Since my return to the Mail Art world, I've mailed off only 11 pieces. Of those, I know that three of them have reached their destination; one in South Dakota, one in Seattle, and one in England. Of the other eight, I have yet to hear. I found the above notice in my mailbox today. Oops. BUSTED!
I don't know how they found me exactly. I have never put my return address on any of the pieces I have mailed off. I have "signed" the back as "Monster A GoGo", but... I guess the Mail Art Police saw a couple pieces of Mail Art sent to me from others addressed to Monster A GoGo, saw the backs of my envelopes (I just sent two off late Monday night)---and put two and two together (Golly! They should work for the FBI!), and figured out I was a bad, bad boy---a (GASP!) mail criminal! Will I be sent to postal prison? O' the HORROR!!
Of those eight pieces still unaccounted for, I at least have a photographic record of them. Six of them (along with the three that did make it through) can be seen in the blog post here: https://monsterago-go.blogspot.com/2022/03/return-to-sender-mail-ar...
The other two are attached below.
I'm guessing it is these last two that are being held. I wonder if any of the others that have not reached their destinations are also being "detained".
The truly bummer-ific part is that I am currently working on three other pieces. Do I stop? Continue? I know I like to go beyond the confines of the envelope's borders. Hmm. How can I work around this... Hmm?
Stay tuned and see what happens tomorrow when I go and speak to "Josh". Whose stamp do I gotta lick to get them off of my back? Jeepers!
CHEERS!
PART 2, when I go to the Post Office, is HERE: https://iuoma-network.ning.com/profiles/blogs/busted-by-the-mail-ar...
Comment
ANOTHER post I didn't comment back on. (Soooo sorry...)
Bradford: Thank you. I DO use those. My post office was trying to tell me that my envelopes would have to be treated as parcels (instead of letters) and charged accordingly. C-R-A-Z-Y!!! (Which is why I over stamp and mail from off-island).
Michel: Thanks for the link. My post office is so rinky-dink and backwards. They have no idea what "hand cancel" even means, probably. But I do appreciate your help. BTW, did you ever get the envelope (and the follow-up postcard asking if you'd gotten the envelope) I sent you? (THE GHOST HOUSE was the name of it.) It's one of several that have gone MIA in the postal system.
Patricia: Hi. Yes, the people at the post office suggested mailing me things in another envelope. While that is a good idea and protects them, it defeats the purpose and the point. My mail art is exclusively envelopes. What happens to them en route to their destination is part of the process, in my mind. When they come through pristine and untouched, I am always amazed. Heck, lately, when they arrive at all, I am amazed. Ha! Thank you for the compliment.
Mim: Interesting about the CD--just the round circular CD or in a case, too? I do agree with not putting a return address on things---simply because I would rather have the pieces of mail HAVE to go forwared to their destinations insteasd of being returned to me (via my mail art police locally).
William: Yes, I do think that is HOW the post oiffice found me---by mail addressed to Monster-A-GoGo. I still write numbers of everything on the back of them, but no longer write Monster-A-GoGo on the back.
Coco: Fabric postcards? Hmm. Fascinating!
Mike: Yes, I think I was lectured about the proper stamp/address placement at my post office. I'm sorry--but when envelopes are your "canvas' so to speak (although, I am NO artist). Stamps and addresses are an afterthought. They go where there is room for them. (At least, that's my philosophy...)
MomKat: Zowie! Amazing! I remember the days of being able to send things like that through the mail---and did so often. I remember this failed project of mine once (for which I was maybe calling myself MR. Hokey-Pokey, the Multiple Amputee, or possibly my more frequent mail art name then, The MAIL Prostitute). I sent out invitations--which were the old-fashioned cardboard address labels tied (really glued) to those little plastic "egg" things with toys in them you used to be able to get out of gumball machines for a quarter or whatever. Around the egg was a label that read: "Aborted toy fetus". The project was for The Island of Misfit Toys, where people were to send in found, discarded, broken, and/or unloved toys. I thought it was a fun project...but it didn't happen. i think i was sent three things. FAIL. I retired from mail art soon afterwards. Long story--sorry. But back in the day, things like that were possible in the mails.
Carien: Uh...thank you.
John: Heavenly Goat Road? Ha! I LOVE it! CHEERS!
Michel, et al, I posted information about the NON-MACHINABLE surcharge that applies to RIGID items on the "Well, I got BUSTED by the Mail Art Police! Part 2" page, but as long as the mail piece is not overweight, the NON-MACHINABLE SURCHARGE is added to the 1st CLASS RATE of 58¢. With the last rate increase (29 AUG 2021), the surcharge went up from 20¢ to 30¢ or a total of 88¢ at present rates.
There is an 88¢ stamp for such mailings available from some post offices or via the online shop on the USPS website. Someone posted that there is a 75¢ stamp for this purpose, but that is incorrect.
I'm sure almost everyone has encountered some sort of post office behavior they find confusing or objectionable. I've learned some p.o. counter people like mail-art that pushes back. I have one fan employed by USPS at least. My advice for those unmachinable items is to enclose them in an envelope lest they get flagged or dismembered, even worse. It can be a clear envelope, which is my favorite, and pay the extra charge if there is one.
Your pieces are fab!!
All I can add is that I got some wild mail from Dean, artist in Seine that were crazy and made it through La Poste. I haven't sent any as wild but I did just send a collaged CD to France and it made it to it's destination. I didn't put any return address but I did put Mim on it. Dean always said to NEVER put the return address on it because then once it's in the postbox it has to be delivered. Hmm.
it looks like there'd probably be an extra charge for them not being machinable? i think that is often the case with non-standard sized mail. if you have mail delivered under the name monster-a-go-go it's possible that someone at your post office just asked the carriers if anyone delivered to such a name.
Also, nonmachinable stamps help. They are 75c, big butterflies (usps.com... my local post does not carry them). I lost a bunch of fabric postcards by using postcard stamps. Since I've switched they've gone through.
USPS experience for best chance of successfully sending mail art : place postage stamp in upper right with name & address below the stamp - block letters. Creative, wonky addresses may not get delivered and w/o a return address will never, ever be returned to you. Use return addresses even on postcards.
Pretty sure that every mailed first class item gets photographed so the USPS is keeping track of you. Imagine this started whenever crazed people were mailing white powder and what not.
Waiting to hear how your interrogation goes.
Once upon a time this was posted through the Greek Post to France:
without a return address...and arrived safely,
but that was B.C. (Before Covid and terrorist mailings).
In the good ol' days of mail art, strange and extreme mailings happened ,
see the group:
The postal clerks at my local post office long ago informed me that they do not send mail unless there is a return address...and precisely on the upper left hand corner ...of a standard white envelope...with the mailing address to the intended in center place (preferably typed, printed...not script), sigh. Of course, tourist postcards need no return address...and if I sneak an "odd" mail art sending into to the International Mail postal box outside the Central Post Office downtown...well then it gets sent (though during these Covid Times, it may take 6-8 weeks to arrive!)
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