How to Get Companies to Stop Sending You Mail

If your mailbox is overflowing with credit card offers, insurance promotions and catalogs from companies you never signed up for, it may be time to do something about it. Fortunately, getting companies to stop sending you mail is relatively easy. It just takes a little time and effort.

The first step is to send companies back any unwanted mail. Simply write "not at this address" on the envelope (in legible handwriting) and place it in the outgoing mail before you take it to the post office. This tells the company that you no longer live at the address and should reduce the number of mailings you receive.

It's also helpful to cross out or obliterate the first inch or so of the barcode below your address on the front of each piece of mail before you send it back. Doing this makes the mailings less likely to be sorted incorrectly by postal machines and should also help reduce the amount of junk mail you receive.

Nonprofit Catalog Choice is another group that works to help consumers eliminate unwanted mail. You can find a list of businesses that may have your information on their website and contact them directly to opt out. There are also services such as PaperKarma that eliminate junk mailers by taking photos of their logos with your smartphone and doing all the unsubscribe work for you.

Ridding yourself of unwanted junk mail will take time, but it can be well worth the effort. Once you're free of unsolicited circulars and credit card offers, your mailbox can once again be a source of joy rather than frustration.