If You Are Mailing a "Lumpy" Card.....?

I put the back of the card facing the side with the address and the lumpier side facing the back opening. I figure that if something breaks through it might damage the address area enough to make it unreadable, and also that people usually open the envelope in such a way that they'll see the good stuff faster this way round.

If you do want to invest in a good quality envelope what I buy A2 white basis envelopes from Clearbags. They're much thicker than the basic ones from amazon or staples, but they aren't ridiculously heavy for everyday use. I buy them for cards that I'm selling so I need a good balance of cost effective and high quality. I love them. They come in other colors too. And they have the straight flap which is perfect for adding decorative washi tape

I've always written "hand stamp" on the outside envelope and hope the post office doesn't run it through their machine and damage the card.

I was taught to put the front of the card facing the flap. When the person opens the flap they get a glimpse of the card. I have no idea know who taught me this.

For decorated cards, I run a piece of white cardstock through an embossing folder and slip that over the decorated side between the card and the flap. If it's really bumpy, I'll cut a piece of thin foam wrap sheets that I've save from shipments of delicate items I've received.

If the card is over 1/4" thick you will need to add extra postage.

I place the bumpy side near the back. I also cut card sized pieces of that thin packing foam used in packaging of electronics, etc. and put it over the bumpy side. If the envelope is extra thick I add a second stamp. I like the idea of using an embossed piece as a cushion. I would never have thought of that.

I use the celluloid foam too, and I face the lumpy side toward the back of the envelope. I also write Hand Stamp on the envelope, and I add extra postage. I don't send many lumpy cards, but when I do, I want them to arrive intact.

Yeah, there's an extra ounce stamp you can add with you basic forever stamp, or you can buy a non-machinable stamp that covers the whole cost. The extra cost applies to envelopes that don't meet the machinable standards - lumpy, irregular shapes, see through envelopes, some kinds of decorative envelope art...

It can be fairly subjective though. I've had mail workers try to flex the envelope to approximate what happens when it goes through the sorting machine and sometimes they're just not sure if it's flexible enough or not. If in doubt I just add the extra ounce stamp - if down the line it turns out it won't go through the machine it might be sent back or the recipient might be asked to pay the difference - not worth the hassle. 

BTW I was told that the reason they no longer like the return address on the back of the envelope is because they machine will sometimes think that's the "TO" address or not be able to figure out which side is the front. I'd love to see more about how this stuff works so I could know what's going to cause problems. 

I cut a piece of cardstock too, but love the idea of embossing it to make it pretty.

I use the thin foam or I run a piece of cardstock thru my crimped so it is like a piece of corrugated paper paper. I am always running to the post office to have them weighed. I should just stick . the extra 21 cents on there.