If you post letters overseas, be aware that the postage rates are going up again on 1 July! Thankfully the postcard rate will remain at $3.
What a hassle - the prices going up by different amounts. At least they are still finding uses for those cute 25c platypus stamps - hope they will become more available.
I noticed today the stamp barcodes that some POs keep in the folder includes barcodes for stamps up to $20 - were these actually available at one point?
In 2000 or 2001, a $20 Uluį¹u international post stamp was released. There was also a $20 painting stamp issued in the late 1980s
Grrrrrrr!!!
We shouldnāt have to ask at the PO for mail to be sent covered just to avoid things like this, but itās not only an option itās actually recommended by Aus. Post!
I drew four addresses this morning. Two of the four are for brand new Postcrossers who have never received a postcard before. I always feel a bit sad for the brand new Postcrossers, when I draw their address. I only hope their address was also drawn by someone closer to them too. They have a long wait ahead of them if itās just my card coming.
This said I will get them into the mail within three hours of drawing their namesā¦so Iāve done everything possible at my end.
In other musingsā¦anyone else looking forward to the new stamp bulletin? Iāve been a bit underwhelmed by the offerings of late. Canāt wait to see whatās in store for us next!
Iām embarassed by how many times I have checked the aus post website for the new bulletin. I have no patience and am so easily distract from what I should be doing.
It feels like absolutely forever since weāve had oneā¦with the last issue coming out back in March. Iām not very patient about it either.
Bulletinās out nowā¦
Thanks so much for the heads up!
What is going on with China?
I now have 12 cards to China expired. Two are going to fall off the system shortly.
Do all Aussies have the same problem?
Iāve had a few registered in the last two weeks - all fairly long travel times.
I have two travelling that have long expired (292 days and 228 days) but both people have logged in within the past 5 days - whereas my other expired postcards belong to people that havenāt logged in for 6+ months.
This made me look at my sent postcards stats though - and Iāve only sent 33 official postcards to China (and iāve just gone over 1000 sent) which seems crazy low. Most thankfully do seem to arrive but they always take forever - between 30 and 80 days XD
Yes, this is common, especially if you donāt print out and use the address in Chinese as many postal staff canāt read English lettering. Times tend to be slow no matter what though.
Has anyone noticed street postboxes disappearing? Iāve just noticed a third one gone in my area over the past few months. It seems to me theyāre removing many that arenāt directly outside a post office.
My Postbox is still there but I noticed that it is not emptied daily anymore.
My guess is because very few people send parcels without posting them over the counter (and of course there are those statistics about how letter volumes havenāt been the same since 2008) there is less incentive to keep the boxes. I am sure one box near to me never gets emptied (on a uni campus) although I still have to test that by sending myself a card.
Ack! Thatās so sad!! What a cute stamp.
Maybe if you got it postmarked at a post office counter here, before sending it, no pen-wielding villains would find it necessary to attack it en-route?
Youād have to ask them to postmark carefully please, just over a tiny corner. My experience has beenā¦variedā¦when asking for postmarks. Some clerks try very hard to position it carefully and minimally. Some just plonk it in the centre of the stamp willynilly, ink everywhere .