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How to Mail a Letter

Contributor
By eHow Contributing Writer
(118 Ratings)

Remember that old-fashioned tradition of writing letters and licking stamps? In case your correspondence these days is entirely electronic, here's a gentle reminder of how to mail a letter through the post office.

From Quick Guide: Master Letter Writing Today
Difficulty: Easy
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  1. Step 1

    Fold your letter, place it in an envelope, then lick and seal the envelope.

  2. Step 2

    Write the name of the letter's recipient on the front of the envelope at the center.

  3. Step 3

    Print the street address, including apartment or suite number if appropriate, on the next line below the name.

  4. Step 4

    Write the city, state and ZIP code on the next line. Use the two-letter state code if you know it.

  5. Step 5

    Print your own name and address in the upper left corner of the envelope.

  6. Step 6

    Affix one first-class stamp in the upper right corner for a regular-sized letter.

  7. Step 7

    Place the envelope in your mailbox.

  8. Step 8

    Raise the red flag on the mailbox, if there is one, to indicate that you have outgoing mail.

  9. Step 9

    Place the letter in a large blue mailbox with an earlier pickup time if you want the letter to be on its way sooner.

Tips & Warnings
  • Make sure the envelope is sealed. If you're not sure, seal it with a short strip of clear tape.
  • If your envelope weighs more than 1 oz. or is being mailed outside the United States - or if it's larger than 6 1/8 inches by 11 1/2 inches by 1/4 inch - additional postage will be required. Use a small kitchen scale or postal scale to weigh the letter; you can find the correct rate at the U.S. Postal Service Web site (see Related Sites).
  • If you don't have a scale, take the letter to the post office to determine the correct postage if you're not sure.

Comments  

kmtrowbr said

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on 7/17/2009 There are some modern services which can bring the whole 'letter sending' process into the modern age! http://snailmailr.com - for example, lets you send a letter online - it costs $1 (vs. $0.42) but it does save you some time.

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on 4/2/2009 kind of nostalgic

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 It is usually not a good idea to leave mail in a mailbox with the flag up, as thieves know there is outgoing mail. If it's a letter to Aunt Martha, one might not care if it's stolen. But if it's a payment of some kind...

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