Hand Cancellation? Help!

I have a MPP, and my regular letters still get spray cancelled, unfortunately. I've even added the extra postage and wrote "NON-MACHINE" on there, but they still get spray-cancelled. I believe I will try WT1's suggestion of placing my extra-postage-paid, "non-machine"-marked letters inside a clear outer envelope.

ikeyPikey, it doesn't sound to me like you were stiffed when you had to pay the parcel rate for your bubble mailer and photo mailers. Refer to Section 2.3 of the Domestic Mail Manual here: http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/101.htm

Zuzu, have you tried asking the clerks to put your hand-cancelled mail in with the metered mail? The MPP Club web site says some users have had success with that method to avoid the spray cancellation.

Zuzu, Greetings:

Re-reading https://www.usps.com/ship/first-cla...national.htm after reading your DMM section, I can see how the bubble wrap envelope, being a tiny bit over 1/4", might not qualify as a letter; but I still cannot see why a 6*9" photo mailer does not qualify as a letter (plus 21c non-machinable surcharge).

Thank you for looking into this.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

Depending on your needs, there is easy solution, at least to the inkjet problem. Place the stamp about an inch lower than normal before mailing. The sprayer always sprays the top of the envelope, regardless of where the stamp is located. If you are only interested in the stamp having a clean cancel, then problem solved. If you're also interested in a spray-free cover, apply a couple of strips of tape (as described in an earlier post) across the top of the envelope as well.

ikeyPikey, when you say "photo mailer" do you mean simply a 6x9 envelope, or do you mean a heavier, paperboard-type material? The latter is what I assume when I see "photo mailer".

It's my understanding that anything rigid or non-bendable is considered a parcel. So basically anything other than just paper.

bgarcia: It can be rigid and still be a letter. You just have to pay the non-machineable surcharge. In order for it to be considered a pacel it either has to exceed 3.5 ounces or/and exceed measurements of a certain thickness, length or width (you can see those on the USPS website as I cannot recall them offhand). The contents are not a criteria in determing letter vs parcel rates despite what a few clerks might think.

Battlestamps, I stand corrected.

However, if it is a large envelope (bigger than 6-1/8 x 11-1/2" or 1/4" thick), being rigid automatically bumps it up to parcel/package rate. So in that case you can't just pay an extra 21 cents for the nonmachinable charge.

bgarcia: Exactly! The 1/4" thickness is something different postal clerks will interpret differently too. My local clerks allows anything that can be squeezed through the plastic slot for testing sizes be shipped at letter rate. I've heard from others who have been told, "well, it touches the edge thus it's parcel rate". I believe in the former and avoid those who treat the test like a carny game.

It's been about a week since I mailed in my MPP application, but I've yet to hear anything. I even included my phone number and email address so they could get in touch with me faster if they wanted to. How long did it take those of you with MPPs to hear back?

I'm picturing my postmaster getting the application and thinking, "What the hell is this??" Hopefully she is doing research on it.

bgarcia, I posted about my experience here: https://goscf.com/t/30928&whichpage=2 (start at the bottom of page 2)

Knew I had read this somewhere. If ever denied a hand cancel by a postal clerk have them read the Postal operations manual, section 231.5

231.5
Permissible Postmarking,Devices and Hand-Stamped Postmarking for Collectors:

The postmark devices shown in
Exhibit 231.5
may be used to provide hand-
stamped postmarks for collectors.

Followed by the type of CDS allowed. If you are up to it you can read / download the entire Postal operations manual Version 9 here

http://www.nalc.org/depart/cau/pdf/...9--12_08.pdf

I can't speak to Canada Post regulations, but in the US, another section (443) of the USPS Postal Operations Manual addresses the subject, and reads as follows:

Interesting posts about requesting hand cancels and hand back service. Great replies. As a PMR, when I dispatch mail, hand cancelled and meter cancelled mail is dispatched in a tray with a 00-B placard attached. When it reaches the sectional center, it is to bypass the spray cancel process. I suspect each District or cluster may have it's own specific local SOP but I would think the same process is standard in each district. Unfortunately not every employee is on the same page on this issue.

Just had this problem. Fortunately the stamps aren't anything super special. I guess I will have to start going to different post offices to find one that will do hand cancels/hand backs.