Collecting autographs through the mail is the best way to get autographs. Not only is it fun, it is also relatively inexpensive. There are many things to consider when sending to your favorite celebrity or athlete.
1. The Letter
The letter is certainly one of the most important things to think about when you are sending to someone through the mail. Your letter should ideally be short and polite. Writing a 5-7 sentence paragraph should do the job. In your letter you should write mostly about yourself and how the person you are writing to has affected you in your life. The person doesn’t want to hear about themselves, they are more interested in hearing about you. You should then politely ask them to sign the item that you sent, and be sure to say thank you at the end. Politeness goes a long way in a letter.
2. The Envelope
Although this may seem like a pointless part of sending, it isn’t. The best way to improve the chances of getting your item back is by using a brightly colored envelope. If your envelope stands out, the person is more likely to pick yours up instead of a plain old white envelope. It is crucial put a SASE (Self Addresses Stamped Envelope) in your envelope to the person you are writing to. If you do not then it is unlikely that you will receive your item back. For more see section five.
3. The Address
There are multiple places to find addresses for fan mail. The best site (in my opinion) is fanmail.biz, they have an enormous database of addresses to celebrities and athletes. If you are into the hobby of collecting autographs through the mail they have plenty of places to post and chat with other collectors on their website. Be sure to put your address in the top left corner, so if the mail is returned, the post office will know where to return it.
4. The Postage
If you are sending somewhere else in the United States, then a 44 cent stamp (or forever stamp) will do. If you are sending internationally I recommend going to your local post office and asking them what it will cost.
5. The SASE
A SASE is a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope. All that this really means is it’s another envelope that you put your address and proper postage on. This way, all the person that you have sent to has to do is slip the item that is autographed into the envelope, seal the envelope, and mail it to you. This makes it much easier, and if you do this it is much likelier that your item will come back signed.
6. Mailing
Now all that’s left is to mail your item!
Tips:
Be very patient. It is very unlikely that your item will come back that week, sometimes it takes months to get your item back.
Don’t send something that you really like to get signed. There is no guarantee that you will get your item back at all.
Don’t expect to always get your things back signed. A good success rate for sending things through the mail is 50%. So obviously you shouldn’t expect to get everything back.
Have fun with it! Don’t treat it like a business or a job, treat it as a hobby.