Junk Mail Magic

Make a plain-language card for a helper

Use one page with three choices: keep, stop this advertising, or ask me first. You decide what goes under each heading, and the helper follows the card only for the senders you list. The card does not need to explain your reasons. It also does not give anyone permission to open or read your mail unless you write that in.

By Junk Mail Magic. Updated .

Build the card

  1. Write three headings in large, plain words: KEEP, STOP THIS ADVERTISING, ASK ME FIRST. Leave blank lines under each.
  2. Add sender names yourself, or say them aloud while the helper writes them down. Use the name printed on the piece, such as a store, a charity or a catalog.
  3. Make ASK ME FIRST the default. Bills, agency letters and anything the helper does not recognize go there unopened.
  4. Add one line for what the helper may do, such as look at the outside and sort into piles. Add one line for what they may not do, such as open envelopes or contact a sender for you.

Where a USPS preview fits

If you use Informed Delivery, it shows previews of eligible incoming mail. You can choose whether a helper looks at those images with you. A preview is not a full list of what arrives and does not stop a sender, so the paper card still decides what happens to each piece.

The STOP list only records what you want. Each name on it still needs its own removal request, which you can prepare later for any ordinary advertisement that is yours.

Helper card to fill in

Example for your own use. Replace the bracketed details and review what you share.

KEEP: [sender names] STOP THIS ADVERTISING: [sender names] ASK ME FIRST: bills, agency letters, anything unfamiliar You may: look at the outside of the mail and sort it under these headings. You may not: open envelopes or contact a sender for me. Date: [date] My initials: [initials]

Try it with one sender

Choose one advertisement from this week's mail and write its sender under STOP. When the next piece from that sender arrives, check whether the helper put it in the right pile. If they hesitated, reword that line on the card before you add more names.

Official source

Ask a helper to sort by sender without reading contentsMake a large-print sheet for managing unwanted mailMake a simple mail opt-out logMake a short mail decision list for a low-energy dayMail routines that fit your needsAll practical mail guides

Have an unwanted advertisement ready?

Photograph one piece you are authorized to handle, with the sender and full mailing label visible. Review the details before submitting. The first request is free; the sender controls the response.

Try one request free