How to Stop Insect Lore Catalogs From Your Mailbox

Why Insect Lore Mail Keeps Arriving

Insect Lore calls itself "The World's First Butterfly-By-Mail Company," and it sells butterfly, ladybug, ant and praying mantis kits to households and schools alike — its site runs a separate "School Sign Up" path beside the consumer one. Per the company's own privacy policy, personal information — including name, address, phone number, and email — is collected "when you establish an account with Insect Lore, place an order on the Site, participate in a contest, sweepstakes or on-line survey, or when you communicate with any of our departments such as customer service, sales, or support services through the Site, telephone, mail, or fax." The policy also says the company may use that information "to improve outreach and for its own marketing efforts (including marketing its services and products to you)" — which is how an order becomes a mailing.

The same policy gives the way out. Its opt-out section opens: "Insect Lore wants to communicate with you only if you want to hear from the Company." It covers three separate things a reader can refuse — direct marketing from Insect Lore itself, direct marketing "from its Select Partners," and "our exchange of your information with other marketers." That third one matters for anyone whose mailbox holds more than one kids'-product catalog: it is the request that stops this company's list from feeding someone else's.

The policy is specific about what "Select Partners" means. They are "other persons or entities whom the Company believes trustworthy," and with them "Insect Lore might rent, exchange, share, and/or cross-reference information, including contact information about you that will enable such persons or entities to contact you regarding products and services that may be of interest to you." In other words, an Insect Lore order can lead to mail from companies you never bought from, which is why the partner and exchange opt-outs belong in the same request as the catalog one.

How to Opt Out of Insect Lore Mail: Step by Step

1. Call or email Insect Lore's Customer Loyalty Team. The privacy policy names the channels: the customer information section of the site, or "telephoning, or emailing your request to Insect Lore's Customer Loyalty Team" at 1-800-548-3284. The company's contact page also lists customer service at 661-746-7647 and a postal address of 132 S Beech Ave, Shafter, CA 93263.

2. Ask for all three opt-outs in one request. Say you do not want direct marketing from Insect Lore, do not want direct marketing from its Select Partners, and want to opt out of the exchange of your information with other marketers. Naming postal catalogs specifically keeps the request from being handled as an email unsubscribe only.

3. Include what the policy asks for. It asks for "your full name, email address, mailing address, and specifically what information you do not want to receive." Give the name and address exactly as they appear on the catalog's mailing label, and do not send a card number — the policy says, "Please do not email your credit card number or other sensitive information."

4. Say which record is receiving the mail. If the catalog comes addressed to a child, a school or a teacher, give that name as printed, since classroom orders can come through the separate School Sign Up path rather than a household account.

5. Register separately with DMAchoice. The FTC's guidance on stopping junk mail points readers to DMAchoice.org, run by the Association of National Advertisers, to choose which catalogs and other marketing mail they get, and says plainly that "DMAchoice will stop most, but not all, promotional mail." It backs up the direct request rather than replacing it. Per the FTC, online registration costs a $6 processing fee and lasts 10 years; registering by mail (name, address, and signature, with a $7 check or money order payable to the Association of National Advertisers, sent to DMAchoice Consumer Preferences, P.O. Box 900, Cos Cob, CT 06807) lasts the same 10 years. DMAchoice also runs a free Email Preference Service, registered separately, that lasts 10 years.

What the Privacy Policy Covers Beyond the Mailing List

A catalog opt-out and a full privacy request are not the same thing. The policy states the company collects "name, address, telephone number, credit or debit card information, e-mail address, date of birth, gender, and IP address," and that it may share that information "with affiliates under the Company's control." It also notes information may be processed outside the country where a customer is located, "including, but not limited to, the United States of America."

Email is handled on its own terms: "Insect Lore always permits you to unsubscribe or opt out of future emails," though "you cannot opt out of receiving emails related to your orders." Order confirmations and delivery notices keep coming whatever else you opt out of.

California residents have one more lever. The policy's California section cites the state's Shine the Light law (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.83), under which Californians "may request information regarding what categories of personal information, if any, Insect Lore discloses to third parties or affiliates for direct marketing purposes," by writing to 132 South Beech Avenue, Shafter, CA 93263. It is a way to learn whether the address has already gone further than Insect Lore's own list.

When the Catalog Is Addressed to a Child

A butterfly-kit catalog often arrives in a child's name — a gift order or a classroom kit can be enough. The policy says the site "is not intended for use by children under the age of 13," and that if the company learns or has reason to suspect a site user is under 13, it "will promptly delete any personal information in that user's account." Telling the Customer Loyalty Team the catalog is in a young child's name is therefore worth saying outright.

For the wider pool of marketers, the FTC notes that DMAchoice also runs a Do Not Contact for Caretakers List, for stopping mail addressed to "a dependent in your care," and a separate Deceased Do Not Contact List. The FTC adds a detail worth knowing before using either: "When you register someone, the person's name, address, and email will stay on the ANA's mail and email opt-out lists permanently." For a child, that is a long-term choice rather than a ten-year registration like the standard one.

What to Expect After You Opt Out

The policy sets the timing itself: requests "may take up to ten days for your email request and one business week to process your postal mail request." A catalog that was already printed and addressed before then can still turn up, so one more mailing shortly afterward is not by itself a sign the request failed.

If catalogs keep arriving after that window, contact the Customer Loyalty Team again at 1-800-548-3284, give the date of the first request, and say whether the record is a personal account, an order, or a school signup. After a move, make a fresh request for the new address.

References

• Insect Lore Privacy Policy — the company's opt-out section, processing times, California and children's privacy sections
• Contact Insect Lore — the company's customer-service phone number and postal address
• How To Stop Junk Mail — U.S. Federal Trade Commission, on DMAchoice registration, fees and the caretaker and deceased lists
• DMAchoice — the Association of National Advertisers' mail preference service