I live in a densely populated urban area, so the post office is nearby, plus there are plenty of drop boxes every few street corners.
Mail comes directly to my home, usually in the afternoon, six days a week.
I usually buy stamps online, as it’s easier, the selection is better and I’m not taking up anyone’s time at the post office (there are usually lots of people waiting with packages and I don’t like to make them wait for me to figure out what I want). There are two clerks at my local post office, one is an angel and the other is the devil , so I don’t like to take my chances.
There is one very close to where I live, but I usually bring it to work with me. The I take it with me when I go the postal service point to send the work mail.
Do you have to visit a post office?
We don’t have those anymore.
Do you have to leave your house?
Yes.
When I lived in the countryside, you could leave outgoing mail in your mailbox (including cash if you didn’t have any stamps - this was a few decades ago though)
*How does mail arrive to you?
Delivered to my mailbox, just outside the door to my flat.
How often is it delivered?
Every Monday to Friday. So far…
How do you purchase stamps?
Rarely over the counter at a service point, usually on-line at Postnord’s site. I have been known to ‘borrow’ at work if I’m in a hurry, lazy or feeling morally challenged.
Yes, I am quite fortunate that I have two postbox at either end of my road both about 200m from the front door.
**Do you have to visit a post office? **
No, only if I am posting a work document that requires proof of postage receipt, or if I am desperate for stamps.
Do you have to leave your house?
Yes, Royal Mail does not offer collection from front door, only for domestic parcels.
How does the mail arrive to you?
Delivered to the front door of home address
How often does it get delivered?
We where getting six day deliveries (Monday to Saturday), but as of 1st January this is reduced to five days (Monday to Friday) our Postman/Woman walks by around 11am.
I don’t receive post everyday,
**How do you purchase stamps? **
Mixture of online and in the post office, I usually us RM special stamps website, Philatelink and occasionally EBAY.
I started bulk buying once or twice a year, to reduce postage costs and unnecessary trips to the post office.
Do you have to walk to a postbox to send?
There are two types of postboxes. In India, you can’t place outgoing mail into the same postbox. The postbox outside homes is only meant for incoming mail. To send outgoing mail, you can either go to a post office where they have a red postbox or go to a nearby postbox. The outgoing mail postbox is about a kilometer away so I usually have to drive there. The incoming mail postbox is just a floor below (since I live in an apartment; apartment living is common in India and kinda preferred)
Do you have to visit a post office?
To send mail, yes since its the closest post box to send.
Do you have to leave your house?
To send mail, yes!
How does mail arrive to you?
Yes, in the hands of a kind Postman! At times when there are more postcards or letters, he hand delivers it home! Sometimes, he leaves it in the mailbox. He usually delivers it in the afternoon.
How often is it delivered?
I think whenever there is mail. They deliver it on all days except sundays.
How do you purchase stamps?
By going to the Post Office! They sell is loose too! I prefer not buying too many at once maybe enough for 20 postcards and so buying a whole sheet online feels like a waste
Also did you know that India has 154,725 post offices and has the largest postal network?
Do you have to walk to a postbox to send?
Yes or bike or drive. There are a couple of mailboxes on my way to work depending on which mode of transportation I use. Some take a little detour, which I gladly take to be able to send the day of/after drawing addressees. Sadly more and more postboxes get removed all the time Do you have to visit a post office?
No, it’s optional for mail. Packages have to be sent trough the post-office though. And there is always a box inside to drop off mail too. Do you have to leave your house?
Yep How does mail arrive to you?
We have a mailbox right next to the front door instead of the end of the driveway (it’s pretty silly, but we have a security door and it has no mail slot for that reason) How often is it delivered?
5 days a week (not sunday or monday) How do you purchase stamps?
I buy online, because I can get more variety. But even the grocery store has simple ‘world’ stamps.
Hi Doreen, I’m also from Ottawa and I’ve been super curious to find out more about how our postal system works.
So all mail from Ottawa gets sent to the Montreal processing plant? What happens at the Alta Vista plant then?
So no international mail leaves from Ottawa then correct?
Do you know any of the routing beyond Montreal? I’ve been told several times it all goes to the UK for sorting first and then onto Europe, but I’m not sure that’s true given my experience say with cards going to Germany which tend to arrive & be received quite quickly.
I’ve also been curious if any of the routing has changed since Brexit.
Sorry for all the questions, but I’m delighted to be asking someone who might know, thanks, so much, Lynn
Do you have to visit a post office?
No, I can send and recieve mail from the cluster box Do you have to leave your house?
I do, but the walk is short. Less than 5 minutes How does mail arrive to you?
A postal worker leaves mail in my assigned box. They’ll leave larger packages at my doorstep How often is it delivered?
6 days a week (Mon-Sat) How do you purchase stamps?
Usually online from usps.com
Hi, Lynn! Alta Vista is still the main terminal for mail/parcels/admail coming in by truck from which it gets distributed to the various stations. Some priority items may be sent from the Ottawa airport, but most goes via Montreal – and I don’t know where the European mail goes from there. I do get the impression from my own mail that international gets handled about once a week (i.e. all my postcards come in a bunch;-) but this can’t be the case: do you have this experience? Sorry I can’t provide more info. Canada Post used to participate in Doors Open, but hasn’t for the last couple of years: I’d love to ask some of these things myself
Do you have to walk to a postbox to send?
Post is not collected at your door in Sweden. Not in a town at least, when I lived in the country 20 years ago or so, you could leave the letter or card in your mailbox with money, and the mailman would take care of it for you. I don’t know if it’s the same these days.
These days I usually go a service point, these are usually shops that serve as Post Offices for basic services. I go to one ever weekday to drop off parcels from work (I work in a used books shop that also sell on-line), and I usually bring my own stuff to send then.
Do you have to visit a post office?
No. There are postboxes in town. as well as Service points. I did learn today though that the Post Office can cancel your cards manually with a nice stamp. I’ll take advantage of this occasionally from now on. It’s a little out of my way, but if I feel it’s warranted it’s a nice thing to do.
Do you have to leave your house?
Yes.
How does mail arrive to you?
Delivered to a mailbox outside my front door, it looks like a small wall of lockers.
It’s right outside my door, and I can open it without completely stepping outside my flat, if I stretch a bit
How often is it delivered?
Every other weekday by a mailman. Week one they come Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the second week they come Tuesday and Thursday
How do you purchase stamps?
I usually order on-line from the Swedish Post Office. Occasionally I may buy at the Service Point mentioned above or’ borrow’ one at work.
Thanks for replying Doreen. Sometimes I get bunches of cards but not most of the time.
Yes, not surprisingly, Canada Post is not super transparent about a lot of postal stuff that other postal systems are sadly. I don’t know why they wouldn’t publicize their processes more, it’s fascinating. But I’m stubborn type & want to know more!
Well I’ll happily share any info I find - I’m asking some CUPW friends and another source as well.
Do you have to walk to a postbox to send?
Yes - it takes me 5 minutes to walk to the village box.
Do you have to visit a post office?
No - unless I’m sending a larger item that needs to be weighed. We have a post office counter inside the village shop.
Do you have to leave your house?
Yes
How does mail arrive to you?
Postman comes round on foot every day and drops the mail through the letterbox in front door.
How often is it delivered?
Every day (except Sundays and public holidays). Due to COVID, mail delivery has been haphazard over the past year.
How do you purchase stamps?
Either online or at local post office. Sometimes at the supermarket.
because of labor shortage my local post office no longer delivers mail to my home
in other words, we do not have mail carriers (postmen) any more
To get my mail I walk to my post office on my day off, wait in the line (there is always a lot of customers in the post office), I show the postal clerk my ID and receive my mail
I live in a city of approximately 60,000 people. It’s considered rural because homes are spread out. There are no places to walk to in which you can mail a letter. The nearest mailbox is two miles away at the municipal building. I drive there on my way elsewhere. It is a 50mph road with no shoulders or sidewalks, so it would be very unsafe to walk.
Mail is delivered M-F via postal vehicle. My mailbox is at the end of my driveway. The postal worker drives from house to house. They do not pick up outgoing mail, but will accept items misdelivered or marked return to sender.
I rarely go to the post office. We have only one in my city and it is usually a long wait. I order my stamps online. The post office is 7 miles away.
Interesting topic.
I live far out on land and due to health problems, I can not often leave my house.
Do you have to walk to a postbox to send?
I hand all my send-out-mail over to my husband and he puts them into a mailbox on his way to work.
Do you have to visit a post office?
No, I order all stamps online.
Do you have to leave your house?
No.
How does mail arrive to you?
As we live outside the village we have got a so-called Landbriefkasten (postbox is in the village, only we and the mailwoman have keys to it)
My husband collects our mail when he comes back from work
How often is it delivered?
Every day safe for the sundays
I used a link someone posted to buy stamps. Philatelink? Pretty sure that’s wrong spelling. They have lovely stamps. So I bought them. But it’s isn’t for my country. Lol can I still use them. Anyone got a clue? I wanna say from Great Britain? I live in USA. If I can’t use them they are still pretty for collecting.
I bring all my outgoing mail directly to the post office and deposit it into the collection tanks INSIDE the post office, not outside. I do this partly to eliminate as many steps from the mail delivery process as possible, but also because there have been a number of cases of check theft and identity theft as a result of people stealing mail from the U.S. Post Office’s blue collection tanks. (Attached is an article about a recent incident involving exactly that type of theft). I don’t want to make people paranoid, because such cases rarely occur, but still, you should be careful with outgoing mail.
Yes, Philatelink is in the UK, and only sells stamps to send from the UK. I buy most of my stamps from them. And you’re right, they have fabulous old ones that look really attractive on the postcards.
and the other is the devil 
, so I don’t like to take my chances.
