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A friend once complained about how much unsolicited mail he received, and claimed that he'd got his revenge on the Readers Digest, which had resisted his attempts to stop them sending him stuff. He said he'd taped their reply-paid envelope to a breeze-block, taken it to the Post Office, and posted it back to them.

This would have been in the 1990s. We're talking about one of these:

concrete block

I think he wrote a nice note with it, along the lines of "I requested that you stop sending me unsolicited mail. Please accept this concrete block as a token of appreciation. Love, Joe Bloggs" etc. The implication is that the recipient would have to pay a huge fee.

I was recounting this tale, and as I spoke, my BS detector alarm went off. The Post Office wouldn't have accepted this, right?

(I'm hoping for a UK-specific answer, but happy to hear answers relating to other countries. The subject came up because social media posts are noting that US presidential candidates are sending donation requests with prepaid reply envelopes.)

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    I'm not entirely sure this is a law question, although there's an element of interpreting Royal Mail's terms of service. There are various freepost offerings for this sort of reply mail, some allowing parcels and some not. If it's a letter-only version then Royal Mail might still deliver if the recipient paid the insufficient postage charge. The standard retail price for a parcel of less than 20kg is something like £10-12. You couldn't put a breezeblock through the slot in a pillar box, but if it's nicely wrapped then it's no different from any other parcel to be accepted over the counter.
    – alexg
    Commented Jun 3 at 11:23
  • @alexg Yes, I wasn't sure if this was a "Law" or "Skeptics" question - I was persuaded when I saw there was a "postal-service" tag here! Just to clarify, when you say "if the recipient paid", do you mean the recipient = my friend (on sending the block), or recipient = junk mail sender (on receiving it)? (they're both recipients at some point of the exchange) Thanks!
    – SusanW
    Commented Jun 3 at 11:43
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    I mean the junk mail sender who is now receiving the parcel
    – alexg
    Commented Jun 3 at 11:45

1 Answer 1

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This US Postal Service feature is called Business Reply Mail (BRM), where the recipient agrees to pay for postage with a special envelope or label.

The brick would be discarded. However, if it was an envelope and it was returned empty or filled with irrelevant papers, it would still be processed and postage is due.

The policy is set in Domestic Mail Manual 505.1.3.8

1.3.8 Improper Use of Labels and Misuse of BRM Cards and Envelopes

Improper use of BRM labels and misuse of BRM cards or envelopes should be handled as follows:

a. When a BRM label is improperly used, or a BRM card or envelope is misused as a label to return an unsealed item, such as a brick, two-by-four, or similar item, the Postal Service may treat the item as waste to be disposed of at the discretion of the Post Office.

b. When a BRM card or envelope is misused and affixed to a sealed item, the permit holder will be responsible for payment of the applicable Retail postage and per piece fee.

Note the term sealed: BRM envelopes are first-class mail and legally sealed against inspection by the USPS. Any misuse would have to be in a way that is unsealed for the USPS to be able to observe the contents. (The USPS doesn't want to be in the business of detecting junk forms in envelopes anyway)

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    Interesting that they make the distinction of sealed vs unsealed. So if you want the scheme to work, you need to find a cardboard box for your brick, package it up properly, and then they will accept it?
    – user1937198
    Commented Jun 3 at 17:27
  • @user1937198 I believe the limit is the label specifies first-class mail, so it would have to fit within the size and weight limit for letters and large envelopes (13 oz). Anything larger is Priority Mail or Ground Advantage. There used to be first-class parcel service, up to 1 lb.
    – user71659
    Commented Jun 3 at 17:34
  • "a label to return an unsealed item, such as a brick, two-by-four, or similar item" That sounds suspiciously specific. Someone has done exactly what the OP described (at least twice?) and then they made the law, right?
    – User65535
    Commented Jun 3 at 18:59
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    @User65535 It's government... I'm sure they were shipping thousands of bricks and two-by-fours before this came along.
    – user71659
    Commented Jun 3 at 19:03

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