There are several reasons why we still need post offices and why everything can’t take place digitally yet. So let’s look at the commonly faced issues due to it and what are the solutions for it. Let us know about “What Does Extra Postage Required Mean?”
Extra postage required means that your piece of mail doesn’t have the necessary postage for the weight of the envelope or package. There can be two reasons for this: either your package weighs more than the standard requirement or it won’t go through the Postage machine. We have mentioned the solutions for these later in the article.
Reasons For Extra Postage Requirement
There are mainly two reasons due to which your piece of mail might require extra postage and they are:-
- Your package may be weighing more than the standard weight.
- Your package might not be able to go through the postal machine and thus rejected
Let’s take a look at them in detail and what are the solutions to it:-
1. The Package May Be More Than The Required Weight
One of the most common reasons for your parcel getting rejected is this. One ounce is the standard weight of an envelope needing one stamp. If your envelope weighs more than that then there is a requirement for more postage.
You might or might not be told how much postage your piece of mail is lacking when it’s rejected and arrives at your home. To know this you will have to go to a post office and have your envelope weighed.
2. Non Machinable Mail Pieces
If your envelope has become thick because you have put several unfolded pieces of paper inside it or a photo envelope or any other unbendable type of package then it will come under this category. It is a well-known fact for the postal employees that if a package can’t go through the postage machine which is also known as the franking machine then it does require extra postage.
If You Cannot Visit The Post Office:
If, for some or the other reason, you aren’t able to visit the Post Office to resolve this issue then you can do the following steps to resolve it all by yourself:-
Place one forever stamp and one or two regular stamps on the envelope. You can place more stamps if possible but then much more will be a waste. (Note – If your envelope doesn’t weigh more than one ounce then the Postal Department won’t want you to place more than one forever stamp on it)
You must possess a book of Forever Stamps and a book of regular stamps in the current and proper denomination.
If you regularly send out envelopes in rectangular shapes of sizes small or medium then you can use a food scale to measure ounces as they are very pocket-friendly, compact in size, and very accurate in measuring ounces.
If you do not want to use the food scale then we have an alternative for it. You can make sure that you fit the standard measurement of one ounce. The standard measurement of one ounce is 6.125 × 11.5 inches in length and not more than 0.25 inches in thickness when stuffed.
For an ounce, you can fill in 4 to 5 pages in your envelope. For two ounces, you can fill up to 10 pages in your envelope.
The Rate For Additional Ounces
The rate for additional ounces on your package depends upon the number of extra ounces your envelope weighs in addition to the standard measurement.
55 cents isn’t the rate of an ounce and they charge 15 cents for every additional ounce. We also do know a way in which you can avoid not having enough space for your postage.
How To Avoid Not Having Enough Space For Your Postage?
Even though everything today can be done digitally certain things need to be handed over physically like sending out a passport, a medical form, or any legal papers. You can go to the Post Office if anything seems overweight or oversized.
If you regularly require services of the Post Office to send out your mails and wish to avoid regular trips to the Post Office to check if the piece of mail is overweight or not then this option is for you. You can buy or rent a Postage Machine which is even known as Franking Machine.
Most people who possess a Franking Machine either own a business or wish to save huge bucks on postage as they regularly make use of postal services.
Conclusion
Now we have learnt “What Does Extra Postage Required Mean?”, Hope we provided you with the solution to your problem and also how to avoid this problem in the future so that you don’t have to face the same difficulty again in the future
