $.41 stamp. The A2 envelope should definitely only be $.41 unless it's too thick or heavy.
Maybe you should try again at the post office? You may have just gotten someone who couldn't measure accurately!
This is something I have NEVER heard of, and I design stationery for a living..... I think they are basing that price on the weight, and not the size, because an A2 is a standard size envelope made to fit the USPS standards. I'd go to another post office and ask them. If they tell you the same thing again, make sure to have them show you the chart of what size range your envelopes should fit in.
Weight could also be an issue - 0.58 is the rate for a 2-ounce letter as well. However 4 3/8 is definately bigger that 4 1/4 Emilie, - even if not by much. If the result is going to be that the envelope gets potentially munched by the machine, IMO it's still better pay to have it go nonmachined.
I mailed my STD's in A2 envelopes with 0.41 cent stamps. All my guests received them just fine. So maybe it's the weight of your STD's that's costing 0.58 cents?
Thanks for all the responses, girls! I only brought in the envelope when I went to the post office yesterday and she came to the $.58 stamp conclusion just by measuring the envelope on her template thing. She didn't weight it but the save the date card itself is just a postcard so it should be under 2 ounces??
I also sent out my STD postcards (normal size) in A2 envelopes with .41 stamps - no problems at all. That seems really odd.
Maybe i'm looking in the wrong place, but on usps.com it says that the max dimensions for a regular letter envelope are 6 1/8 x 11.5 inches, so A2s are fine. A postcard sent on its own is max 4.5 x 6 inches.
From the postal price calculator 9under select a shape, click on the ? next to letter), maximum dimensions for letters is 6 1/8" high, 11.5" long, 1/4" thick. (I think the dimensions suzanno posted are for postcards)
A couple of things that might have added the $0.17 nonmachinable surcharge
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="400"><tbody><tr><td class="mainText" width="10" valign="top">•</td><td class="mainText" width="390" valign="top">It has an address parallel to the shorter dimension of the letter</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="400"><tbody><tr><td class="mainText" width="10" valign="top"> </td><td class="mainText" width="390" valign="top">(was the envelope you brought in by chance addressed thusly?) </td></tr></tbody></table>
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="400"><tbody><tr><td class="mainText" width="10" valign="top">•</td><td class="mainText" width="390" valign="top">The length divided by height is less than 1.3 or more than 2.5</td></tr></tbody></table>
(which shouldn't be the case with a 4 3/8 x 5 3/4 A2 envelope, but maybe yours are slightly off dimension?)
Hi ladies! I'm all set to mail out my Save the Date cards and when I went to the post office to buy stamps, they measured my A2 envelope and said that I needed a $.58 stamp, not a .$41 stamp! Has anyone heard this before? Has anyone successfully mailed out their A2 envelope with $.41 stamps? Thanks in advance!
posted by wisterialily 6 posts 7 months agoThe USPS says:
Maximum dimensions for First-Class Mail card rates: 6 inches long, 4-1/4 inches high, and 0.016 inch thick. Presorted First-Class Mail letters are subject to a $0.17 nonmachinable surcharge (if outside these dimensions).
Yes, your envelope is too large. Be happy it's not also over 2 ounces and non-bendable (thick pocketfold with multiple inserts) - mine are defined as a parcel rather than a letter, and are costing $1.47 to mail.
On the up side, you envelopes can't go through the machine, and so should arrive in better shape.
The problem with trying to second guess the system, my post office lady tells me, is that if she under-rates them on this end, the recipient can end up being charged postage due by the receiving post office. And that would suck.
posted by suzanno 1,954 posts 7 months agoHello,
I mailed out save the dates with an A2 envelope (5 3/4 x 4 3/8) and it was only a $.41 stamp. The A2 envelope should definitely only be $.41 unless it's too thick or heavy.
Maybe you should try again at the post office? You may have just gotten someone who couldn't measure accurately!
posted by Emilie 20 posts 7 months agobummer...i just ordered A2 sizes card and envelopes for thank you cards.
posted by misslilacs 36 posts 7 months agoThis is something I have NEVER heard of, and I design stationery for a living..... I think they are basing that price on the weight, and not the size, because an A2 is a standard size envelope made to fit the USPS standards. I'd go to another post office and ask them. If they tell you the same thing again, make sure to have them show you the chart of what size range your envelopes should fit in.
I think they're taking advantage of you!
posted by cupcake 274 posts 7 months agoWeight could also be an issue - 0.58 is the rate for a 2-ounce letter as well. However 4 3/8 is definately bigger that 4 1/4 Emilie, - even if not by much. If the result is going to be that the envelope gets potentially munched by the machine, IMO it's still better pay to have it go nonmachined.
posted by suzanno 1,954 posts 7 months agoI mailed my STD's in A2 envelopes with 0.41 cent stamps. All my guests received them just fine. So maybe it's the weight of your STD's that's costing 0.58 cents?
posted by nancEE 30 posts 7 months agoThanks for all the responses, girls! I only brought in the envelope when I went to the post office yesterday and she came to the $.58 stamp conclusion just by measuring the envelope on her template thing. She didn't weight it but the save the date card itself is just a postcard so it should be under 2 ounces??
posted by wisterialily 6 posts 7 months agoI also sent out my STD postcards (normal size) in A2 envelopes with .41 stamps - no problems at all. That seems really odd.
Maybe i'm looking in the wrong place, but on usps.com it says that the max dimensions for a regular letter envelope are 6 1/8 x 11.5 inches, so A2s are fine. A postcard sent on its own is max 4.5 x 6 inches.
posted by mtyf 230 posts 7 months agoFrom the postal price calculator 9under select a shape, click on the ? next to letter), maximum dimensions for letters is 6 1/8" high, 11.5" long, 1/4" thick. (I think the dimensions suzanno posted are for postcards)
A couple of things that might have added the $0.17 nonmachinable surcharge
(which shouldn't be the case with a 4 3/8 x 5 3/4 A2 envelope, but maybe yours are slightly off dimension?)
Hope this helps.
posted by Pengwen 57 posts 7 months ago