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The first time I had to post a mail was when I moved to an apartment and I had to send the check to the landlord. So I wrote my landlord’s address at the top a

The first time I had to post a mail was when I moved to an apartment and I had to send the check to the landlord. So I wrote my landlord’s address at the top and my address below it, stamped it and happily posted it. Sure thing after two days I received in my mailbox my check /facepalm

samatman 5y ago
Did you write RETURN TO SENDER on the envelope and stick it back in the mailbox?
sandworm101 5y ago
That is actually an old legal trick. By mailing something to yourself you are getting a sealed envelope that is dated by a government agency. If you want to prove that you had or knew something at a particular time (like a copy of a will or a statement by someone) then it is a useful scheme.
- mindcrime 5y ago
  That doesn't actually prove anything. Consider: you could have mailed an open, unsealed envelope to yourself, and then sealed it at any later date.
  - sandworm101 5y ago
    If your post office is accepting open envelopes then they need to stop doing so. It's not just against various rules but can jam the machines that sort envelopes.
    - Verdex 5y ago
      I guess you could tape it shut and then carefully remove the tape when you get it. Once you have something you want to "send to the past" you use whatever natural stickiness comes with the envelope.
    - mindcrime 5y ago
      You could tack it shut just enough to get by, but not actually full seal it. For that matter, you could probably just stuff the outer flap down inside the envelope and maybe put a very small piece of tape on it. Same difference in the end. The point being, mailing yourself an envelope doesn't really prove anything about the provenance of whatever is found inside later.
    - LorenPechtel 5y ago
      I've gotten a decent number of envelopes where the flap is simply tucked into the envelope rather than any attempt being made to seal it. It's all been junk so if a few come apart they don't care. I believe there was some rate advantage to doing it that way.
- conductr 5y ago
  More commonly, to deliver the letter without postage.

samatman 5y ago

Did you write RETURN TO SENDER on the envelope and stick it back in the mailbox?

sandworm101 5y ago

That is actually an old legal trick. By mailing something to yourself you are getting a sealed envelope that is dated by a government agency. If you want to prove that you had or knew something at a particular time (like a copy of a will or a statement by someone) then it is a useful scheme.

mindcrime 5y ago
That doesn't actually prove anything. Consider: you could have mailed an open, unsealed envelope to yourself, and then sealed it at any later date.
- sandworm101 5y ago
  If your post office is accepting open envelopes then they need to stop doing so. It's not just against various rules but can jam the machines that sort envelopes.
  - Verdex 5y ago
    I guess you could tape it shut and then carefully remove the tape when you get it. Once you have something you want to "send to the past" you use whatever natural stickiness comes with the envelope.
  - mindcrime 5y ago
    You could tack it shut just enough to get by, but not actually full seal it. For that matter, you could probably just stuff the outer flap down inside the envelope and maybe put a very small piece of tape on it. Same difference in the end. The point being, mailing yourself an envelope doesn't really prove anything about the provenance of whatever is found inside later.
  - LorenPechtel 5y ago
    I've gotten a decent number of envelopes where the flap is simply tucked into the envelope rather than any attempt being made to seal it. It's all been junk so if a few come apart they don't care. I believe there was some rate advantage to doing it that way.
conductr 5y ago
More commonly, to deliver the letter without postage.