The simple answer is you can't!

Work at home jobs stuffing envelopes have remained in the public consciousness long after they disappeared. Since the 1960's, bulk commercial mailing has become more and more automated with ever more sophisticated machinery able to print, fold and insert letters and mailshots.

Modern computer-controlled machinery does the job much quicker and cheaper than humans (even sadly underpaid humans in third-world countries) so there is no demand for people to sit round a table stuffing a couple of hundred letters a day when a machine can do tens or even hundreds of thousands in the same period.

So why all the ads for envelope stuffing?

They have one thing in common, they want to part you from your hard-earned cash! A typical advert might ask you to send a 'registration', 'sign up' or 'enrollment' fee of anything from 20 to 50 GBP/USD. The advert will generally promise high earnings (typically hundreds per day) for minimum effort with no skill required.

Once you've sent off your fee, you'll either receive nothing or you'll get a letter which explains how you can earn money persuading other people to do just what you did: i.e. post advertising to get new victims to respond to your ads. There are many variations on a theme but they all promise much and deliver little. The alarm bells should ring if an advert contains any or all of the following:

Some scams will take a two stage approach where the initial information is free. In this case you'll receive a flyer explaining the 'benefits' of the scheme and asking for payment to be sent.

There is a high demand and very limited supply of unskilled work which can be done at home so the scammers only have to convince a small proportion of their target audience to send of money and they can make a tidy profit!

Legitimate Envelope Stuffing Work

There is always the exception that proves the rule and some small to medium sized businesses do have a requirement for some manual stuffing and labelling work.

This can take the form of Christmas and other greeting cards, special invitations and promotions. People will still open a hand-written envelope when they would bin anything that looks like an advertising or maketing mailshot so there is still a niche market for envelope stuffers.

Don't forget that you can combine this kind of work with other skills you may have such as design and calligraphy to make a package that might be attractive to business users. If you have the necessary skills and PC / printer equipment, you could also offer a full direct mail service to small companies, organising mailing lists, mailshots and newsletters etc.

This kind of work although genuine, can be hard to find even when it's outsourced - it's rarely advertised but more often placed with 'friends of friends' or employees as overtime. The best way to find this kind of work is to enquire with likely sounding small businesses in your area - you could even try mailing them with a sample of your work! Although it may not make you rich overnight, it can provide a handy second income.