France - The necessity of the label "Par Avion"

Postcards & Mail Mail, stamps & postal info
22

here in my local post office if i put a “par avion” sticker i have to pay more :slight_smile:

1 Like
23

That would be a really interesting project! But as I am quite new to this community, I don’t really know how to do that. Do you have any idea?

Thanks for your input!

24

I was told at my German post office that if the mail goes into a country with A and B post, if you had put a Priority sticker on your postcard or letter it will be transported with the faster A post there then. :slightly_smiling_face::+1:

2 Likes
25

That is my understanding too (ici en Colombie-Britannique). I like the appearance of the Air Mail/Par Avion stickers, and the fact that they are bilingual, too :blush:

1 Like
26

Sorry John, I was trying to tag you somewhere else, then couldnt remember the exact spelling of your username. I recalled having read your comment on this thread, so I came back here. And in my hurry, left this message at the wrong place.

Now if only I could remember the TOPIC I thought you might be interested in :thinking:

@johnbradleytlh

1 Like
27

I don’t use Priority stickers because I send everything as Economy. There should be a difference in travel times between these, but I personally haven’t noticed any difference. I just sent a postcard to Netherlands and it took 4 days.

Anyway, I like Priority stickers as decorations and I would definitely like to use them for this purpose. They look great.

1 Like
28

Hi, Nique. Not sure what you’re asking. :upside_down_face:

29

In Singapore we still have airmail labels… because we still do have a sea service. Mostly it doesn’t really make a difference, but I do think that sticking the airmail label helps it go a little faster (1-2 days)

here’s our airmail label for reference (free from post offices):

image
image592×1146 83.7 KB

2 Likes
30

Hi Jinyi

There’s no need for these kind of stickers when you send mails or postcards from France to international. Anyway, you cannot choose between plane or something else. The french post office will decide for you.

FYI, you have to use stamps for international destinations. The cost of these stamps is 1,65 euro (20g max). The price will probably increase next year.

2 types of stamps :

Notes :

  • On the official website LaPoste.fr, you can still buy some stamps released before the previous price increases. In that case, you have to add “complementary stamps” to make it to 1,65euros
  • If the stamp don’t have any denomination, it’s still good after any price increase. The purple Marianne and some special stamps are in this case.

Happy Postcrossing!

Cheers

Who’s Marianne? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marianne

1 Like
31

Thanks Thomas, your answer was really helpful!

32

We have airmail here in New Zealand (unsurprisingly); unfortunately, our stickers are ginormous and take up a lot of space. I love to write a bit on the cards I send!
Edited to add - you might be interested to know that they still use the words “Par Avion” on them
image

33

In Germany Air Mail stickers or not needed, as all international mail will leave the country as Priority, but…

  • the blue stickers are an eyecatcher, it might help to identify international mail a bit faster
  • there are still quite a few countries with 2 class mailing systems, using a sticker will help that those are handled as priority at the destination country, too
  • they are decorative
  • we may use any stickers saying it’s Priority / Air Mail or even handwrite it
  • our postal operator still advise to use them

I add them if I still have space left (often I cover an ugly barcode with them), but I don’t bother if they don’t fit. I have many different labels and rubber stamps, all in different sizes. The original ones by Deutsche Post are quite big.

1 Like
34

Those are cool! Do you sell them?

1 Like
35

Aw, thank you! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

I just make them for myself. Trimming them with precision one by one using a basic paper trimmer from Walmart in particular is time consuming, back aching and eye straining work. I haven’t calculated how much I’d have to charge to make it worth my time to turn pro, but using my current process it would be way more than a Global Forever Stamp. :flushed:

1 Like
36

You can print air mail stickers by yourself or handwriting on the envelope and postcard.

1 Like
37

It is true, but my handwriting is not as nice as those stickers :blush: my printer is black and white only. Thank you.

38

I’ve asked at several post offices in the US about airmail stamps. No one knows what I’m talking about or they say they aren’t needed. However if you go on the USPS website under international letters it says letters and postcards must say the words Airmail/ Par Avion.

1 Like
39

Etsy has a lot of beautiful airmail sticker designs that I was thinking of getting for myself. I just love the look of them, honestly, but then again I am very weak against stickers.

My only experience with airmail stickers was when we were on vacation in the UK and I was sending postcards home. I bought my stamps in two separate occasions, only one of which I was given air mail stickers along with them. The ones I sent to my mother and one of my own, all with air mail stickers, arrived shortly after we returned home. My last one, without a sticker, took its sweet time arriving haha. But then again I’ve also had domestic postcards bound for the same address, posted at the same time, arrive on totally different days, so I feel like anything goes, really.

1 Like
40

Par Avion AIRMAIL are required. Many people say they dont matter because everything goes by plane. They are wrong. I even had to show the postal rep their own regulations. The labels are used for SORTING purposes. Especailly when it arrives to the destination country. To differentiate foreign and domestic mail. Look it up,. There is a whole set of rules for every country and in Switzerland Postal governing body. Here in America we can write it in. It’s supposed to be on the top left corner I think. Our post offices no longer carry the labels but it is still in the regs. They use a stamper now. I print mine myself blue background white lettering. Without one it took a month for me to get a letter to and from europe. But with the label or lettering it then took 6 days. I was told they can sit in the back for a week or more overseas if the country sorts it wrong. If it makes it easier for them to handle I say GREAT.

41

To my knowledge in France all mail is treated the same way, I have never seen stickers, “air mail” to purchase. There is only one international fare.
Especially for postcards, which is not considered an important mail, they will not bother to sort those who have a “priority” or an “air mail”, and they rarely check the correct stamp rate.

For national shipments, before, we had a more expensive stamp supposed to be faster… I have never seen the difference and sometimes the slower stamp arrived even faster than the one paid more!

1 Like