A self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE), stamped self-addressed envelope (SSAE), or stamped addressed envelope (SAE) is an

envelope An envelope is a common packaging item, usually made of thin, flat material. It is designed to contain a flat object, such as a letter (message), letter or Greeting card, card. Traditional envelopes are made from sheets of paper cut to one o ...

with the sender's name and address on it, plus affixed paid postage, that is mailed to a company or private individual.

Uses

Important uses for SASEs are when requesting information about products or services, or when sending manuscripts to literary agents. SASEs are used when communicating with

companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether natural, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specifi ...

charities A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a cha ...

or celebrities (for fan post), in cases where each recipient can afford the cost of a single stamp and envelope, but it would be a burden on the organization to pay for the postage on all the letters it sends out. One of the most common uses is when companies are legally required to send something upon request, such as a "winners list" at the end of a sweepstakes; the company will require a SASE to be included with the request to avoid paying postage. SASEs are also vital in the hobbies of

autograph An autograph is a person's own handwriting or signature. The word ''autograph'' comes from Ancient Greek (, ''autós'', "self" and , ''gráphō'', "write"), and can mean more specifically: Gove, Philip B. (ed.), 1981. ''Webster's Third New Intern ...

collecting and

amateur radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency radio spectrum, spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emer ...

. An enthusiast will send an autograph request to a

celebrity Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group due to the attention given to them by mass media. The word is also used to refer to famous individuals. A person may attain celebrity status by having great w ...

athlete An athlete is most commonly a person who competes in one or more sports involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Sometimes, the word "athlete" is used to refer specifically to sport of athletics competitors, i.e. including track ...

through the mail and include a SASE, which the celebrity or athlete will use to return the autographed item. In the case of amateur radio, operators will send a SASE when requesting another station's QSL card.

Alternatives

In Japan, return postcards are used for similar purposes. SASEs cannot easily be used for international mail, since senders rarely have supplies of mint foreign stamps. Instead,

international reply coupon An international reply coupon (IRC) is a coupon that can be exchanged for one or more postage stamps representing the minimum postage for an unregistered priority airmail letter sent to another Universal Postal Union (UPU) member country. IRCs ar ...

s (IRCs) can be purchased at post offices, although they are no longer sold in some countries, including the United States. Users of IRCs will often, as a courtesy, also send a self-addressed envelope to save the receiver the cost and time of buying and labeling an envelope.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope Envelopes Postal systems

Uses

Alternatives

See also

References