I find "Return to Sender" particularly effective. If not, it's at least satisfying. Even more so when you've contact a certain company repeatedly to have them stop sending junk and they refuse to comply.

In the case I'm vaguely talking about, I received a call not long after for my "current address." I will leave it to your imaginations as to how that conversation unfolded.

@dialing_wand: contact=contacted.... morning typing... time for a little ride on the ol' bike.

1. OptOutPrescreen.com

This reduced my junk mail by approximately 95 percent. It is just glorious. Unless you want credit card and loan offers, I recommend this highly!

@twophrasebark: Ditto. I did this about a year and a half ago and I went from getting about 2 "preapproved!" CC offers a day to 1-2 a month. A few it seems still slip through the cracks but I get almost no junk mail anymore, much to my (and my mail carrier's) delight.

I did the optoutprescreen a while ago, and since I have received zero point zero offers. It's awesome.... I can easily compare the diff to the offers my wife gets still. Once she's on that, our mailbox will probably collect wildlife from disuse.

If things come with a postage paid envelope send it back. Some people have been known to attach heavy things to them, such as bricks, cinder blocks, and assorted auto parts.

@I Love New Jersey: While I haven't yet attached anything heavy to postage paid envelopes I do stuff them as much as I can and then mail them back to the offending company.

Over the past 10 years or so I've gotten very few pieces of junk mail (3 or 4 a month) so I don't get a chance to do that too often.

"companies with which you have a "business relationship" can still contact you with offers"

This is good to know. I have done 2 of the 3 above months ago but still get credit offers from one pesky company. Looks like I am going to have to contact them directly.

Yep, I go the stuffing route too. Jam their pre-paid envelope with as much stuff as I can and still get it closed. (sometimes heavy duty tape is required). Seems to work. I wasn't aware you could actually attach heavy items to them. I'll definitely be trying that in the future. I've got a few concrete blocks and cases of old marble tile sitting around here.

@I Love New Jersey: I'd never considered that before, but that's a hell of way to tell some company to leave you alone.

@I Love New Jersey: I'm one of the brick guys. The last time I did that involved sending back a cinder block to DeVry University after repeated attempts to be reasonable.

A trick to making sure it doesn't actually enter your home (like you carrying it in) is to stand by the mailbox with a marker and put on each junk mail solicitation "return to sender" and put it back in right away, so you're not shuffling the junk into the house to work on it later. And it helps to have a trashcan nearby too, so you can toss those worthless chain pizza coupons in there.

My apartment has a handy trash bin next to the mailboxes so I can just toss stuff in there.

@VitaminH: Any companies that you already do business with are still going to be able to spam you (unless you directly contact them), but for the other 95% of junk mail, this works wonders.

@Chumas: How exactly were you able to fit a cinder block into a 4x9" first class envelope?

@supercereal: "How exactly were you able to fit a cinder block into a 4x9" first class envelope?"

That was my first thought too. After taking a minute to let it soak in, I figured it must be as simple as taping the envelope to the block, and scheduling a pickup. Probably some packaging is required though. I don't see USPS picking up an unpackaged concrete block.

What really ticks me off every day is when I open my mailbox and there is always at least one 20 page piece of junk mail with offers from 20-30 places. I won't even look at it, just toss it in the trash. I hope this stops them from coming!

@BZMedia: I don't see how sending crap back really helps you, since they'll have no idea who sent it. Continuing to spam people is undoubtedly more profitable than the costs of the few crazies who spam them back.

Plus, I really don't think the post office actually sends cinder blocks with envelopes randomly attached.

But if we all do this the USPS will have to raise prices even more. THINK OF THE USPS.

@supercereal: They know who it comes from. All that junk mail has your name on it. Yeah, I have no doubt that it's profitable to spam people, and I have no illusion that they're going to close up their business just because someone sends back a stuffed envelope on their dime. But as long as it gets them to remove me from the list, that's all I wanted in the first place. I'm down to only a few pieces of junk mail a month now, so I know it's working at least somewhat.

@goodcow: "But if we all do this the USPS will have to raise prices even more."

Why? If we all do this, wouldn't that mean the USPS is doing even more business, versus you just throwing it in the trash? If anything it's helping USPS.

@goodcow:

Edit: Sorry, just occurred to me that you were referring to the Opt Out, not the mail back. Yeah, in that case, USPS is fucked.

I actually called AT&T and asked them to stop sending me junk mail. I do not have any dealings with them currently. They said they'd take me off their list and that it might take a few weeks. Fine. This week, I got an offer from AT&T sent to "Current Resident". It seems I'll continue to receive their garbage even thought it's not technically being sent to me.

@BZMedia: Right, but it seems most people just use the "Business Reply" envelope, then stuff it with other random stuff. That envelope won't have any of your information on it, and unless you send them back the form they originally sent you, they won't know who you are. Plus, they're not probably going to actually open and sort through a bulging 2" thick envelope filled with other junk mail.

@BZMedia: That's exactly how I look at it.

On a side note I think I'm going to start collecting bricks and cardboard boxes and start sending them to those junk mailers.

@BZMedia: Does that work, though? I never knew that the post office would accept a business reply envelope haphazardly attached to a larger package.

In Canada, you can post a notice on the outside of your mailbox (house delivery) or inside (community mailbox) saying you do not wish to receive advertisement mail. You can also put your name on the Do Not Contact Service. Although I don't know how effective the latter is; hopefully more so than the Do Not Call list (which was sold to telemarketers shortly after it was implemented, driving my uncle insane).

@dialing_wand: I doubt "Return to sender" has much of an effect at all. Most of the junk mail is sent "Standard" or "Bulk-Rate" which doesn't provide for actual return to sender, so your letter carrier probably ends up doing double duty by throwing it away for you. And the sender remains oblivious and keeos mailing you unwanted stuff.

The old "Business reply envelope taped to a cinder block" trick is much more effective. But I'd still save that for the most egregious spammers.

@I Love New Jersey:

The reason I don't want junk mail is because it's a nuisance to lug it into my building from the street and it's a waste of resources. Taking time to mail stuff back just makes it even more of a nuisance and a waste of resources.

I'm not sure I want to use this DMAChoice website. It's a site owned by direct marketers, and they want me to register and give them more of my personal information - email etc. Does this really seem like a good idea...?

But shredded junk mail makes great compost to fertilize your garden or raise worms for a side "live bait" business. Compressed, it makes for nice fire logs to help warm you home in the winter. Some flyers make great lining for bird cages, too. There's lots of uses.

"return to sender" does work well,but why not have a little fun to.I collect 4-8 "free offers",then mixem up and return to the wrong sender.I do similar w/telemarketers.They allways ask "how are you". I tell them how bad,surgeries,illnesses etc. untill I hear a "click".p.s. Don"t givem a chance to get a word in...works everytime and I go away laughing.

@pecan 3.14159265: I do this, just keep a handy pen in your pocketses.

Another thing I do is just call the company I get the spam from and tell them to remove me from the list. Takes a few minutes, and I make it abundantly clear that I never want to receive another piece of mail from them.

@Jason: I call the companies too, and would continue to call them until they removed me.

@Five: That's brilliant, like the DNC list but for snail mail!

I vote we do that here. Think of the trees we'd save!

I have a mailman with a HUGE attitude! The entire neighborhood is afraid of this dud. We've lived in our house for 2 yrs and continue to get the last owner's mail. I've written "please forward" on the envelopes. He puts them back in our mailbox. After I did it a few times he started putting trash in my mailbox. (it's a locking box, nobody else can get into the box). He's also started tearing up mail/magazines we get. I guess he figures he's "training" us as to what he will accept. Other neighbors have complained to the main postoffice and their mail has started showing up VERY late (weeks), and they get a bunch of mail that is wrong address, etc. Folks blocks away are STILL getting their mail. We don't know how to get rid of this scary guy. Complaining seems to make it worse. Talk about "going postal"!

@zircon:

Well, I registered, and I don't see anything offering to Opt Out of their mailing list. Anyone else have any luck?

@brodie7838:

Found it:

-My Account (Top)
-Manage My Mail (Upper Left)
-Stop All Catalogs (Middle Bottom of each section)
-Click "Remove My Name" for each of the listed categories on the left: Credit Offers, Catalogs, Magazine Offers, & Other Mail Offers

@Jason: AT&T has been the worst with regard to contacting me when I've repeatedly said no. Used to get frequent calls from them to switch to AT&T and I'd tell them every time to please put me on their 'do not call' list. Finally started documenting the calls, told their next caller so, and threatened to sue them. Was told it could take up to 30 days to get my name off the list and I responded that it would be their problem. Haven't heard from them since.

Wonder if you could use the 'Return to Sender' cinderblock approach with these offers.

@GuinevereRucker:

It's part of my job to do this at work but it doesn't stop the catalogs because those lists get sold, resold and circulated right back to where they started. Some of them I've been able to stop but there are some that no matter what I do, they keep coming. I just pitch them now because nothing does any good.

At home, I like to get catalogs. The credit stuff has slacked off (probably because I never have responded to it and may have fallen off the lists)but I still get catalogs. If I had any money, I'd actually buy stuff from some of them.

I love catalogs. :)

With abacus send an email

optoutprescreen put all info into online form.
then print and mail for forever.

for dm have to sign up
DMAchoice.org. create an accout. then ? to use

I get a million solicitations from charities these days. You name it, they mail it to me. I wish they would set up a charity no-mail list, if they're trying to raise money you're definitely wasting it on me. I have charities that I donate to, I will not donate to one just because they send me return address labels with Ziggy on them. (Though I did love those labels...)

One recently went so far as to include a t-shirt. It was for a charity I've never contributed to. Talk about a waste of money.

@zircon: The best thing for direct mail marketers is to get people that won't respond to a mailing, off the list.

The total cost to mail a piece, including postage, starts around $0.50 each and can go much higher. If I can refine a list to those most likely to buy, I have increased my return rate for the money spent.

If you hate junk mail please get yourself off the list. It is better for everyone, except the post office.

None of these "steps" do jack.

Every single day of every week for the last 3 years I get crap from Bed, Bath and Beyond and AT&T, and just recently GEICO addressed to "Current Resident". Since they're not directly addressed to me, I can't do a damned thing to stop them.

"One warning, companies with which you have a 'business relationship' can still contact you with offers. You'll have to directly request that the company stop sending you solicitations, they are not bound by the Do Not Mail list."

Aye, there's the rub. And another one is that if you donate to charities, you probably know by now that many charities don't consider themselves bound by the Do Not Mail list either. Also, neither do political organizations.

If you want to put a stop to *all* the junk mail, the odds are that you're going to have to use emails, faxes and phone calls to contact individual senders and ask them to stop. Sometimes you'll have to ask more than once. On rare occasions, you'll have to get really, really nasty, like threatening to file a USPS Form 1500 on them ([www.wargs.com]) or embarrassing them on your blog ([blog.kamens.brookline.ma.us] [blog.kamens.brookline.ma.us] [blog.kamens.brookline.ma.us]).

I've been contacting individual senders of junk mail and getting them to stop for a couple of years now, and I've managed to eliminate virtually all of the junk mail flowing into my mailbox. For more details on my strategy, see [blog.kamens.brookline.ma.us]

@dialing_wand: That's a good way to deal with them.

Whenever I had College mail sent to me, I would rip up their application, write something vaguely profound (or something like "I like cupcakes") on the inside of the envelope and use their paid for return postage to pay for it. I bet I pissed off plenty of people at around 50-100 colleges. (some repeat offenders)

In the UK we have the MPS - Mailing Preference Service. Sign up with them and only firms with whom you've had a business relationship can mail you - and they have to stop if you tell them to.
It works - we get perhaps one bit of spurious mail a year.

The same thing for the phone - the TPS is easy and quick to sign up to and stops everything except the occasional VOIPed in call from overseas telling you you've won a cruise - and they usually stop after a few goes.

@CFinWV: but my lazy self loves having address labels and now I'm sad that I haven't received any in a long time

I'm moving and that alone should help; maybe 1-2 months in I'll see how much I'm getting and sign up. There's one cc company that sends me those checks all the time, despite asking them not to. I don't want to cancel the card, but those things are fraud cases waiting to happen.

@Bogart's Falcon aka Philly Falcon: When we refied our mortgage, we got the deluge of mortgage insurance offers. Those that tried to make theirs look too official and mandatory got the stuffed envelope response.