r/Explainlikeimscared • u/japananxiety • 9d ago
How to mail something slightly thicker than a letter?
So I've mailed regular letters before, but I have no idea what to do with some letters that will have something small and mostly flat added to it - a Japanese omamori if that helps visuals lol. Since they're small, can I just stick it in a regular envelope and send it off per usual? Or is it not flat enough that I should get like a bubble mailer or something? I don't mind going to the post office for them to figure out postage, but I've never done it before - do I bring the envelope/mailer with the address already on it or do I need them to put official labels on them? This feels like it should so simple, I'm embarrassed to ask directly at the post office 😅
Related additional question - one of the letters will be international, do I need to do anything differently for that letter?
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u/theMistersofCirce 9d ago
Hey there! My answer is assuming you're in the US. Yes, you should bring both letters to the clerk at the post office counter and let them know that you'd like to mail them, that one is domestic and one's international.
For the domestic letter you should go ahead and address the envelope like normal but I wouldn't stamp it just yet, I'd ask the clerk if it needs any special postage or packaging due to being a little thicker/heavier than normal. Even if it's normal postage you can buy a stamp from them right then.
For the international letter it will need extra postage and possibly special forms/labels, depending on where it's going. Also, sometimes international addresses require specific formatting. For that reason, when I've sent international mail I've brought it to the post office with my return address on it but with the recipient's address written out on a separate piece of paper, so that the postal clerk can print and stick a label for me with the address and postage. It's also possible that they'll give you the proper label and ask you to step out of the line to fill it out and bring it back to the counter when you're done. In my experience it's kind of depended on how busy the specific post office is at the moment and what keeps the line flowing best.
TL;DR: This is what they're here for, so go ahead and bring in your mail and let them know what you need to send where!
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u/japananxiety 8d ago
Thank you so much for the clear reply! I'll make sure to have the international address written down somewhere separately. And oop, I should've mentioned I was in the US in my original post, you're correct!
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u/bertbirdie 9d ago
I’ve mailed similarly flat-ish things in regular envelopes in the US without issue (including some going through international mail). Just check your local post regulations to make sure it’s within weight & size requirements! You may need extra stamps, or a special label for international mail (can be obtained & filled out at the post office; ask an employee there if you’re not sure which form to use). Not sure where you’re located, but USPS has great resources on their website where you can fill in information about what you’re sending and they’ll tell you exactly how much postage it needs & any special instructions to follow.
If you’re concerned about it though, you can get something more like a cardstock envelope (not sure exactly how to explain what I mean, they’re like little sleeves made of thick cardstock with a flap that gets glued down to seal it). A bubble mailer would certainly be fine too, but probably overkill unless there are fragile decorations on the sides or edges.
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u/japananxiety 8d ago
Thank you for the response! I think I know what you mean for the cardstock envelopes, I'll check those out if it looks too thick in the regular envelope. I am in the US, I tried using their online postage calculator and immediately got nervous that I would do something wrong and end up not using enough postage 😂😅 But thanks to everyone I feel a lot better about going in and asking all my questions directly!
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u/electricookie 9d ago
This is a very normal question to have. Why would you know the answer? I’ve taken post cards to the post office and asked for every single one what the postage should be based on the destination. The person working there was really patient and even showed me which stamps (that I brought with me) needed to go on which cards. Depending where you are located, you might want a bubble mailer simply because the local machines might crumple the thicker letter. People that work in the post office will have this information. If you ask and they are rude to you, it’s cause they are being a jerk and not because your questions are invalid.