Through-the-Mail Tips

Getting Started

Disclaimer: I am a UK based autograph collector, so whilst a lot of these tips will still be relevant for collectors who live intentionally, postage costs and envelope sizes may be different depending on the country you reside.

If you want to start collecting autographs Through The Mail, you’ll first need to decide which celebrities you wish to write to! I have always written to celebrities who’s work I admire. If you are a huge fan of a particular actor, or a singer who’s music you adore, why not write to them and request their autograph!

There are two main resources that I use when writing to celebrities. These are Fanmail.biz and Startiger.com – These websites provide thousands of addresses you use to request for a celebrity’s autograph. Fanmail is a free service where you can search for addresses, and also see if any other collector has had a success or failure on their forum. Startiger is similar to Fanmail, however it is a paid service, and you do need to pay a monthly fee to access their website. My personal preference is Startiger, although it is not free, I have found addresses are more frequently updated, there are more successes and failures to determine if it is likely you will receive a response from a certain star, and they have a much more active community. However, Fanmail is still a great alternative which I do still use to this day.

Supplies

Envelopes - 267mm x 216mm envelopes will be needed if you wish to send 10 x 8 photographs. 229mm x 162mm are needed for 7 x 5.
Postage Stamps
Photographs
Paper

Photographs

I always include my own photograph for a celebrity to sign when sending a request. On occasion, a celebrity may send one of their own, however this is uncommon, and they usually just sign the ones you have included. I like to send high quality photos, and I prefer to have mine professionally printed. The service I mainly use if you live in the UK is Snapfish.co.uk - It is not very expensive to have a photograph printed, and they deliver to you via post. When selecting what type of paper to use, the most common you will see is Gloss, Matte or Lustre. I would avoid using Gloss paper for autographs, whilst they look the best and the colours are more vibrant, they pick up fingerprints very easily. You also run the risk of the ink smudging if the celebrity does not let it dry before placing it back into your SASE. I would recommend Matte or Lustre paper.

Writing the Letter

My biggest recommend when it comes to writing your request letter is to send a handwritten letter. Handwritten letters are much more personable, and it shows you have put a lot more time into the request. I would recommend keeping your letter short, but whilst still being polite. I split my letters into four parts. The start being an introduction, stating my name is Ryan and I am reaching out as I am a huge fan of their work. I will then include an example of their work I enjoyed. E.g "I really enjoyed the TV show you were in called XXXXXX, I loved your character and XXXXXXX". The third part of the letter is my request for their autograph. I would recommend asking very politely if they could spare the time to sign the photograph you have included and send this back to you. The final part is my ending, where I always thank them for taking the time to read my letter.

Envelopes & SASE

When writing a request for a celebrity, you will need two envelopes. The first being the envelope you will write the celebrities address, and include your letter, photograh(s) and your SASE. SASE stands for Self Addressed Stamped Envelope. It is crucial that when sending a request, you include an envelope with your address, that already has a postage stamp stuck onto it. The celebrity will then use this envelope to send the photograph back to you, and as there is already a stamp, the celebrity is not expected to pay for the postage back. I would also recommend writing your return address on the back of the first envelope, just in case the letter is unable to be forwarded. This may happen if you write to an agency and the certain star is no longer with that agency.

UK Collectors: Depending on the size of your photograph, you will either need a normal 1st or 2nd Class Stamp, or a Large 1st or 2nd class stamp. I personally always send 7 x 5 images in an A5 envelope, so I only need a normal sized stamp. However, if you plan to send 10 x 8 photos, you will need a Large stamp, otherwise Royal Mail will RTS this back to you as insufficent postage.

International Requests

I mostly collect autographs from celebrities based in the UK. However, I have on occasion sent some requests abroad. It is not something I have too much experience with, so I probably wouldn't be the best person to provide advice. However, below I have included some tips I have experienced myself, and also from other collectors.

USA Requests: In the UK, you used to be able to purchase International Reply Coupons at the post office which a celebrity could use to pay for postage back to you. However, they no longer sell these in the UK. Due to this, you will need some US international postage stamps to include on your SASE. In the US, these are called Forever Global stamps. They are used for international postage, and they never expire. Hence the name "Forever"! You can purchase these on eBay, and in my experience they are not too expensive. I would recommend putting at minimum 2 on your return envelope, but if your envelope is larger, or you have included multiple picture, you might want to consider adding 3. When I sent my request for Dolly Parton, I included x2 7 x 5 photographs and I did receive my photos back in my original envelope where I had included 2 Forever Global stamps. No additional postage was needed.

Finally

Collecting through the mail takes a lot of patience. It can take a very long time to receive a reply in some cases, depending on how busy the stars schedule is, and what projects they are currently working. However, some times you can receive response within a few weeks. It really does just depend. The longest I waited was two years. (Lucy from the Narnia films, **shakes fist**). However, it is incredibly rewarding and if you are a fan of a certain celebrity, I would highly recommend seeing if they will send an autograph to you. If anyone has any questions on collecting, or would like any advice, please contact me via the page on my website.