Postage

[Amy]

The zines I've gotten have been in padded envelopes, but I recently discovered some quarter-page sized envelops that my mom used to use to send cards. I stuck quarter zine in (17 Strangers. Thanks, Katie!) and weighed it. 1.5 oz, which could be sent using a 60 cent stamp.

Is it safe to send zines this way? because the zines I get usually come in manila or padded envelopes with $1.39 postage.

[Amy]

maybe it just gives them extra protection?

[Erica S.]

That's how I send them. I don't think I'd ever use a padded mailer to mail just a zine, unless there was a CD or small breakable item in the package too.

[Amy]

That would make it on average .90 a zine for me (depending on how many pages I end up with) So if I sold em for a buck then I'd MAKE money...

[Harley R. Pageot]

I just use standard envelopes. Zines are generally just paper folded in half and stapled, right? They're not that fragile.

Hell, some people just slap a stamp on the back of their zine and toss it in the mailbox without any envelope.

[Amy]

:D sounds good. Lol.

I was just wondering, 'cause a bunch of my zines arrive in more careful packaging.

[NicoleIntrovert]

Unless someone is recycling a padded mailer there is no reason to use one for just a zine. Seems pretty wasteful. All of the zines i send from my distro go in either plan manilla envelopes or USPS priority flat rate envelopes.

I have some quarter sized envelopes i purchased in bulk when i am trading some of my quarter sized zines.

[Emma Jane Falconer]

I've got envelopes with pretty designs that come flat in a pad, and you tear them out, fold them along the lines and lick the glue to seal them. They're called something like Fold n Mail and they come in loads of different pictures. I've got Yellow Submarine, Nancy Drew and the Pink Panther. They're the perfect size for quarter size zines, are made of stiffish paper that protects the zines, and everyone seems to like receiving them.

[Emma Jane Falconer]

These are the things. http://www.chroniclebooks.com/index/main,book-info/store,books/prod...

Emma Jane Falconer said:

I've got envelopes with pretty designs that come flat in a pad, and you tear them out, fold them along the lines and lick the glue to seal them. They're called something like Fold n Mail and they come in loads of different pictures. I've got Yellow Submarine, Nancy Drew and the Pink Panther. They're the perfect size for quarter size zines, are made of stiffish paper that protects the zines, and everyone seems to like receiving them.

[kit feral]

I just put them in regular card envelopes. I've never had a problem. sometimes I have to add an extra stamp if I've put a couple of zines in there and it gets bulky.
I can only understand having a padded envelope if there's money or a cd or something inside. I've gotten them, too, and though it seems a lot more exciting to get a big package like that instead of a normal envelope, it seems a bit wasteful.
I decorate them a little to make them more cheerful :) I've noticed a lot of people around here decorate their envelopes as well, it's great! mail art <3

[Amy]

Or just manilia envelopes. Today I recieved a quarter-zine in one- the postage was $1.05 when all it needed for that size was .44 (stamp prices are going up really fast. Eek!)

[Maranda Elizabeth]

I send my zines in regular invitation-size envelopes (perfect for quarter-sized zines), unless I'm sending more than a few, then I use old card envelopes that are slightly larger. A lot of my zines are light enough to be sent as a letter if I'm mailing one at a time, so that's cool. I've received a few zines in bubble wrap envelopes before, which seems wasteful (both material-wise and cost-of-postage-wise) and silly; it's just paper.

On a related note, if you go into card stores like Hallmark, they keep their old extra envelopes, bundle up a bunch of them together, and sell the bundles for $1. I think there are usually twenty or more envlopes in a bundle, so it's quite the steal. And obviously I'm a big fan of reusing envelopes.

[kit feral]

really?! they do that? I got a bunch from a friend of my mother's who works there, and I said that they should sell them like that because I'd definitely buy them and she said, "pfft, like they'd do something that useful."

maybe my store just sucks, but it's really exciting to me that SOMEWHERE does it, haha.

Maranda Elizabeth said:

I send my zines in regular invitation-size envelopes (perfect for quarter-sized zines), unless I'm sending more than a few, then I use old card envelopes that are slightly larger. A lot of my zines are light enough to be sent as a letter if I'm mailing one at a time, so that's cool. I've received a few zines in bubble wrap envelopes before, which seems wasteful (both material-wise and cost-of-postage-wise) and silly; it's just paper.

On a related note, if you go into card stores like Hallmark, they keep their old extra envelopes, bundle up a bunch of them together, and sell the bundles for $1. I think there are usually twenty or more envlopes in a bundle, so it's quite the steal. And obviously I'm a big fan of reusing envelopes.