Hello everyone, I hope you don’t mind me opening an English topic here in the Spanish community! My sister, who currently is on Fuerteventura for holidays, asked me to ask the experts about the Spanish postal system.
She bought stamps there to send postcards, let me show you a picture:
The left ones are from the hotel and are ??Swiss?? There’s also a mailbox from Swiss Post at the hotel, so I guess they somehow redirect the mail over Switzerland. Sounds fair and square to me, but of course the official Postcrossing cards will then have a stamp that’s not matching the ID and that’d be a bit sad.
And the right ones are from a souvenir shop, this is the backside:
I researched (well… googled) a bit and found out that Bypost is a private mail company in Spain. She didn’t find a mailbox of Bypost, but only one of Correos (in front of the supermarket). I know Correos is the official Spanish mail company. But she couldn’t find stamps of Correos anywhere!
So my questions are:
Which of these mail services do you think is the most reliable? I read in an online article that Bypost can take very long times for delivery.
Can she post postcards with Bypost stamps in normal Correos mailboxes or does she have to find a Bypost mailbox?
Where can you typically buy Correos stamps? Post offices of course and I also read that they’re available at tobacco shops. Do you think she might find some at the supermarket, too?
I’m opening the topic for her here as she doesn’t really use the forum, but I’m here a lot. I’d be happy if you guys can help us.
As an Spanish postcrosser, it is the first time I hear about Bypost, and I don’t think your sister can put those postcards in a correos mailbox, but I suggest you to research or ask someone on the hotel/souvenir shop because I may be wrong. In the case that the postage on a letter/postcard is not right, it will be burned (My aunt works at correos)
In my opinion, Correos is quite a sh***y postal service, but it is the only one I know here in Spain.
In terms of stamps, you can buy them either at Correos post offices or at Tabacos stores, commonly called estancos in Spain.
Correos is the most reliable. Actually, the only reliable one. It is a shame that in some souvenir shops they pretend these are official stamps. They operate only in touristy cities/places, and they are aimed to foreign tourists.
Those private companies are really slow. If the postcards arrive, they take a lot of time.
Official stamps are only sold in post offices and in tobacco shops. Supermarkets aren’t allowed to sell official stamps, and neither are the souvenir shops (unless they are also a tobacco shop). Usually, they have only one or two designs, mostly self-adhesive stamps. In big post offices, you can ask for different designs, but sometimes even there they haven’t more than one design.
Also, beware of the price. The private company stamps are usually more expensive.
-The rate for Europe is right now 1,50€. The stamps show this price (1,50€) or the letter “B”.
-The rate for “rest of the world” is 1,60€ or “C”.
-There are 5 countries with a different rate: Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Japan and Canada. The stamps for these countries cost 1,90€. If you need those, it’s better to go to the post office. This is a new rate introduced this year, and some tobaconnist aren’t aware.
There was just recently a TV report on the German TV series: “Achtung Abzocke!”/ “Beware of Scam!” about Bypost.
Of all the sent cards as a test by the German reporter none of
them arrived in Germany!
He recommended not to use Bypost at all, only the
official (Spanish) Correos. With using this all test postcards
arrived in Germany within a few days.
There was also a problem about the mail boxes of Bypost, as they were
not used and not emptied any more. Although some of them were still
standing around, one was even used as a chair for a souvenir shop owner
in front of his shop in the TV report.
The reporter also tested the given tracking numbers on the Bypost stamps (as in your second photo) on his test cards at the given page by Bypost but it always said “number not found”.
There was also talk in the report I think that the company Bypost did not exist any more.
Which also fits to the post boxes of it not being emptied.
The stamps of it were still sold of course.
I’d be happy if you guys can help us. 
