Direct Mail

9. Using a Mailing House

You should be able to handle a mailing of 1,000 items in-house - but a mailing of 5,000 items is probably best left to a mailing house.

9.1 Ask for a list of suitable mailing houses from the Direct Marketing Association.

9.2 Shop around for quotes.

• Choose a mailing house which is used to handling mailshots on the scale you need.
• Ask the mailing house to quote for supplying your envelopes and enclosures.
• Ask if the envelope stuffing will be done (more cheaply) by machine, and if your envelope and enclosures are suitable.
• Ask how many extra envelopes and enclosures (usually five per cent) you should supply, to allow for unavoidable wastage.

9.3 Take advantage of the Royal Mail's Mailsort postage discounts on mailings of at least 4,000 letters or 1,000 packets.

• Ask the mailing house to supply the list in mailsort order.
• You usually pay postage in advance, but there should be no mark-up on the cost.
• Ask for a copy of the Royal Mail posting docket as proof of mailing.