Postmark Question?

My son is graduating from H.S. soon and we are getting some bulk mailings trying to interest him in their fine university. Most of these mailings have stamps on them affixed by the bulk mailer. What I thought curious is that the bulk mailer is also postmarking the stamps with a cancel. Has this been going on long? Does this make it any cheaper for the mailer that the post office does not use their equipment to cancel stamps. Just thought it curious.

I have also seen a lot of presorted bulk with post cancellations. It seems like about 10-15% of bulk is canceled.

Maybe it's a bit of psychology - thinking that people are more likely to open the envelope if it has been stamped and cancelled?

Doesn't make much sense to me!

It is my understanding that the use of precanceled stamps requires a permit and the postmarks that you're seeing are being sent by mailers who are likely complying with USPS guidance.

For example, if the return address on the envelope is outside of the Post Office of mailing then the mailer must comply with one of three options, with one being the use of the cancellation endorsement "Mailed from ZIP Code" followed by the 5-digit ZIP Code assigned to the postmaster at the office of mailing (see Domestic Mail Manual 604 (Postage Payment Methods) Section 3.0 at http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/604.htm#wp1167343 ).

I probably receive more bulk mail with only the preprinted price category stamp and domestic return address than I do with mailer's precancelled postmarks, but today I received this MPP on a solicitation from a charity.



In researching this cancellation I learned that individuals can apply for a Mailer's Postmark Permit -- see http://www.mppclub.org/index.html for more information on MPP's.

Steve

I have a bunch of those Mail Permit Postmarks, too. This one I find rather interesting because it's early for those type of marks (1999), it has a low permit no. (#66) and it shows only a month and year (no day). Further, it came from Edgerton, WI, which (according to Wiki) has a population of only 4933 and is known as "Tobacco City, USA", which is likely the source of the mail permit.



Just found another early one ... this time from Mystic Stamp Company of Camden, NY but the MPP is from McConnellsville, NY. Not sure if there was any valid reason for the pair of bulk rate stamps on the piece, though: