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Comment by tombert | Hacker News Reader

I did something similar with the Peter Popoff scam letters...I would either fill it with old dead batteries, or just go outside and fill it to the brim with dirt. Nothing really identifiable with that, and it was a was a relatively easy way to cost him money.

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They pay a flat fee and you're wasting your time. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/10/bank-junk-mail-...

My takeaway from that article was they do pay for the postage, but there's cost difference between a heavy item and a piece of paper. However, they are charged.

I have been doing this the last 30 years only I return with name and everything, and write a note on the empty external envelope. "please remove me from your mailing list". Worked nicely so far.

It would be a far better use of everyone's time if instead of returning this to them or sending dead batteries back, we all put that energy into lobbying to permanently kill these types of industries.

Anything that involves creating hassle and inconvenience for scammers is time well spent in my opinion!

Do you consider the mailman who picks up your outgoing mail to be a scammer, they are the only one impacted.

Perhaps if people try to send feces or anything that is detectable and dangerous. I doubt the mailman will be impacted by a glitterbomb.

You're mostly just inconveniencing your postal carrier. They throw that stuff out.

The point isn't that the scammers read the junk you send them.

It's that they had to pay for you sending that junk to them, which increases their costs. (But it would take a lot of people doing the same to make a dent.)

No, I mean the post office throws it out. If you tape a reply card to a brick or stuff the envelope with sand... they don't actually deliver it.

The post office will not deliver the brick because the postage doesn't cover the weight (or shape) of the brick.

They will deliver an envelope stuffed with sand unless it exceeds the weight limits covered by that postage. (I know that second part from actual recent experience.)

If they consider the mailing an "improper" use of the return label, they can toss it regardless of weight.

In my particular case, I stuff it with dirt, but I make sure that it's sealed all the way, so I don't know that they know it's an improper case.

They actually will. People have tested it many times, but the post office will deliver a coconut if it has the correct postage. I’m sure you could go to a USPS postage kiosk and put a brick on it and it would work.

Fill them with glitter! Much messier than dirt when they get opened.

That's going to end up in our oceans.

All glitter or just glitter sent via return mail?

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