USPS Every Door Direct Mail lets you send a postcard to every home on a mail route without buying a mailing list. It works. The surprise is the bill: to reach about 5,000 homes on your own runs roughly $2,750, before design and your own time. Here is where that number comes from, and a way to reach the same homes for a fraction of it.
The real cost to mail your own (about 5,000 homes)
| Printing (9x12 postcard) | about $850 (roughly $170 per 1,000) |
|---|---|
| USPS EDDM Retail postage | about $1,300 (roughly $0.26 per piece) |
| Mailing services (bundling, paperwork, delivery) | about $600 (roughly $0.12 per piece) |
| Approximate total | about $2,750, before design and your time |
That is a do-it-yourself estimate. Going through a full-service vendor usually costs more once design and markup are added. USPS EDDM Retail also caps you at 5,000 pieces per ZIP code per day. Postage figures per the USPS EDDM page.
Most small businesses look at that once and stop
For one salon, one dentist, or one insurance agent, $2,750 for a single mailing is a lot to risk on a first try. So the postcard never goes out, and the neighborhood never hears from you. That is the real problem: reaching every door is powerful, but doing it alone is expensive.
The cheaper way: share the card
Common Sense Quarterly puts 20 non-competing local businesses on one 9x12 postcard and mails it to every home. You get one category-exclusive spot for $549 instead of $2,750, reaching as many as 5,000 homes per day. No competitor shares your card, and the other side teaches a founding principle, so the whole community has a reason to keep it.
| Mail your own | Share a CSQ card | |
|---|---|---|
| Total cost (about 5,000 homes) | ~$2,750+ | $549 |
| Cost per home | ~55 cents | ~11 cents |
| Who is on the card | Just you | You + 19 non-competing local businesses |
| The other side of the card | Your ad | Civic education for the community |
| Design & USPS paperwork | Your job | Done for you |
| Category exclusivity | n/a | Yes, no competitor shares your card |
Is it right for you?
Be honest with yourself on one point. If you need your own full postcard with only your message, that is a solo mailing, and it is about $2,750. Common Sense Quarterly is for businesses who are happy to share a card with other locals and split the cost. If that is you, you reach every door for a tenth of the price.
Reach every home for $549, not $2,750.
See if there is a Common Sense Quarterly card in your area, or start one for your town.
No card in your ZIP yet? Claiming it makes you the founding sponsor for your town.
Cost figures are do-it-yourself estimates for planning only and vary by market, print vendor, and route count. Confirm current USPS EDDM rates at usps.com.