and you may see Mx. b). For example, you could say, “My name is Jane Donaldson, and I am the owner of Donaldson Foods.” This article will teach you the proper way to address your envelope to make sure it ends up in the right hands. Thank you, Lyssa . Greetings to Use When You Don't Know a Name By Liz Tomas Use special greetings when you do not know the recipient of the letter. It's nice not looking like a bigger, "I wasn't sure if I should list the person's name first, or the 'c/o' line first. Thank you. Yes, c/o precedes someone's name as it would be written if the letter were being sent to them. Mr. is the title designated for an adult man age 16 or older. Don’t write over the stamp nor put the stamp on top of any writing. Once the letter's author has the salutation figured out, he or she can begin constructing the letter. Some types of … brother. If you are trying to send a letter to someone at their job or someplace other than their own home--maybe a birthday card to your grandmother who is in a nursing home, or your friend who is staying with a relative--you want to be sure it doesn't get lost in the shuffle. When mailing a letter to an address for which you do not know the householder's name, how should you label the envelope? Lisa W. on March 17, 2012: I was looking up how to mail 'in care of' for my, "This site gave very clear directions in words. I’m also torn on if I should join a team or not. A Google search for “how to address a letter” easily returns “to a woman,” and when you look at the recommendations for “how to address a letter to a woman,” the confusion only compounds:Clearly, nobody knows how to address those darn women in their letters. Instead of #6, write # 6. Having more that one example helped clarify the information. Write the return address in the top left corner. Instead, write "Apt. 3. So this method is about how to address a letter when you don’t know the name of the person or the receiver. The sender's address should be at the top of the letter, when a formal letterhead is not being used. This article received 13 testimonials and 81% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. If you don't know the recipient's name, but you know the person's gender, you can address your e-mail to "Dear Sir" or "Dear Madam." While different countries have different methods of addressing envelopes in care of someone else, though, the format is similar enough that your intent will likely be understood. To … For example, if the map were marking MeFites, could you say, "To the MeFite at 42 Wallaby Way"? How to address an envelope Write the return address in the top left corner. Please please do not knock on their door or hand deliver it. ", "I just wanted to be sure I knew the right way to address an envelope. Whenever possible, take the time to find out the recipient’s name. Write your return address at the top left corner of the envelope so the post office can return it to you if they're unable to deliver it. As someone who did not change her name upon marriage and who lived with her significant other for many years before marriage, I’ve been the recipient of many letters, cards, and packages gone wrong. How do I address in c/o with a title of the person? Addressing a Man. Is the universal title that can be used by anyone. Thanks, "Thank you so much. A standard letter is under 1 oz. ", "As stated above, I learned formatting the envelope and the right way to do it. Mr. John Doe and spouse? For example: C/O Mr. John Doe. The title is optional and depends the context of addressing them. Not your job to alert other people as to what their hobby is - and maybe "Collecting French stamps from 1800 to 1850" isn't something you think would be a secret, you can't make that assumption for strangers. [1] X Research source Don't write the address in pencil, crayon, or something else that could smudge or rub off. The postage office will handle it from there. louromano on March 20, 2012: When addressing envelopes to the Williams family, should I use The Williams Family. All posts copyright their original authors. Then, write the recipient’s address slightly centered on the bottom half of the envelope. Fill out the envelope as usual, including your return address and a stamp. You can call the company and tell the receptionist that you want to send a letter to "Jamie" but don't know the gender. It would be Jane Smith: Director of Fun, ABC Co., address. Capital letters are preferred, but your letter will still be delivered if you write in upper and lowercase letters. In the center of the envelope, you should put the name of the intended recipient on the top line, his or her street address on the next line, and the city, state and zip on the third line – exactly how you would write the sender's information. ", "Very helpful to address it the correct manner. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. USPS doesn't care if there's a name or not. This way you do not have to list all the individuals in the group, which is useful if you do not know all the individuals in the group. in the United States and requires one $.49 stamp. wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. He/she left a contact address but not a name, and I'd really love to write to this person, but I have no idea what the normal etiquette is for addressing a personal envelope to an unnamed recipient (to be clear, I don't mean the letter itself, but the envelope). Let Auntie Andie help you out. Do I address someone with title when addressing an envelope? • Don’t use commas or periods. Mr. John Doe and guest? Some of us use “Dear Sir/Madam,” or “Dear ABC Company,” or “Dear XYZ Department” to great email to an unknown person. I think that identifying yourself in the return address as a "fellow [trekkie, birder, etc.]" Its quite a common way to address a letter to someone you don't know, it wont come across informal or rude as a lot of letters are sent starting like this. Ask MetaFilter is where thousands of life's little questions are answered. “Dear” is a fine stock option. wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. If they are only a couple of blocks away, why not just hand deliver it? Since I am a very visual learner, I very much appreciated the clear, "I needed to know the proper way to use c/o to ensure that official documentation was received at the appropriate, "This was a nice friendly reminder of how to address the letter I was sending! Read this explainer for more details. “Gentlemen” had long been used as a formal address to a business partners and corporate houses. ", address, but was delivered to the appropriate person. ", How to Address an Envelope in Care of Someone Else, https://www.usps.com/ship/preparing-domestic-shipments.htm, http://blog.cardsdirect.com/greetingcards/how-to-use-c-o-in-an-address/, http://www.businesswritingblog.com/business_writing/2007/03/how_to_address_.html#sthash.LeBQmslk.dpuf, Indirizzare una Lettera all'Attenzione di Qualcuno, ponerle dirección a un sobre al cuidado de alguien más, Endereçar um Envelope Aos Cuidados de Outra Pessoa, rédiger une adresse postale à l'attention d'une personne précise, Een enveloppe per adres van iemand anders adresseren, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow, If the address includes and apartment number, box, or other unit, do not use a number or pound sign (#) to indicate the unit number. Most of us write, “To Whom It May Concern,” when they don’t know the other person’s details to greet the recipient. On some online maps, if you drop a pin, google will find a nearby address and display it, but it may not be the address intended by the pin-dropper, if any. Include your return address, then put your envelope in a post box to be delivered. I just want the solid support and coaching Not necessarily; it is used also in Germany, for example, but not in France (replaced by "chez"). Lower case! Jones,” but that’s pretty simplistic, given the complications of … Just make sure the address … Those are the most common and popular email etiquette to address an unknown person in an email. ", examples. % of people told us that this article helped them. Reading or opening someone else's mail is called "mail theft," and is punishable for up to five years in prison. If you don't feel comfortable going “outside the box,” you have one solution left: Next time you see Julie, ask her what her husband's name is. Here are several types of greeting or salutations that you can use in order to be formal and clear. For where to include your return address, read on! To finish, place the stamp in the top right corner. The other suggestions are good if you are a birdwatcher or some such, but if your hobby is something it would be inappropriate to describe on an envelope, you could just write "To A Fellow Enthusiast". ". Just want to know some beginning tips and traps to avoid. I know they posted their address on this website, and they will probably be excited to hear from you, but People From The Internet coming to your door (even to drop something off) could be a little disconcerting. Is it Jane Smith, c/o ABC Co., Director of Fun, address? So, as a representative of the female gender, let me clarify a few things. You just speak to the person who answers the phone for the company. I have seen in old English books ladies addressed as Mesdames, a sine-qua-non of English/ French aristocracy. Home > Families & Relationships > In-law Issues Problems and Solutions > Rude Comments About Weight > Rudeness Prevention or Dealing With Difficult People > Shoes Taken Off Keeps Home Cleaner > Shoes On or Off in the Home? Write c/o to indicate "care of" on the second line of the address, after the name of the person the letter is addressed to. Join 6,470 readers in helping fund MetaFilter. Greeting to use: To Whom It May Concern. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. I wouldn't put "Fellow [XYZ] Enthusiast" either. used when the sender is unaware of your title. But also… We’re big fans of mail art. That may work, but it's better to write "c/o.". Ask MetaFilter is a question and answer site that covers nearly any question on earth, where members help each other solve problems. That goes along with the advice found at this website: What if I don’t know the person’s name? Then you don't have to worry about USPS. Could you give a site-specific hint to the recipient? I feel like the support would be there but I really don’t want to be labeled as a buyers agent. How many lines am I allowed to put on the envelope? You know for sure that a few have not and you’re stuck on how to address cards and packages to these lovely folks. If it is in a working environment and you know the department they are in and a manager for example try something like Your return address (name, street address, city, state, and zip code) should be on the top left of the envelope, with the stamp on the top right. Thank you! ", "Love that every how-to includes clear photos of what was written under each step. • Leave about a half-inch of blank space across the bottom, because the post office will put a bar code there. If you want to be formal, the age old address for an known as well as unknown recipient is/are "Dear Sir/Madam". Blindly writing on an envelope without prior knowledge is only going to cause you problems. 1 Keep It Simple With "Ms." Write "Ms." and the woman's given name and surname on the envelope if you're writing a letter or card to the woman. Just make sure it is legible and no one line is longer than 40 characters, or the scanner will not be able to read the address. To create this article, 39 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. Here are the scenarios you… mail) would be a crime anywhere. It's a federal crime, at least in the US. It is gender non-identifying. Jun 26 2012 19:56:34. anonymous + 0. Sometimes you can acquire this information over the phone from a receptionist or someone else who works at the company. ", "The formatting of the envelope helped. This will tell the post office to affix a label containing the individual's new address on the envelope and send it back to you. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Don’t believe it’s that important? 6," "Room 52," or "Box 230.". In these more enlightened days, knowing how to begin a letter to a person you don’t know is like walking through a minefield. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 2,234,349 times. Hi everyone. Write the phrase "Address Correction Requested" prominently on the front of the envelope. I think you should mail it instead of hand-delivering (or god forbid, knocking on their door). In addressing an envelope to Serbia, is it okay to use c/o? Kommunizma d. 24, kv. Are you certain they gave their address? Below that, write C/O, which stands for "Care Of," a colon, and then the name and mailing address of the person or company responsible for passing the letter on. Mr. John Doe and wife? A helpful reminder for making last names plural: You shouldn't address a family this way, but you may use it in the return address on your envelope (or certainly when signing your holiday card). When writing a letter to someone you don’t know, your first paragraph should focus on introducing yourself and your business. Simply add s or -es to the last name—don't add any apostrophes! It's highly practical, but a little creepy. Presumably, if they posted their address on the internet, they won't be overly shocked to be contacted that way, and will surely be curious enough to at least look inside. References Write the address on the front of the envelope in clear, all capital letters and using a pen or permanent marker. If you want to make things easy on the Post Office: • Print neatly in all capital letters. C/o, or CO, means "care of" and it's used on a letter to indicate that the envelope is being delivered to someone at an address where they don't normally receive their mail. Historically there has been no problem with delivering mail that doesn't specify a recipient, though I suppose there could be some new rule I'm not aware of. Ensure that the recipient's name and address (contact person, company, street address, city, state, and zip code) are centered on the envelope. Then, write the recipient's address slightly centered on the bottom half of the envelope. If titles confuse you, you’re not alone. Next comes the salutation. If you do not know their address, you can write on the envelope “Moved – Return to Sender” and put it back in the mailbox so the US Post Office will then forward it. I loved how simple the directions were. I’m about to start real estate. He/she left a contact address but not a name, and I'd really love to write to this person, but I have no idea what the normal etiquette is for addressing a personal envelope to an unnamed recipient (to be clear, I don't mean the letter itself, but the envelope). Using an Inner and Outer Envelope Address the outer envelope to the parents only. The subject line of the email should clearly state the nature of the correspondence, such as "RE: Clerical Career Opportunity," and if you don't know the person to whom you're writing, always begin with a formal salutation: "Dear Mr., Ms. or Dr." To create this article, 39 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. I wouldn't hand-deliver it. Short for Mister or Monsieur in french. That should be evident. Forums Formal, General & Business Letter Writing 2 3,343 + 0. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. EDIT: Obviously, you don't give your name when calling! Next, put proper postage on the upper right hand corner of the envelope. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. Mx. Questions such as ‘where to write an address on envelopes’ or ‘how to format your return address’ are important questions to ask. Current letter-writing guidelines will tell you to address a man as “Mr. Pictures extremely helpful too. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. • Use the Zip Code™. In Russian addresses, the parts appear in the opposite order : region, city, then street, house number, and then the person's name. This article has been viewed 2,234,349 times. Or you could use "Dear Sir or Madam." I do now. Can I add a title to the C/O? ", "Just needed some input on the c/o and you gave me that. Whether it's a hard copy or an electronic letter, correspondence should be treated in a professional manner. By using our site, you agree to our. Is c/o used in other countries when addressing an envelope? Approved. There are a lot of possibilities once you’re … I usually do something like that: RUSSIA Tulskaya oblast g. Novomosskovsk, 123456 ul. 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