I find that the cut off of addresses from these countries are completely incorrect. Australia Post does deliver normal letters and cards to all countries, restrictions are for parcels and things like food, alcohol etc but simply sending a postcard or a letter is not banned or restricted so Postcrossing is just listing these countries like a free for all. I think that Postcrossing should leave it to us to find out from our own postal services if they will forward a card to an address. Postcrossing is preventing open and free addresses from these countries by their own decision. Very poor servicing. Why should we not be able to request addresses or be given access to them, we ourselves can find out ourselves if we can forward to that address or not!
Postcrossing manages a complex system for 800,000+ members & they follow what each country’s postal service says about where it will or will not deliver to which varies regularly because of a variety of factors like the pandemic, airline flight restrictions, natural disasters, civil unrest, labour disputes etc.
Postcrossing does a good job, especially given that many countries don’t update where they deliver to or not as often as possible. They also ask for our help in flagging the latest updates from our own countries.
It’s frustrating when a country’s postal service says it won’t deliver to some other country, but that’s the postal service’s decision, not Postcrossing’s. Delivery may also be restricted because a country may not be receiving & processing international mail either.
Have you looked at the Postal Monitor? - it is updated frequently as new restrictions or openings for delivery occur. And given the pandemic, we just have to be patient with delivery restrictions.
https://www.postcrossing.com/postal-monitor
Here is a link to the topic where you can report (with a source) if you notice a mistake in Postal Monitor that @LC-Canada linked above. Postal Monitor is partly kept up by the help from us members so it is good idea to check up now and then that your country’s information is up to date.
I believe this would cause quite lot of troubles because once the address is requested, the card should be sent no matter what. Getting it stuck at border or returned because the postal service doesn’t have a route open would be very upsetting.
I have personally been very satisfied with the current system that makes sure I don’t send cards in vain, and so far that I have noticed the Postal Monitor updates quite fast.
I’m also in AU and AU post is not delivering anything at all to Belarus and Lithuania.
Nothing. I spoke with the post office regarding these 2 countries and it is indeed true.
The postal monitor is actually very accurate. Thank goodness.
I know that here in America, USPS doesn’t send to Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Sudan, Syria.
I prefer to send to EU nations, Canada, Australia & NZ, Japan.
USPS does exchange with all these countries (Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Sudan, Syria) during normal times. Of course these are not normal times, but USPS normally exchanges with all the countries mentioned. Some have severe restrictions though and you should check the USPS website Individual Country List or ICL. You may need an export license for example. Generally personal correspondence like letters and cards is the only thing you can send freely but the rules are quite vague. For North Korea that is the only thing you can send period. Currently Cuba and Syria are suspended due to lack of transport.