Certificate of Mailing

Need proof that you mailed some first-class letters? A certificate of mailing (also known as a COM, firmbook mailing or USPS form 3877) might be a good option for you.

According to general knowledge a "certificate of mailing" is a document issued by the United States Postal Service (USPS) that serves as proof that you mailed an item on a specific date, essentially acting as a receipt to verify that you sent something through the mail, even if it gets lost or stolen; however, it does not confirm delivery of the item itself

. Key points about a certificate of mailing:

Proof of sending:

It only proves that you presented the mail to the USPS for mailing, not that the recipient received it.

No delivery details:

A certificate of mailing does not provide any information about when or where the mail was delivered.

Obtaining a certificate:

You can purchase a certificate of mailing at the post office when you send your mail.

Legal situations:

A certificate of mailing can be important in legal situations where you need to demonstrate that you sent a document on a specific date

Keep in mind that there are some requirements for the COM option through LetterStream. Your mailings must:

be sent as a first-class mailing
include more than 5 recipients
be mailed in a standard sized envelope (up to 15 sheets of paper per recipient can be included)

If you're sending 5 letters or less then a better option would be to send your letters as certified mail, as that will give you tracking and a signature (upon successful delivery), and it will be more cost effective.

However, if your mailing meets the requirements above then you can request that we add a COM to your job(s) by following these simply steps:

1. Send us an email requesting that we give you access to the Certificate of Mailing feature

2. Once that feature has been added to your account, you can build your job(s) and select the option that says "Add Certificate of Mailing" prior to placing your job in the shopping cart, as shown here:

The cost for this option is an additional $24.95 per job, plus $2.05 per recipient.

Your COM will be accessible within your LetterStream account within 3 business days from your job being mailed.