Auto Dealership Scratch Off Mailers That Fill the Service Lane
How dealerships use scratch off mailers for service specials, sales events, and lease-end conquest mail. Sizes, USPS postcard rates, prize legends, and pricing.
What size mailer should a dealership use?
The 4" x 6" medium classic card is the default. It is the standard USPS First-Class postcard trim, which keeps postage at the postcard rate instead of the letter rate, and it has room for a hero headline, a prize legend, VIN or offer codes, and a reveal area around 2" x 1.5". For a premium sales-event piece, the 6" x 9" large classic commands the mailbox; expect letter or flat postage.
What offers actually pull traffic?
Keep the reveal tied to a service or purchase step you already want customers to take:
- A tiered discount on the next service visit, for example an oil change, tire rotation, or alignment
- A fixed dollar credit toward parts or accessories
- A trade appraisal bonus during a sales event
- A prepaid maintenance upgrade at delivery
Every tier should be honorable at the counter with no argument. If a tier requires a manager override, it is the wrong tier.
What has to appear in the prize legend?
The full tier list, the redemption window, and the conditions. Dealership mail draws scrutiny, so print the legend as a table on the back with plain terms: what each tier is worth, when it expires, what it can be combined with, and what it cannot. You supply the disclaimer and prize-legend language, including any state-required advertising disclosures, and we print exactly what you approve.
Can a dealership sell entries or charge for a chance?
No. Nobody may buy a scratch off card or pay for a chance at a prize, because that makes it a lottery. Dealership scratch off mail is a giveaway with a printed legend. If the campaign is charitable, the compliant model is scratch and donate, described on the nonprofits and fundraisers page.
How do you keep a mailer from looking like the usual gimmick?
Design decisions, mostly:
| Instead of | Do this |
|---|---|
| Fake urgency stamps | A real date range and a real reason for it |
| Hidden terms in 5pt type | A readable legend table on the back |
| Generic stock car photo | Your actual store, service lane, or team |
| Mystery reveal with no payoff | Every tier resolves to a stated value |
What stock survives the mail stream?
Standard 12pt C2S is the baseline for mailed cards: heavy enough to arrive flat and take a thumbnail, light enough to keep postage sane. When the mailer doubles as a keepsake or hang tag, 14pt and 16pt are available. The 280gsm blue-core security stock is the option when you do not want a bright light revealing what is under the panel. Details are on cardstock weights.
Classic silver or a full-color reveal?
Classic silver or gold is the value pick and the fastest read for a mail piece. A full-color reveal makes sense when the payoff under the panel needs to be a picture, a new model, a wheel package, a trim upgrade, and it runs roughly 20% to 30% more than the same size in Classic.
What does a dealership run cost?
At the 250-card minimum, medium classic starts at $468, about $1.87 per card. Costs fall steeply with volume, and a conquest list of several thousand records lands in a much cheaper tier. Full per-card pricing sits on the pricing page, there are no setup fees on standard orders, and a quote comes back within one business day.
How many should you mail at once?
Match the drop to your list, then check the next tier up. Dealerships mailing monthly service reminders usually find that one annual run beats twelve small ones on both price and consistency, with cards stored and dropped by segment. Variable data lets each segment carry its own offer code so redemption can be tracked by list.
What is the production timeline?
Standard production is 7 to 10 business days after proof approval, with 3 to 5 day rush when the press schedule allows. Digital proofs are free and typically come back the same day. Add mail house and USPS transit time on top of that, and back the schedule up from the event weekend rather than from the drop date.
How do you measure whether it worked?
Print a unique code per segment, log it at write-up or at the desk, and compare redemption against the segment size. Because the card carries the offer, attribution is far cleaner than an email blast that competes with every other message in the inbox. For a broader comparison of formats, see scratch off cards versus QR code mailers.
Frequently asked questions
What size scratch off card mails at the USPS postcard rate?
The 4" x 6" medium card. It matches the standard First-Class postcard trim.
What is the minimum order?
250 cards, which applies to every scratch off size we print.
Can we charge customers for a card or an entry?
No. Charging for a chance at a prize makes the promotion a lottery. These cards are always giveaways.
Who writes the legal and advertising disclosures?
You do, with your own compliance review. We lay out and print the language you approve.
How long does production take?
7 to 10 business days after proof approval, with 3 to 5 day rush available when the schedule allows.
Related guides
Share your artwork or use our Design-It-Yourself tools. We proof every job before printing. Orders ship in 7-10 business days.