I thought I would start by talking about
Return Envelopes. Every US participant in this swap should have included an SASE with their ATCs. It turns out there are a lot of specifics that might not be all that obvious. These are some things that I have learned from hosting and playing in swaps…
-
Quality
If the condition of your returns is important to you, you should give some thought to the quality of the SASE that you submit. Thin envies, and envies that don’t seal well put your artwork in danger! They also put the burden of mitigating that danger on the host.
-
Size
Submit an appropriately sized envelope. For ATC swaps, the standard is a “business” sized envelope. Standard business envelopes are 4 1/8” x 9 1/2”. They are sometimes called No. 10 envelopes. Business envelopes that are slightly smaller (No. 9) or slightly larger (I don’t know what they are called, lol) are also fine. Business envies give your host the room to package your returns for optimum safety. Using business envies also helps to keep shipping costs down. When sending letters with 1 First-Class Mail Forever stamp the maximum thickness allowed by the USPS is 1/4”. An envie that is smaller than business size will be thicker when it is packed and require more postage. That postage comes out of your host’s pocket, and it can add up. If you must send an SASE in a less than ideal size, the best practice is to include extra (loose) postage.
-
Address Your Envelope
SASE means Self Addressed Stamped Envelope. Put your addy on the envelope, do not send a blank envie.
Follow the rules provided by the USPS.
USPS shows you how to send a letter or postcard in the U.S., from choosing an envelope, writing the address, buying and applying stamps, and finding a drop-off location.
www.usps.com
Never use a return address sticker as your address label. It is too small and is not acceptable to the USPS.
Do not use cursive. Print your address by hand, machine, or rubber stamp. I know some swappers are of a generation that was taught to use cursive as proper etiquette for addressing a letter. Unfortunately, modern postal sorting machines do not read cursive, and a lot of humans have trouble with it too.
-
Return Address
Do not put your own addy in the spot for the return address. According to
@Art101,
“Never put the "return address" the same as the "to mailing address" (which you might do if you were sending a SASE, or mailing something to yourself on a trip). Because, if the postage falls off, the post office will NOT send on the letter/package, and they will NOT return it to the "sender" if it is the same as the "to" address. [They have a theory that people will send things free to themselves by just not putting on postage.]”
You can leave the spot for the return address blank.
I sometimes receive SASEs from experienced swappers that have already entered my address in the spot for the return address. I can’t speak for other hosts on this subject, but I love that! It really lightens my workload as a host.
-
Postage
Use a “Forever” stamp if you can. There have been so many postal rate increases in the last few years that I have lost track. Forever stamps maintain their value. If, instead, you use 68 cents worth of stamps, and rates go up before your returns are sent out, your host will have to make up the cost out of pocket.
-
Backside
A lot of hosts appreciate it if you write your user name and swap title on the flap of your return envie (and the original mailing envie as well).
-
Read The Entire Swap Intro Post Thoroughly And Carefully
Different hosts and different swaps will have different/additional rules for return envelopes, among other things. Don’t assume that you know what is expected. Neglecting to read the rules, regardless of how long or boring or repetitive they are, is just plain rude and disrespectful. Swap hosts put a lot of time, energy, and work (and sometimes money) into creating and running swaps so that you can have a great swap experience. Return the favor by reading and following the rules. They are not arbitrary. Additionally, failure to meet swap parameters may result in your cards being returned to you unswapped.
Please feel free to ask questions or discuss. I am also happy to hear your feedback. This swap (and every swap) is a learning experience for me too.