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Decoy Mail

December 7th, 2010 at 02:24 am

Years ago, I was a decoy mail agent. Following my divorce, I moved to a new zip code (same city) and so I lost my spot. I have since checked periodically to see if they need a new agent in my zip code.

Well....they finally need me! I received my confirmation today; I am officially an agent again. It will likely take some time to build my volume again, but eventually I will make a few hundred dollars a year for something which takes only a few seconds of my time. Yay!

I intend to use this extra cash to chip away at my mortgage.

Posted in Income, Mortgage | 6 Comments »

6 Responses to “Decoy Mail”

  1. Todd Says:
    December 7th, 2010 at 03:28 am 1291692527
    1291692527

    What is a decoy mail agent?

  2. Petunia 100 Says:
    December 7th, 2010 at 04:59 am 1291697946
    1291697946

    You receive pieces of mail addressed to a fictitious person at your home address. The piece of mail will have a code stamped on it. You log on to the website and record the code, date, and condition of the mail. You are required to keep them for 6 months, afterwards you destroy the mail.

    Sometimes I have received magazines on a regular basis, for which I paid nothing.

    The rate of pay is $.25 per piece.

    I know of two reputable companies which use decoy mail agents, they are US Monitor and HauserNet. The customers of US Monitor and HauserNet are companies who want to ensure that their mail is being delivered promptly and in good condition.



  3. Frugaltexan75 Says:
    December 7th, 2010 at 05:12 am 1291698729
    1291698729

    I tried to get on with Hausernet many times - they never needed my zip. Of course I've moved so many times it wouldve been kind of pointless. Congrats!

  4. Joan.of.the.Arch Says:
    December 7th, 2010 at 04:01 pm 1291737670
    1291737670

    I just looked at Hausernet and it appears they need someone in my zip. However, I found a Delphi discussion forum specifically for Hausernet decoys and it looks as though Hausernet is disorganized in their business (one which requires fine organization) and have been erratic and slow to pay. Did you have troubles with them? Things like having no codes on mailings? Being unresponsive to inquiries about multiple mailings received? Giving ambiguous directions regarding mail coded in various ways?...There is a psychological price to pay for the effort, the extra junk mail, and the responsibility to store junk mail for six months. With their problems, I'm not sure it is worth it.

  5. MonkeyMama Says:
    December 7th, 2010 at 04:31 pm 1291739507
    1291739507

    Joan - agreed. They actually needed someone in my zip code and accepted me, but I decided to decline.

    I saw much better comments about US Mail, so signed up there. They pay you $10-$25 per month (depending where you live) + 25 cents per mail piece. I do not know if they have a spot for me, but they said they'd hold my app for a year.

    Anyway, interesting - I had never heard of this before. I was skeptical if it was worth the effort, but I suppose I could always quit if it is too much. (Assuming I even get picked!)

  6. Petunia Says:
    December 7th, 2010 at 05:10 pm 1291741824
    1291741824

    Hi Joan of Arch, I never had any issues whatsoever with unresponsiveness, ambiguous directions, or lack of codes on mail. I did experience slow payment at times. When it happened, I sent an e-mail asking when I would be paid and then promptly received payment.

    MonkeyMama, I have my name in with US Monitor too. I did receive a notification a few weeks ago about a year long project and I responded, but I have not heard back. The compensation does sound much better! Maybe I will get lucky there too.

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