Combine DROP with direct postal preferences
Use DROP and direct requests together, and track them in separate records. DROP sends deletion requests to participating registered data brokers for California residents. A postal preference request goes to the store, charity or other company named on the mailer.
Keep a broker record and a sender list
- Broker record: list each broker shown on the official DROP service, its status wording and the date you checked.
- Sender list: write down each advertiser whose printed mail reaches you, the name as printed and the type of mail.
- For each sender, look for a postal preference on its official site. If you find none, ask the sender whether one exists.
- In each request, say which advertising should stop and which account or order notices you still want.
- When a reply or confirmation arrives, write down exactly what it says it covers.
What each record covers
DROP does not cover first-party data, public records or other exempt information, and it does not guarantee postal suppression. A direct request can reach a sender's own customer list, which is outside DROP. A broker status says nothing about a store's preference, and a store's confirmation says nothing about a broker. Check each record on its own terms.
Two-part record
Example for your own use. Replace the bracketed details and review what you share.
Start with the most frequent mailer
Find the mailer that arrives most often and look up its sender's postal preference or contact route. Send that request and add the date to the sender list. Update the broker record when you next check the official DROP service.
Official source
Choose the route that matches the mailing
Use the official route described in this guide for this kind of mail. For a separate ordinary advertisement, Junk Mail Magic can help prepare a sender-specific removal request.
Compare removal routes