FAQ General
General FAQ questions
Is this an initiative from the USPS?
This campaign was started by a private group of individuals, independently of the USPS, who believe in Freedom of Speech as much as in the Right to Privacy.
Does the USPS support this campaign?
We're working to get official recognition from the USPS, but we're not asking the USPS for permission. Since, keep in mind the fact that you have the right to refuse mail. Getting official awareness will help with general awareness among the public and mail carriers alike. Read Our Vision to understand what our long term aim is.
How does the sticker work?
Compare the sticker to the 'postal mail' equivalent of a 'No solicitation' or 'No trespassing' sign you place on your property. With a NoNo or NoYes sticker placed on your mailbox, you inform your USPS carrier to abide by USPS postal regulations (here), which state that you, the addressee, have the right to REFUSE any mail you so choose when it's offered for delivery.
What is the difference between the NoNo and NoYes sticker?
The USPS offers 2 main advertisement programs for marketeers. One is called 'USPS Marketing Mail' and the other is called EDDM (Every-Door-Direct-Mail). These are 2 different classes of mail (which differ in price, service included, minimal amounts etc)
With the first No you opt to refuse USPS Marketing Mail. The second No (or Yes) either refuses or allows EDDM mail. We offer a 'combo' for a small discount in case you are not sure. Or you can closely check your mail for a while to see what comes in with the different classes. The most popular choice is the NoNo sticker.
Read more here about these specific classes of mail:
If you like to read more about these classes of mail, check out the Marketing Mail section, as well as the USPS Household Diary Study section to see how much we of this marketing mail we all get (spoiler: 63% of all household mail is marketing mail)
Why would I want such a sticker?
There are many different reasons for wanting control over what goes into your mailbox. Some don't like to deal with the clutter, some find advertising mail wasteful and harmful to the environment.
Frequently heard complaints:
- Receiving too much, unwanted, and unrequested mail.
- Bulk mail ends up filling up the mailbox, making it hard to find the *actual* mail
- Impact on earth's environmental systems (trees, water, energy etc)
- Worried about scammers/phishing attempts
- Germs/Pandemic related concerns
All these concerns are certainly valid, but hardly provide a basis for the USPS not to deliver mail, especially since the USPS has been specifically contracted to do just that. Keep in mind that the mailer is the USPS' customer. You, the recipient are not the USPS' customer.
In the end, the United States is a country of laws, and even the Supreme Court has argued that "a man's home is his castle, into which not even the king may enter". Therefore, you, the addressee has ultimate control over what goes into your mailbox.
If you are interested in the legal underpinnings of Free Speech versus the Right to Privacy, then please read the Legal landscape page.
My USPS mail carrier keeps putting unwanted mail in my mailbox!
Your carrier may simple not be aware of this campaign. We're actively working with the 9 letter carrier unions to get recognition for our campaign.
Your USPS mail carrier is a true hero! Six days a week, he/she walks many miles a day, and goes the extra mile to deliver your mail. Rains, or shine, freezing or 100 degrees out, your mail carrier delivers, so please love on your mailman/woman!
Here are a few steps to make your carrier aware:
- Have a friendly chat with your carrier and mention that per the USPS Domestic Mail Manual (DMM508.1 (here)) you refuse matters mailed via the USPS marketing mail and/or EDDM mail classes.
- If mail somehow continuous to be delivered in your mailbox, then per those same regulations, you also have the right to refuse any mail which has already been delivered.
- To refuse mail that has been delivered you should:
- Do not open any mail you wish to refuse.
- Collect and bundle up the mail pieces you like to refuse (Note: you can not refuse mail which requires signatures etc).
- Place a note on this bundle stating 'REFUSE'
- Do NOT write 'Return to Sender' or 'RTS' on it, as that would require return postage for which the mailer has not paid
- Download our FREE printable template for this (coming soon)
- Place the bundle back in your mailbox for your carrier to pick up the next day.
- If your carrier keeps delivering unwanted mail, or does not pick up your refused mail, you can contact your local Postmaster and ask that your carrier adhere to the Domestic Mail Manual. Check out a listing of post offices across the US. (here).
What happens to the mail pieces I refuse?
Mail which you refuse, and mail which could not be delivered will be brought back to the post office, sorted and and double checked as the USPS goes to great length to make sure that any First-, and Priority mail will be delivered or returned to the sender (here).
Any other mail will be discarded as Undeliverable-Bulk-Business-Mail (UBBM) and recycled. In fact, the USPS has several centers where this is being processed (here).
Will marketeers continue to send me advertising mail, even if I refuse delivery by the USPS?
Well... yes you will. There is (currently) no mechanism in place to let the marketeer know that you actually do not wish to receive their advertising by just using these stickers.
For now, to stop being sent mail from a particular mailer, the action is on you. On an individual mailer basis, you can OPT-OUT from receiving advertisements, usually for a fee, and for a certain period and on a per mail piece basis.
Opting-out has therefor become a daunting task, especially since advertisers are (still) allowed to sell/trade/exchange your address information with other advertiser. So it'd effectively becomes a game of Whack-a-Mole, with no end in sight.
Read Our Vision to understand the changes we hope the USPS will implement.
Am I saddling the USPS with extra work by having the carrier take back my refused mail?
The USPS gets paid to deliver mail. You are not the USPS' customer, the mailer who paid postage is the USPS' customer.
When you mail something First Class or Priority, you pay for services like return service, insurance, tracking etc. If such a piece can not be delivered the USPS will go out of their way to return it, or attempt re-delivery.
However, the 2 mail classes in question are offered at below cost rates, and do not include any type of return-, or forwarding service. With that in mind the USPS would rather not deal with it and just deliver it to you.
Yet, at the same time, the USPS pledges that you, the addressee, can refuse any mail piece you'd do not wish, no questions asked.
A better solution? We are encouraging the USPS to adapt, and use better marketing and targeting techniques & technologies underpinning the marketing programs they offer to their advertisers.
We actually see a way for the USPS to monetize on this and allow advertiser to obtain higher response and conversion rates, while the USPS would not lose out on much needed revenue.
Check out the Our Vision section for more on this.
Is there no 'YesNo' sticker?
A YesNo sticker would mean that you do wish to receive USPS marketing mail, but not EDDM. The majority of advertising pieces received by households are mailed via USPS Marketing Mail (think credit card offers, non-profit solicitations, catalogs). A smaller portion of marketing mail is sent using the EDDM class, and our survey showed that some household would still be open to receiving EDDM as it's very often used by local businesses (think your neighborhood pizza place)
As such, there is currently no plan to introduce a YesNo sticker at this time. Please do let us know if such a sticker would suit your needs.
I would like to receive marketing mail again, what do I do?
Simply remove the sticker from your mailbox to inform your carrier know that you would like to receive all classes of mail again.