can a business card be left (betw) the mailbox and flag?

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can a business card be left (betw) the mailbox and flag?

Matt Berklacy
Rental Property Investor | Realtor · Jacksonville FL | Savannah Ga |Raleigh NC · Member since 2017 · 467 posts · 161 votes

hi, just wondering, (for hard concrete facts)..if you have any link addressing this, ...specifically..

..can a business card, or note, be left (betw) the mailbox and flag?

employees give mixed opinions (alot).

one supervisor said they own the whole box, but someone owns a house and i get political flyers left on the door step alot and church things..

thx, 

(p.s., this question does not ask about placing Inside a mailbox, thats already known, or the default opinion: no, .....lol...)

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Chris Szepessy
Catskill, NY · Member since 2018 · 636 posts · 668 votes
8y

I work for the post office and it is “illegal” if that’s the word we wanna use.  We’re told to remove any fliers that are on/in a mailbox and then the postmaster is supposed to call the person and tell them they can’t do that. They aren’t going to throw you in jail for it. 

That being said, I don’t take my job THAT seriously and I just put the mail in the box and go...sometimes I read the flier to see what it is. Co-workers have brought fliers back and my postmaster just threw them away. It’s really not worth the effort on our part. I can’t speak for other post offices though. 

Also, like already stated, most of them become litter since they fall off the box with the slightest blow of the wind. 

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  • Aaron K.
    Specialist · Riverside, CA · Member since 2015 · 6k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    8y

    It has been done, but it is one of the more annoying ways to market because it is about an inch away from just littering on someone's yard.  As to the legality I'm not sure that might be a question to ask the post office.

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  • Mark H.
    Richmond, VA · Member since 2016 · 215 posts · 129 votes
    8y
    @Aaron Klatt Agreed. I recently moved into a neighborhood here and it seems to be a thing here to wedge cards between the flag and the mailbox or rubber band them. Oftentimes whatever it is ends up on the ground or blowing around the yard. Personally, I dump anything like that into the recycling sight unseen.
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  • Chris Szepessy
    Catskill, NY · Member since 2018 · 636 posts · 668 votes
    8y

    I work for the post office and it is “illegal” if that’s the word we wanna use.  We’re told to remove any fliers that are on/in a mailbox and then the postmaster is supposed to call the person and tell them they can’t do that. They aren’t going to throw you in jail for it. 

    That being said, I don’t take my job THAT seriously and I just put the mail in the box and go...sometimes I read the flier to see what it is. Co-workers have brought fliers back and my postmaster just threw them away. It’s really not worth the effort on our part. I can’t speak for other post offices though. 

    Also, like already stated, most of them become litter since they fall off the box with the slightest blow of the wind. 

    1Reply
  • Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
    Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
    8y

    well I grew up slinging paper for my dad.. its a great way to get leads.. 1% rule alive and well.

    put 1000 out get 10 leads make one sale.. at least it was that way for my dad in the 60s and early 70s.

    it was illegal on the mail box.. and some of our paper slingers even though told not to still did.

    what I found the best was wedged in the garage door.. this way when the garage open it feel down and they could see it even if they don't open the garage and it stayed there for a long time,  Plus on neighborhoods with snout garages you could get a lot of paper slung out pretty quickly.

    especially in row house situations  Like San Francisco but boy those hills got us.. !!!

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  • Account Closed
    Investor · Portland, OR · Member since 2017 · 182 posts · 115 votes
    8y
    @Matt Berklacy I put my in a Post Office Certified Mail Envelope -and drop it in the front door. The envelopes are free. Works like a charm.
    0Reply
  • Anthony Wick
    Rental Property Investor · Ankeny, IA · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    8y
    @Matt Berklacy The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigates any violation involving the U.S. Mails. They are Special Agents, like the FBI, Secret Service, DEA, etc. Trust me when I say they don’t really care about thIs. Nobody is going to investigate you for even shoving flyers in the mailbox.
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