As Postcrossing is about sending a postcard, not more, I don’t like this suggestion as it could put pressure on members who don’t have a wide variety of stamps. They would probably deduce using many stamps is expected when they see this link.
I tried the calculator and for me it takes longer to add the stamps than to do the math myself. If there was a dropdown menu, with all values available in my country (since 20 years…), using it would be less of a hassle… But it’s clear that this would be a lot of research and programming (and updates).
It surely is a nice and useful tool for Round Robins and Tags at the forum, where members focus on other things than just postcards, but I don’t see it on the official website.
^this^
At the moment I have stamps with 25 different values that I could use for postcards.
For the official cards I mostly use a 95ct-stamp or 85+10, when there’s a 85ct-stamp that matches the card or the profile. (85ct ist national standard letter, so there are many topics available).
For forum swaps and tags I use up to 5 stamps, which mainly depends from the theme of the postcard. So for Christmas postcards I try to use Christmas stamps. Or I try to find stamps that match to the profile.
I have been looking for something like this! When I bought a lot of stamps, I would combine 2 of them and it was easy for me. But since April postage in Serbia is higher a lot, and I should use 3-5 stamps. Until I buy new stamps with hugher value to combine 2 of them for new postage, I have to detash the old ones and make hard combinations. This really makes it easier.
A few days ago I asked my brother to make me calculator. Now he doesn’t have to.
I’m wondering if I perhaps don’t get it, but what makes this stamp calculator different from a normal calculator, which can be found on every computer and on every mobile phone?
(I tried it several times, also my husband and son, none of us got a result, even by following the “how to use” step by step )
And the best and fastest thing is, at least for me, my own brain to do the needed math. It took me much longer to go for that calculator than calculating it myself.
Ah, well…to each their own. There surely will be people who would find it useful and others who find it completely unnecessary.
I gave it a try with all my available stamp values (32 different values) and it only gives me a very little selection of possibilities, even with just 2 stamp combos. For example this is my result for 2-stamp-combos (I set to only exceed the rate by 1 ct):
But combinations like 80+15, 90+5, 58+37, 75+20 etc are all missing, even though I added those stamp values.
If I set it to don’t exceed the needed rate, I don’t get any 2 stamp option at all! Although there are plenty of options.
And as I have lots of different values on hand, it really takes too long to enter it. Especially since calculating with German stamps is very easy, as they have the denominations printed on them. I just checked it out of curiosity.
My compliments on the effort in creating the calculator. But honestly I don’t find it that useful, at least for my country.
Like Cassisia, if using normal euro stamps, it takes me longer to add the stamps in the calculator than to do the math myself.
I need a calculator when I want to use old lire stamps, because I also have to convert their value into euros, but in this case I would need a second calculator anyway in order to add the correct converted value in this calculator
I have bought old smaller denominations and found myself with 13 different ones, could it maybe possible to have a way to add maybe a comma separated list of values and then have the app fill all the fields for each stamp? all those clicks make it pretty long to do each time. But it’s really useful, thank you!
I was checking what denominations I have, on the left the stamps denominations I have, on the right, postcard costs depending on destination
An other possible feature, is being able to limit the number of stamps that can be used of a certain denomination
Like, let’s say you have only one remaining stamp 0.25, you still want to have it in possible combinations, but it should appear only once, so that if the total you need to reach is 1.25 it will not give the combination 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.25
I have to notify of a bug… target value 1.35, stamps 0.20 and 0.15, it will not give a calculation back. It should give 0.20 x 6 + 0.15. If I add stamp 0.25 then it suggests 0.15 x 4 + 0.25 x 3
)
