Hi!
I’ve been to Italy recently and bought these stamps. I didn’t check what I was buying and received stamps for a weird “postal” service, which some internet discussions called scam. They are supposed to be valid for postcards to Asia, but I didn’t use them. Do I throw them away, or are they usable? I could send them to someone, if they could be used.
They seems sticker for private postal services, but I’ve never seen that brand, and their website seems empty of information. 
In general these services are less reliable and more expensive than Poste Italiane, so they are not recommended (I’ve tried in the past with three postcards and only one arrived).
Perhaps someone have seen the specific postboxes in some cities and can try to use them for non important mail.
1 Like
I may have found something here…
it should be a list of their post boxes and retail points
1 Like
Thank you both so much for putting effort into it! I didn’t realize the postbox would be at the same place where I bought the stickers. I guess that I will throw them away and pay more attention next time. I’m not used to another kind of stamps than national postal, so I didn’t question what I was receiving. But I already encountered this type of service in Portugal … I can’t believe I made this mistake twice 
As I know, there are many private postal services also in Germany, once I received a card thru one of these.
@elena-b
Actually I visioned a different website (www.sms-italia.eu), that was on top or Duck Duck Go’s searching results, where there was not the list, thanks for signaling 
1 Like
yep, I had to go deep in my search too, if you go straight to their website it’s impossible to find this list 
I’m sorry you have to throw them away… I’d buy them back myself but, although the company is from the region where I live, there are no postal boxes within 300km 
that’s absurd…
No problem! I’m not concerned about the money, I just wanted to know if they could be reliably used, because I don’t like throwing things away … but there’s no help sometimes 
1 Like
Hi Helena @hs87,
First of all, I’m glad you visited Italy and I hope you liked it 
.
In Italy, in addition to Poste Italiane (which is 64,25 % owned by the Italian State and which is the assignee until 30 April 2026 of the universal postal service recognized by the Universal Postal Union), there are also some companies that they deal with postal services and therefore can be used to send postcards, letters and parcels, both within Italy and abroad.
This is currently possible and legal following the transposition in Italy of a European Union directive years ago. Therefore, these private companies can apply for a license and authorization from the relevant ministry (currently the Ministry for Economic Development).
These companies have a network of “branches” in the most important cities in Italy and among these branches there are also many tobacconists who sell postcards in the big cities. For example, I live near Florence. As you may know, Florence is one of the most touristic cities in Italy. Inside the historic center of Florence (which is a World Heritage Site by UNESCO), there are many tobacconists who sell postcards and are also part of the network of these “private post” companies. For example, to send postcards through these “private post” it is necessary to buy their “stamps” and then frank the postcards and put in their mailboxes (which are very different from those of Poste Italiane). For simplicity I call them “stamps”, but in reality the real stamps are the ones that allow you to ship with the Italian Post Office while the ones you bought yourself are only stickers of private postal services. If a customer asks for stamps, the tobacconist must sell real stamps and not stickers of other operators.
All tobacconists in Italy should sell real official stamps to send with the Poste Italiane, but unfortunately this is not the case. Some tobacconists sell them, others do not sell any kind of stamps and still others (like this one you have been in) sell stickers that are used exclusively to send with some “private post” companies. When a customer asks for the stamps at the tobacconist, MUST always check before paying that those stamps are real stamps in order to be able to send with the Poste Italiane. If you have asked for a stamp to send by ordinary mail with Poste Italiane in Asia, this has a value of € 2,40. If the tobacconist asks you € 2,50 you must realize that he is selling you other types of stamps, maybe stickers of “private post”. In reality, it may also ask you more than the rate you requested, because it may not have any stamps available and therefore sells you a real stamp but of a higher rate, for example for Oceania the rate is € 3,10 that you can use the same because it exceeds the rate. In this case, to check if it is a real stamp that will allow you to send with Poste Italiane and to post in its red boxes, you must check that above the stamp is written “ITALIA” in large or small letters and/or “Poste Italiane” and also “IPZS S.p.A - Roma”.
So the tips I can give are:
- Before buying stamps, be aware of the postal rates in force which can be easily found on the Poste Italiane website
- Preferably, even if queuing at the counter, buy the stamps at the Post Offices of Poste Italiane
- If you decide to buy stamps from tobacconists, always check that above the stamp is written “ITALIA” in large or small print and/or “Poste Italiane” and also “IPZS S.p.A - Roma”
- After franked, post in the red boxes of Poste Italiane. On the box there is written “POSTE”, also a large label with the words “Poste Italiane” and the time when the box is emptied. It can have only one entrance or two (one for direct shipments within the city where it is located and one for all other destinations). There are some mailboxes (for example inside some Italian airports) with the same characteristics as the red ones and they are always from Poste Italiane but they are blue instead of red: these are exclusively for direct mail abroad outside Italy.
In addition to this, I would like to say that even at the Post Offices of Poste Italiane it may not be easy to find stamps. This is because the Post Offices in Italy, in relation to the purchase of stamps, are mainly divided into 3 types:
- Post Office without philatelic counter (about 12.260 throughout Italy)
- Post Office with philatelic counter (around 487 throughout Italy)
- Philatelic Space (10 throughout Italy: Rome, Rome 1, Milan, Venice, Naples, Trieste, Genoa, Turin, Florence, Verona)
Although it should be possible to buy stamps in all post offices, unfortunately in those without a philatelic counter, it may not be possible or only stamps of a different rate than what you need may be available. So, in most cases, there is very little choice in post offices without a philatelic counter. In post offices with a philatelic counter, on the other hand, it is possible to buy all the latest issues of stamps as well as philatelic products (maxicards, etc …) but only during the hours in which the employee who deals with philately is present. The Philatelic Spaces, on the other hand, are post offices exclusively for the purchase of stamps and philatelic products. Usually, regardless of the type of post office, the purchase of stamps, philatelic and postal products is only allowed by cash payment or with payment cards issued only by Postepay (a company wholly owned by Poste Italiane).
Furthermore, it is possible to purchase the stamps issued in the last 6 months also on the Poste Italiane website. However, in the event that you have not been able to purchase stamps, you can always have your postcard or general shipment franked directly at the post office by paying the identical cost of the stamp but by affixing a label printed by the employee. franking machine. Although aesthetically the shipment can be uglier because it is not franked with stamps (especially for postcards), you still have the advantage that you send with Poste Italiane. In fact, private postage companies, like the one whose stamps you have in the photo, are much less reliable, especially for direct shipments abroad and are also more expensive.
To conclude, now that you have already bought these stickers of a postal service carried out by a private company, you have 2 possibilities, if you are still in Italy:
- Do not use them and buy real stamps to send with Poste Italiane
- Use them and post the postcard in their boxes (in this case I think it is the one depicted in the figure that you will probably find near the tobacconists that sold them to you)
- Use them and post the postcard in the red boxes of the Poste Italiane. In theory, I do not recommend it, because it would not be allowed and therefore it is almost certain that your postcard will be thrown away because it has not been franked with real stamps. However, some of these private companies could be commercial customers of Poste Italiane and therefore take advantage of rates relating to types of shipments reserved for companies (such as bulk mail). At times, it has happened that postcards directed to Italy and franked in Italy with postage stamps from private post offices and then placed in the red boxes of Poste Italiane have nevertheless arrived at destination delivered by Poste Italiane thanks to these types of shipments reserved for companies (for example you pay € 1,30 which goes to the private post office, then you put the postcard in the red box and when it is taken over by Poste Italiane the private post offices pay a fee of € 0,75 for shipping, the postcard is sent anyway and delivered by Poste Italiane but you paid more, because you went to a “third party” who earned € 1,30 - € 0,75 = € 0,55 for your postcard). However, I repeat I do not recommend this third option, because for shipments within Italy it has sometimes worked this way, but probably for shipments directed outside Italy it will not work if the private post offices do not have a commercial contract as a company that provides the shipment of “bulk mail” outside Italy.
Happy Postcrossing
5 Likes
I’m in Italy now and I’ve bought old lire stamps on ebay to use, because it appeared that Poste Italiane could not send to the Netherlands. The old lire stamps can still be used. Drawback: it is probably more expensive and you have to use a lot of stamps, because postal rates went up a lot (about 2450 lire for Europe, 4650 lire for the Americas and Asia and 6000 lire for Australia, NZ and Oceania). Advantage: you can use a lot of stamps. Thanks @Alberto99 for the information that there is a philatelic space in Venice. When I was in Verona last year, I went to an ordinary post office and it took some time before they could find stamps.
1 Like
Hi Michiel @michiel071,
I’m glad that you also are in Italy and I hope you are like it .
Yes, it is also possible to use the old Italian lire stamps. In particular, it is possible to use all the stamps issued in Italy from 1967 onwards. The important thing is that the correct rate is reached or, at the most, exceeded.
As for shipments from Italy to Netherlands, I am not aware that there have been any suspensions. In any case, to find out if there are any suspensions, it is possible to view the PDF file present as a source for Italy in the Postcrossing postal monitor.
I don’t know how many people are reading this, but I take this opportunity to write about another possibility you could use to buy stamps when going abroad.
This is the International Response Coupon (IRC). It is a postal whole that can be exchanged for postage abroad in a country other than the one in which it was issued, provided that the two countries have signed an agreement on the matter (I usually think they are part of the Universal Postal Union). Consequently, its use is to pay the reply to a correspondent in a foreign state, if you do not have any revenue stamps valid in that state. The purpose of the IRC is to allow a person to send a letter to someone in another country, along with the cost of shipping for a response. If the recipient is within the same country, an IRC is not required because a postage-paid envelope (SASE) or return postcard will suffice; but if the recipient is in another country, an IRC eliminates the need to purchase foreign postage or send appropriate currency.
As far as I know, UPU member postal services are obliged to exchange an IRC for postage, but are not obliged to sell them.
The IRC can be marked by a post office in the issuing country (“control mark”) before being included in correspondence. The recipient will go to the local post office, whose employees are required to stamp and collect the IRC, and will receive that country’s minimum postage in return for priority shipping - unregistered - or by air to any foreign destination.
So perhaps an alternative option for a tourist to purchase stamps is to buy IRCs in their country before they leave and then, when need to send from another country, use them to receive postage in return. minimum for that shipment.
Unfortunately, in Italy, as far as I know, only the philately spaces sell IRCs. So if the tourist who owns IRCs purchased in his country before leaving, goes to a philately space, should be able to have them changed into stamps but at this point, being in a philately space, can directly buy Italian stamps. In post offices, even those with a philatelic counter, unfortunately, I am not aware that IRCs are exchanged for postage, although it should be mandatory.
I think I needed an Italian address, Poste Italiane doesn’t send abroad as far as I can gather.
I don’t understand, a part a few countries Italy mail to all the others! There’s no block between Italy and the Netherlands
Hi, I’ll go to Firenze soon, if you want to send me the stamps, I can mail cards from there to you. Like this you may check if the service works. (Only thing is I don’t know if the stamps will reach me in time - I’ll go to Firenze on the 8th October)
I expressed myself poorly. I wanted to order stamps from the Poste Italiane website before I went to Italy, but I don’t think that is possible. Poste Italiane only sends to Italian addresses.
Of course you can send mail from Italy to the Netherlands, but I didn’t mean that.
2 Likes
Ah now I get it, sorry! Yes, unfortunately they only sell inside Italy… You may check if the town you are visiting has a philatelic office and then get the stamps there
I bought a bunch of old Lire stamps on ebay and I’m using them now. Venice has indeed a philatelic office, open on Monday
2 Likes
Thank you so much for explaining I will keep this this for next time!
1 Like
Especially if the postal rate in the visited country is quite high
Here is the official list of countries selling IRCs:
https://www.upu.int/en/Universal-Postal-Union/Activities/Philately-IRCs/International-Reply-Coupons-(IRCs)/Lists
I have no Espace Philately in my city, but the central post office (that has philatelic counter) sells IRCs sometimes it has to order them and you have to wait until they arrive.
Being an UPU rule, it must be mandatory, but if you ask to a generic post office they look at you as you are a martian.
Always at my city’s central post office, it is possible to exchange IRCs at the philatelic counter, thanks to the kindness of the postal clerk that has searched for the procedure and orders the necessary stamps. 
Note that this is interpreted literally: unregistered priority airmail letter of up to twenty grams = Postapriority Internazionale, that are A zona1/2/3 stamps.
If the post office doesn’t have those stamps or a combination that matches the exact value (printed labels are not allowed - even it it doesn’t makes sense), the system doesn’t allow them to give you the postage, that is denies the service.
Neither if you ask for the cheaper Postamail Internazionale, whose stamps are more common.
It happened to me sending a cover to Asia: they didn’t have an A zona 2 stamp (4,5€) because it’s of uncommon use, and they couldn’t give me the B zona 2 stamp (2,4€).
According to general service conditions document (sorry only in italian 
), in theory it is possible also for abroad, but only for selected countries (point 1.2), whose list is published on Poste Italiane’s website (…but I haven’t found the list 
)
https://filatelia.poste.it/files/1476513492529/condizioni-generali-di-servizio.pdf
Apart this, it can be expensive, because they ship with international registered mail (point 2.2.1): for example for Netherlands 50g is 9,5€.
And, if it doesn’t arrive you within 30 days from shipment, it’s you that have to complain within the next 5 days, otherwise they consider the mail as arrived (point 2.2.3).