[Stamps] UK stamps, prices, Royal Mail & Post Office matters

[OnTheMoor]

First look of the next issue
Cats (issued on 9th June 2022)

[OnTheMoor]

…and the Presentation Pack

[OnTheMoor]

[seaview]

I couldn’t resist seing a stamp in the sky📮

[AnjuschkaC]

You beat me to it! Here’s another one.

[seaview]

@AnjuschkaC Anja I just realised that on the stamp.she usually looks to the left. That’s why it doesn’t quite look right.

Hehehe…must be a copyright reason🤣

[chrisbonham11]

It was the right way round for HM and Paddington!

[seaview]

Hehehe…if we were all in her back garden it would be the right way round📮

[alilou86]

I’m brand new to postcrossing and cant see any other questions about this so please be kind if it’s really obvious or there’s a section I haven’t found!!! But!!!

Hiw do I post things abroad? Im from the UK so ive been online and put the country im posting to on the buy postage online section of the royal mail site, and its saying anywhere between £1.60 and £1.85 for the addresses I have. Do they need airmail? Do I just buy stamps that have that amount of postage (like 2 x 1st class) and put them in any postbox? I feel like this is a really silly question but im not sure at all.

Thank you in advance

[rhuqes]

Everything about postage rates

Prices of stamps for postcards in all countries/territories (wiki)

Feel free to edit this wiki with the current stamp prices for postcards in your country/territory, in their different categories (economy/priority, domestic/international, etc), in your local currency. If there’s a page with prices list, add the link to it too. Åland Islands Economy Priority Domestic 1.60€ 1.90€ Finland - 2.00€ Nordic countries/Europe 1.90€ 2.20€ Other 1.90€ 2.40€ Albania Postcard Domestic 20 L Neighbors 70 L Europ…

[shanaqui]

@alilou86

Do I just buy stamps that have that amount of postage (like 2 x 1st class) and put them in any postbox?

You can actually buy exact postage! I just get them online, in a sheet.

Two first class stamps is more than enough right now, but only by 5p, so it’s not too bad! You could use that in order to get some interesting stamps, as people love to see different types of stamps. When international postage was exactly double, I’d often use one country definitive stamp and one normal Queen’s head, or one of the special edition ones and the Queen’s head.

I use the blue airmail stickers but I’m not actually sure if you need to use those, as long as you write airmail in the top left corner…

You can get cheaper economy postage for outside Europe (not inside Europe) but it’s very slow, so I usually stick with airmail – then it’s the same for everywhere, too, so I don’t have to think about it/check which zones the addresses are in.

Anyway, once you’ve stuck the correct amount of postage on, you can just pop them in any postbox.

[FairyFoot]

Hello and welcome.

£1.60 is the surface mail / international economy rate for outside Europe. Sometimes the post still goes by air/quickly. When that Icelandic volcano erupted spewing stuff and causing chaos in the airline industry, Royal Mail aimed to get post to the US within the month via container ship.

£1.85 is the airmail / international standard rate. You don’t need the labels and can write AIR MAIL instead. The labels are free from the post office (but note, ebay and amazon have listings for them).

The next issue of stamps, out 9th June, will have £1.85 stamps. Cats. Half-sheets are available on the Royal Mail webshop. Cats Half Sheet £1.85 x 30 | Royal Mail - I’d order online if I hadn’t enough stamps for the moment!

If it is raining, I feed my post to an indoor postbox in a supermarket, or hand over the counter at a post office (usually the little one in a convenience store round the corner from me). If no rain due, then I’ll post in the postbox (as long as I haven’t missed the last collection - I don’t want my outgoing post to feel cold and lonely).

[seaview]

@FairyFoot Mia, how did you manage to find that link to the cats (image awaiting, but at least can preorder)?

Cats Postcards

I usually go to the main page https://www.royalmail.com/sending/stamps and await for the title to become a link. Which it is still not a hyperlink yet.

Is there a Cats half-sheet 1st class?
I can only see Cats Collectors' Sheet | Royal Mail

[FairyFoot]

I clicked on the special stamps issues in the menu bar thing… but didn’t go down the menu.

And then the link for cats, you can see in first place for latest collections.

https://shop.royalmail.com/special-stamp-issues/cats

[FairyFoot]

And after all that, I forget to go into town and get even a single stamp! Maybe next week. But I’m not really bothered.

[JakeyJay]

I’ve been out of the loop for a bit… Did Royal Mail increase the cost of postage from £1.70 to £1.85 if you want to send a postcard internationally?

[Florallle]

Yes, a couple of months ago.

[JakeyJay]

Crazy, I feel like the price of stamps in the UK is quite high. Do you by any chance know if I can you 2x 1st class stamps to send postcards abroad?

[Wakeybluenose]

Yes you can - it will just be overpaid by 5p

[Florallle]

There are also £1.85 stamps available if you want to pay the correct price. There are some nice cat ones that came out a week or two ago. And there is a £1.85 definitive too.