Stamps stamps stamps...US/UK?

[star_wars_fan]

It seems like we have a lot of questions about postage to/from the US/UK or vice versa. I myself generally go the post office in the US to mail anything to the UK and then just include $3-$4 US in my letter with a pre-addressed return envelope. I always have to apologize saying that I hope it covers the cost of return postage which I feel bad doing. I have seen a couple of quotes from guys that don't like when we send US $ b/c they have to let it pile up before going to get it converted. There has got to be an easier way of doing this. Is there any way to buy UK stamps from here in the US (like our book of adhesive stamps) and have them sent to us? I don't know if the opposite is true for somebody in the UK. Any suggestions, tips, etc.? I've seen various forums where guys talk about trading stamps as well. Any thoughts folks? Thanks!

 

[star_wars_fan]

I guess another thing to kick around would be getting my US $ converted to UK currency here in the US and sending UK currency to cover postage. Might make it easier on them. Surely I could do that couldn't I? Haven't ever converted currency like that before though. That's possible here isn't it? Do you pay hefty fees to do it though?

 

[Darth Boru]

Sending UK currency might get expensive, but then international mailing IS expensive. The smallest note they have is £5 (about $10), so expect to have to shell that out as a minimum unless you intend sending coins, which you might not be able to purchase in any bank.

An alternative might be to buy a bunch of stamps. Check out the UK postal service at The Royal Mail website. They seem to sell stamps in industrial quantities, but maybe they have a product that would suit you? all depends on how many you intend to send, I suppose.

 

[star_wars_fan]

Sending UK currency might get expensive, but then international mailing IS expensive. The smallest note they have is £5 (about $10)...

Wow! Yep, that's too much. I'll check out the web site though, great suggestion and thanks!

 

[star_wars_fan]

OK, I'm an idiot. If I normally send $4 US, what's the best set of stamps to buy from them? Let's say I wanted to get approx $100 US worth of UK stamps in total to cover about 25 mailings. Which stamps should I get and how many do I put on each return envelope? That site looks like my best bet, thanks again!

 

[Jedi_Joel]

OK, I'm an idiot. If I normally send $4 US, what's the best set of stamps to buy from them? Let's say I wanted to get approx $100 US worth of UK stamps in total to cover about 25 mailings. Which stamps should I get and how many do I put on each return envelope? That site looks like my best bet, thanks again!

First off, you need to tell us how much your item weighs and what size is the SASE? Because without that information, no one can give you a good answer.

 

[Buzz Bumble]

You should never send cash through the postal system. In fact in many countries it's actually against the postal rules to do so.

 

[Sarasotarockstr]

Note to self...never send cash in anything I mail to New Zealand...

Thanks Buzz!

Perhaps this has been tried - but we have TBS members in the UK and in the US. Couldn't we work out something where people in the UK can send us UK stamps and we could send them US Stamps? It wouldn't be a big deal for me to go to the post office and pick up any UK or wherever based TBS-er sheets of stamps.

Maybe we could set up a stamp swap?

 

[Darth Boru]

I visit the UK at least once a year, so I could pick up stamps then, no problem. I'd need to know how many to get and what sort etc, but I'm willing to help out if I can. My next planned trip won't be until around August though, so thats not a lot of use right now. Consider me the 'fall back' if needed.

Did anyone figure out how much it would cost to get a bunch of stamps mailed directly from Royal Mail? Their website wasn't very clear on that, plus I didn't dig very deep.

 

[star_wars_fan]

You should never send cash through the postal system. In fact in many countries it's actually against the postal rules to do so.

Wow, didn't know that. Thanks. I generally send a letter in a 10x13 over with a self-addressed 9x12 return, one 8x10 photo, and cardboard backing to come back. Looks like the return items weigh about 2 ounces on my scale. If you can't send cash, is there anything against us swapping stamps like recommended? Is it "against the rules" to mail several sheets of US stamps to the UK or vice versa? Thanks fellas!