How to post a letter from UK to USA/internationally?

Hi, I'm into pen paling and need help with how to send letters with stamps. A few days back I went to the post office to send a regular sized small letter, 20g and the clerk there put a large sticker/label on it. it was like £2.20 or something but he used no regular stamps.

Anyway since I decorate my envelopes and like the look of old fashioned stamps in the corner, I was wondering is there a way to post letter oversees with stamps. Do I need special ones outside of th UK or is the sticker label thing the only way?

Original post by Anonymous

Hi, I'm into pen paling and need help with how to send letters with stamps. A few days back I went to the post office to send a regular sized small letter, 20g and the clerk there put a large sticker/label on it. it was like £2.20 or something but he used no regular stamps.

Anyway since I decorate my envelopes and like the look of old fashioned stamps in the corner, I was wondering is there a way to post letter oversees with stamps. Do I need special ones outside of th UK or is the sticker label thing the only way?

Ask the Post Office what the cost is - though presumably it's always going to be be £2.20 and then buy stamps to that value and stick them on yourself. They use printed sticky labels because its easier for them internally. You can buy the stamps and put them on yourself, you just have to make sure the value of stamps is correct.

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post by threeportdrift

Ask the Post Office what the cost is - though presumably it's always going to be be £2.20 and then buy stamps to that value and stick them on yourself. They use printed sticky labels because its easier for them internally. You can buy the stamps and put them on yourself, you just have to make sure the value of stamps is correct.

Ah okay, thank you. so I can just use regular stamps from a book and stick as many as I need to reach the value of e.g. standard delivery? And since it's going abroad can I just throw them in a post box or do I need to go to the post office.

Reply 3

Euapp

21

Just throw it in the box but right « air mail » across a corner

Reply 4

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post by Euapp

Just throw it in the box but right « air mail » across a corner

will they still get an air stamp after being picked up from the box?

Reply 5

ebyrne2036

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Entertainment Forum Helper

21

Following as having problems with this

Reply 6

Euapp

21

Original post by Anonymous

will they still get an air stamp after being picked up from the box?

I post internationally regularly like this, just put it in the box and it all arrives quickly and safely. I’ve never thought to ask whether it has the air stamp on the envelope when it arrives, but most sorting is done by machine so all non UK destinations will be detected and treated separately.

Original post by Anonymous

Ah okay, thank you. so I can just use regular stamps from a book and stick as many as I need to reach the value of e.g. standard delivery? And since it's going abroad can I just throw them in a post box or do I need to go to the post office.

You need to buy stamps that amount to £2.20 which usually requires going to a PO and asking them, because it's probably not a straight multiple of first or second class. Then you may have to explain to them that you want pretty stamps, not franked labels. Try just having a conversation with a person in a post office, that's what their job is - answering these sorts of questions!

Reply 8

Euapp

21

Original post by threeportdrift

You need to buy stamps that amount to £2.20 which usually requires going to a PO and asking them, because it's probably not a straight multiple of first or second class. Then you may have to explain to them that you want pretty stamps, not franked labels. Try just having a conversation with a person in a post office, that's what their job is - answering these sorts of questions!

You can buy stamps with a face value of £2.20 over the counter.Just remember they have to be the new kind with the bar code.

(edited 8 months ago)

Reply 9

martin7

20

Original post by Anonymous

Hi, I'm into pen paling and need help with how to send letters with stamps. A few days back I went to the post office to send a regular sized small letter, 20g and the clerk there put a large sticker/label on it. it was like £2.20 or something but he used no regular stamps.

Anyway since I decorate my envelopes and like the look of old fashioned stamps in the corner, I was wondering is there a way to post letter oversees with stamps. Do I need special ones outside of th UK or is the sticker label thing the only way?

Royal Mail pricing is here: https://www.royalmail.com/sending/international/international-standard

The cost is £2.20, providing the letter is under 100 grams and size fits within the limits 24cm x 16.5cm x 0.5cm.

As a standard first-class stamp is currently £1.10, you can simply affix two first-class stamps to the envelope. I do this regularly with letters to the US, they always arrive.

Write "Air Mail" on the top-left corner. (Alternatively you can get "Air Mail" stickers at the Post Office.)

I do like to try to use "special stamps" (i.e. the ones with nice designs) rather than the boring definitives (i.e. the ones with just the King's/late Queen's head and the value), as what I send is going to friends. These are available from Post Offices on a "when they're gone they're gone" basis -- so best to go within a day or so of their release. The release calendar is here: https://www.royalmail.com/sending/stamps and the next release is on Thursday (Terry Pratchett's Discworld).

How to post a letter from UK to USA/internationally?

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you