How to send postcards from the US

Language & Geographical Communities North America
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Hi!

I have recently moved to the US, so I have a few questions regarding Postcrossing/mailing here.

  1. What value stamps to put for sending postcards internationally?
  2. What value stamps to put for sending postcards domestically?
  3. Where to get stamps?
  4. Where can I drop off postcards to be picked up by the postal workers?

I know these are very basic questions, but I really don’t know anyone whom I can ask personally.

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$1.20

$0.36

The Post Office. USPS.com. Ebay.com. Some grocery stores.

In your personal mailbox for your home (there will be a red flag on the side of the mailbox to raise to alert the mail carrier of outgoing mail – See below image). At the post office. Or anywhere you find a USPS drop bin (there may be a locator on the USPS website).

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^ Great advice up here. Look for big blue mail drop boxes that are usually in the parking lots of grocery stores and post offices. Also, pro-tip for stamps, if you have a Costco membership they sell you generic forever stamps at a discounted price and you can use two of those for international. I would go to the post office counter the first time though and ask for forevers, domestic postcards, and international stamps so you have everything. Let me know if you have more questions!!

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Welcome to the US! You’ll see lots of variations in stamp variety/availability depending on the source. Some additional details below; I’ll also add that you don’t pay tax on stamps, unlike other goods you buy.

  1. USPS.com: The most reliable source of current designs at face value. Shipping costs usually under $2.
  2. Your neighborhood post office: Go to the counter during “lobby hours,” and ask for the stamps by value and/or design. They’ll have a limited selection compared to USPS.com. If it’s a super busy time, the postal clerk may not be friendly about lots of questions.
  3. Costco/Sam’s Club/grocery story/drug store: Ask your cashier at checkout or the customer service desk. Face value, but usually only one design, typically the US flag (you’ll still need to get 10-cent stamps to reach $1.20 for international)
  4. eBay/Etsy: I wouldn’t recommend starting at either site, but they’re good sources if you feel like bargain hunting, or you’re OK paying extra for discontinued designs
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Oo yeah, this is good advice. Best thing to do is, either:

  • Get international stamps at $1.20 each, although these are unpopular with those who collect stamps, or
  • Use two Forever Stamps ($0.55/each) and 1 $0.10 stamp.
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You can find the nearest USPS blue postal box to your location by putting your address in search box on this website
https://mailboxlocate.com/

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Go to post office and get the commemorate stamps. They are issued different times during the year. They are much nicer then the global stamp. Two 55cent stamps and one 10cent stamps on your card and it is ready to go around the world.
You can look up “USPS stamps” for the release date of new stamps. The Year of the Ox is coming out soon. They unusually have older stamps to purchase too.

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If you are mailing internationally, as others have pointed out, it costs $1.20 per mailing piece - whether it’[s a postcard by itself, or an envelope containing (5) postcards.

WHERE TO GET STAMPS?
► You can purchase them at post office branch offices. I find this to be hot or miss. Some branches have a great variety of new stamps; others very few.
► I purchase almost all of my Forever $0.55 stamps from the USPS fulfillment in Kansas City. Sure it costs $1.75 for shipping, but it beats trekking to the post office.
► I used to buy loads of $0.10 stamps at stamp shows. That is not possible now; I just purchased a bunch of stamps from an online dealer …at face value.

MAILING POSTCARDS?

►I personally will not mail anything from a street post office box. Since 1987, I have always rented a post office box. I send and get my mail there. Don’t know about elsewhere, but this town does not have those blue street boxes. Why? Because of a rash of thefts. There are 4 boxes outside the local post office branch here.

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Thank you for the information!

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Thanks! :slight_smile:

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Thanks for the Information!

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Turns out this was right outside my apartment building, but I kept missing it for some reason.
Thanks! :slight_smile:

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Thanks! I will do the same :slight_smile:

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Thank you! :slight_smile:

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Something to note, if you have an unusual shaped postcard (oversized, square, etc.) the postage rate becomes .55 (one forever stamp) instead of .36 (one postcard stamp). Some post offices are pickier than others, generally if I feel there is anything unusual about my card I will add .55 postage just to be safe. I hope that’s not too confusing :slight_smile:

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Any suggestions on where to buy postcards other than Amazon and Etsy? Most of the bookstores in my city have temporarily/permanently closed down during pandemic and it’s so hard to find postcards that are local to my state/city.

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I feel like I’m the only one who uses 120 of the 1¢ stamps.

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Note:
Domestic postcards rate: up to 4 by 6 inches (10 by 15 cm) is 36 cents
If the postcard is larger than that, the rate is 55 cents

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Pomegranate.com is one place online.
If there are any antique stores in your area, they may offer vintage cards (although those may be pricey)

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Ha ha. You must send large cards, and still not have room for a message and maybe not even for the address. :grinning: