I went to the post office today in Canberra and purchased some stamps for Europe.
They gave me the $3 Melbourne stamps and told me for postcards they changed the price to $3 instead of the usual $3.50 just for July.
I was wondering if this was true? I can’t find any information anywhere about it.
It would be nice, but I think if it’s not on the website, it can’t be true.
How strange that they would say that, though, if not true…
it’s very strange as well because they told me it’s just for this month and it only applies to postcards?
Letters are still $3.5???
When it comes to Australia Post…
I trust the website more than the staff at the counter - several times I’ve heard of people getting really wrong information in a post office, from someone who just seemed to be winging it with their answer.
With the amount of regulation that the post office has, I would guess that any price change needs to be formally notified somewhere.
Ooh yeah. I bought some of these $3.20 Sydney stamps from the website. Went to my local post office to show them one and ask if they stocked them. The guy told me he’d never seen them before and to stop buying stamps online because these were obviously counterfeit.
I haven’t heard this either! Can you tell me where you picked up the Melbourne stamp though? I like it…and haven’t seen it. And lol re counterfeit stamps! I always have the bulletin on hand when I go asking for things. I’ve been told there was no such thing on occasion (not at my LPO)…at which point I whip out the bulletin and explain that there actually is. They must sigh when they see me coming!
Another possibility is that they found them during EOFY stocktake and didn’t want to have to include them/return them…so let’s get rid of them…any way we can!!! 
(it’s an old stamp…2018 issue).
I got this at the Post office at the Parliament building! I’m going back next Wednesday so I can go grab them if you want them!
Wear that like a badge of honour!
Thank you so much Natsuki! I might try and get there myself.
I have questions for you…
a/ did they have any nice postcards in the gift shop in Parliament House?
b/ do you need a booking to visit any more (we did during the height of Covid)?
c/ was it super busy (being school hols I thought it might be)?
Thank you!!
a ) they had nice post cards but only 5 were parliament themed (2 outdoor ,3 indoor with 1 3D card) others you could buy are queen Elizabeth II, former prime ministers, and I think so saw one with aboriginal art
Price was $1 for post cards $6 for the 3D one
b and c) I walked right in but there were many tourists but no school children today. nobody at the post office.
…I’ll think that next time I see someone running for the back door when I walk in.
The lovely staff at my LPO are all so wonderful. There was a new girl on the counter today and one of the usual staff was on the phone. I took four postcards up to the new girl and put them down and asked if she could please cancel them. She looked at me as if I’d asked for a pound of lamb’s brains. So I pointed at the PO stamp and said can I please get the stamps cancelled with that stamp and then can you please put the cards in the mail? She looked at me again and then turned to the lady on the phone…who could see what was happening…so she put the person on hold and proceeded to explain what I wanted. And even went so far as to say that she needed to make sure the postmark stamp was the right way up and was nice and clear. I love my LPO staff! 
Thank you so much!! 
Hoo boy…
I went to NPH today Natsuki. I got some of the Melbourne stamps, and an Adelaide, Brissy and Perth. All way more than a postcard…but might be good for decorating a special envelope or small parcel at some point.
The wonderful clerk mentioned the deal and I said that I’d heard it mentioned but couldn’t find any evidence online.
He showed me this:
Which looks legit…but crikey…why are we only hearing about it now…and is it for really real? I don’t trust that the system will be well enough across it for it not to fail…so I’m not going to risk it…and it seems like you have to put the postcard in an envelope too…which I wouldn’t do. But yeah…I thought I’d put it here anyway. He was so helpful.
I sent some direct swaps, and got some of the pictorial postmark…which is HUGE!!
I also got some postcards in the gift shop, and some photos out the front to try my hand at making a meetup card for us. Does it even count as a meetup if only two people attend?
Thanks again for the info Natsuki!
So it was true… I asked at the Canberra, Belconnen, and Dickson postoffice and they had no idea about it. So I am still a bit worried though.
Definitely going to attach some leftover 50 cent stamps!
Thanks for doing the detective work.
Technically, if you use the Christmas stamps, these are supposed to be in envelopes as well. After years of not using the stamps for that reason, last year I decided, stuff it, I can’t see any good reason why my clearly-only-a-card postcard shouldn’t get the benefit of the reduction, and I sent a bunch at the cheaper rate. They all arrived with the same number of lost/expired as anything else I sent.
The $3.00 postage deal for cards and postcards was also mentioned to me by my favoured post office in Hobart yesterday - first I had heard of it. I was told by PO staff it was a ‘trial’. Amazed to see (from the photographed image above) that this all started on the 31st of May 
Why the secrecy? Elizabeth
I’ve been told of it at a handful of post offices now too, but mostly it seems to be under-promoted, which makes me seriously question what they’re attempting to ‘trial’ anyway. The cynic in me says this is some sort of backwards attempt to prove people don’t care how high stamp prices are, since most people won’t take advantage of it – but that’s only because either they don’t know or they don’t trust that it’s legitimate. Just when I thought AusPost couldn’t get more convoluted…
Interesting. I went to the Gungahlin LPO recently and was told that I could send postcards/letters to Europe for $3.00 but would need to take them to the counter to have a barcode printed on them…so no stamp. This was early July. No mention of this trial…
