I was very surprised to see just how different delivery schedules were for some people in the days without cards. So, I thought I’d ask: how does post work for you?
In the US, letter mail is delivered 6 days a week, every day but Sunday. Packages are delivered 7 days. Outgoing mail will be picked up from houses and rural areas if those who live there life a flag on their box. Unfortunately, pick up from apartments is at the discretion of the mail carrier. My old carrier always picked up my outgoing mail. He was really friendly and I miss him. My new carrier will not take my mail. I’ve recently learned that you can schedule letter pick up from some apartments.
In the small city where I live, there are a good number of post boxes, where letters can be dropped, and post offices where stamps can be purchased, packages and money orders sent, passport applications processed, and mail picked up if you choose to rent a box there.
We can also order stamps online. The selection is much better, and while I’m always slightly bothered by the shipping price, I just remind myself that I’m supporting the postal service.
I look forward to hearing from others (in the US too, as I know it’s not the same all over the country).
If no one is home, the carrier leaves a piece of paper asking the recipient to collect the item from the nearby post office. One has to bring identification to prove you are the recipient before the post office will release the item to you.
Alternatively, the recipient can ask someone else to collect on their behalf (by signing on the piece of paper agreeing that the person is their proxy)
Our online stamp store is atrocious - they only carry new stamps. And they come in sets.
(For example, if the issue comes with four stamps, I can only buy the set - consisting of 1st local, 80 cents, 90 cents and 1.50. I cannot get 10 pieces of 1st local from the site)
If I want older stamps I have to visit the General Post Office or philatelic stores.
Neighbourhood post offices carry stamps yes - but the choice is also limited, hence I usually just go to the GPO for my stamp needs
We drop mail into post boxes, no collection by the carrier. They are conveniently situated all around the country.
One can pay bills, collect passports, buy stamps, mail parcels at the post office. There are also PO boxes
In France the postman never comes Sunday. On Saturdays,he comes only for packages, or urgent letters (so not postcards).
We can receive postcards in our mailbox from Monday to Friday.
It is possible to give our outgoing mail to the postman but you must give it in the hand when he passes (and I don’t think there are many French who do that). In principle, the mail is sent in the post mailboxes, or to the post office directly.
Stamps can be ordered online. Many post offices in town don’t like to sell beautiful stamps (I don’t know why! ) and tell us to order online (delivery is free from 25€ [ 27$] ) or buy the ugly stamps (without images) at the electronic kiosk or print the stamps via the online store (but these are not collectible stamps)… but small post offices in villages often have beautiful stamps.
In the Netherlands, mail is delivered Tuesday-Saturday. You drop your mail into postboxes, in larger cities there are two slots (one for local mail, one for other mail). I’m sure you can also give it in at a post office, but there aren’t really official post offices as far as I can tell - there are usually just PostNL services offered by stores. You can buy stamps in supermarkets and stationary stores, but they usually carry a limited range and I think it’s better to buy the stamps online.
Thanks so much for this topic. I’ve traveled quite a bit (although sadly before I was Postcrossing) and consider myself relatively aware of (and tremendously interested in) other cultures. But recently I’ve read some comments about mail being delivered only weekly in some locations and I’ve realized I had no idea there was such variance! This is extremely interesting to me, and I hope this gets lots of input here! Thanks
In France there is the post office for mail, and the postal bank and the two services are combined in the post offices. So those who have their bank account at the postal bank can withdraw or deposit money at the post office, open an account, deposit a check, and do all the activities of a bank. At the post offices in the city it is possible to buy packages for mail, phone plan " La poste mobile" or for example buy commemorative coins.
Here in india, we have 6 day delivery system, and i receive mail on everyday, once received mails whole week regularly!!
And we don’t have service of mail carrier taking our mail from home for outgoings, but we have to drop mails in red boxes of India post located in every street or main area, or can drop mail hand to at post office
Me sending Self addressed stamped envelope to postoffice for pictorial cancellation
USPS charges a ‘handling fee’ of roughly $2 per order, so it makes sense not to place small orders frequently. Pre-ordering future stamps does not mean an extra $2 if shipped later separately.
The mailrooms for my block of flats, and my mother’s, have an Outgoing pickup slot, so carriers take that deposited mail with them after delivering our to residents.
Very interesting topic! I loved to read each of one of your reality regarding to mail in your country.
In Chile, there are not mail boxes, so, if you want to send a postcard, a letter or a parcel you have to go to the post office. Generally there’s one in every citiy’s downtown. Mail is delivered from Monday to Friday. Almost no one has mailboxes in their homes, so the post man have to knock door by door’s houses to deliver the mail, but getting mail is not that common anymore. Most of people gets delivered their parcels from online order and some bills, not “real mail”. In apartments, the mail is deliver to the concierge of the building.
Some post offices has a philately office where they sell stamps, you cand find some stamps, but not too many, except if you are in the capital where are more variety (6 hour drive from my city, so not an option for me). But there are many post office who don’t have one, there, stamps are sell directly where you send your mail, but they don’t have to many, and they usually don’t offer them, so if you don’t ask, they will put a horrible electronik print sticker.
Also, we don’t have “international stamps” and “national stamps”, we only have international price and national price, so, you buy the number of stamps you need to complete the price of the shipment. And the stamps have several prices too.
Also! By law, you have to pay the post man 50 chilean pesos (around 6 cents) for every letter receive. Not everyone pays this, so I think if you do this is a good way of gaining the sympathy of your postman. I usually give more than is requaried because of this same reason
Hope you can find this interesting and understandable, because english is not my first language.
Have a nice day!
Our apartment complex has an outgoing mail slot as well, thankfully.
We’re moving into a house next month, and after years of living in apartments I was looking forward to having a mailbox with a flag again. However, during house hunting we learned that (at least in that part of California) they aren’t building houses with individual mailboxes anymore. Each neighborhood/street/community has the ‘apartment style’ community mailboxes. It makes sense in a way, as I’m sure it’s easier for the mail carrier, and it’s nice since the mailboxes are locked, but I’m going to miss the mailboxes with the cute little flags.
Same. There were always cautions about not putting important mail out overnight and that sort of thing, but it never seemed to be an issue ‘back in the day’
Packages do get stolen occasionally, but those don’t usually fit in the mailboxes anyway.
Agreed, I hear about packages being stolen, especially during the holiday season (which is really sad because that is really not taking up the holiday spirit), but I think it depends on your neighborhood. And, sometimes, living in an apartment can benefit you. At my apartment, we always bring in packages we find outside (unless they are really heavy), even if they aren’t ours. This way, they are at least inside the first door, which is locked.
In France postmen and delivery agents have a master key to open the entrance door of the buildings, so the packages are never placed outside! If the person is absent and the package cannot be put in the mailbox, either the package must be picked up at the post office with the person’s ID card, or the package is left at the door of the apartment or at the neighbour’s apartment if he is there (depends on the delivery person).
But even inside the buildings, I know there are robberies between neighbors.
Mail is delivered Monday to Friday though it’s been hit or miss since my previous postman retired. I have a mailbox at my door though many in Canada have community boxes. No outgoing mail which I drop at a box near my house.
Canada Post has official and franchise locations but neither has a good selection of stamps though you can usually get the latest issues of commemoratives. I buy most online and also use vintage stamps.
) and tell us to order online (delivery is free from 25€ [ 27$] ) or buy the ugly stamps (without images) at the electronic kiosk or print the stamps via the online store (but these are not collectible stamps)… but small post offices in villages often have beautiful stamps.
