# of stamps to get a x-mas card to Ireland?

TelegramSam · Post by **TelegramSam** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 3:52 pm

Does anybody know how many stamps I need to stick on the envelope to send a normal-sized christmas card to a pal in Ireland and not have it come back to me?

Jeferson · Post by **Jeferson** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 4:06 pm

http://www.usps.com/tools/calculatepost ... atepostage

TelegramSam · Post by **TelegramSam** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 5:50 pm

How much does a christmas card weigh, then?

dubhlinn · Post by **dubhlinn** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 6:09 pm

In my experience of sending Xmas cards to the States, I go to the Post Office and ask how many stamps do I need on this.

They tell me.

I pay.

That simple.

It ain't expensive.

Slan,
D.

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 6:32 pm

dubhlinn wrote:In my experience of sending Xmas cards to the States, I go to the Post Office and ask how many stamps do I need on this.

They tell me.

I pay.

That simple.

It ain't expensive.

Slan,
D.

I do that too. But I don't go to a P.O. in Scunthorpe is the only thing.

dubhlinn · Post by **dubhlinn** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 6:48 pm

emmline wrote:
dubhlinn wrote:In my experience of sending Xmas cards to the States, I go to the Post Office and ask how many stamps do I need on this.

They tell me.

I pay.

That simple.

It ain't expensive.

Slan,
D.
I do that too. But I don't go to a P.O. in Scunthorpe is the only thing.

Lucky for you,

I went down to the P.O. a while back to send a DVD to a friend of mine in
Boston.

Had it all boxed up and addressed and everything and told the guy that I wanted to send it first class and Airmail..

"Where to ?", he sez.

"The States", sez I.

"The States.." sez he.."Where's that?"

"America", sez I.

"Oh , America", sez he, " You mean the United States of America?"

"The very place", sez I.

Then he told me how much and I paid the postage.

I am prepared to be charitable here and can kinda understand that Scunthorpe Post Office workers do not use the standard Irish expression for America - The States - but even a Scunny Bunny should know where the States are.

Cultural differences, eh.

Slan,
D.

djm · Post by **djm** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 11:21 pm

I doubt it. Its more likely you were being politely corrected. Never underestimate the capacity of the officious to browbeat at every opportunity.

djm

Innocent Bystander · Post by **Innocent Bystander** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 5:21 am

If you were the man on the desk, and you got it in the neck if there was a mistake, even if it wasn't your mistake, you would be officious too.
Time was, "The States" could mean "The United Federal Soviet States of Russia". It still could mean "The League of Arab States" or the seven states of Myanmar.

But I've been to Post Offices, or what pass for Post Offices, in the U.S.A., and can understand the reluctance to go anywhere near them. Despite the fashion for emulating the U.S. Postal Service, the Royal Mail still does a good job, including the mystery service where they miraculously manage to accurately deliver letters with addresses like "The lady in the blue Cardigan on Watling street".

The Royal mail do publish details of what postage is required for what weight (and now size) of letters and packets, to various places.

Does the U.S. Postal Service not do this? Oh yeah, there's a nice link from Jeferson.

The answer to the original question is "One, if it's big enough."

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 5:35 am

I've always just stuck two first class stamps on, if I didn't want to fool with weighing an overseas envelope. It's always worked.

feadogin · Post by **feadogin** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 1:18 pm

It actually takes more than 2 first-class stamps to get a letter to Ireland now, although I don't remember exactly what the postage is. I had to send a bunch of thank you cards there after my wedding this year, but since I had like 5 rolls of stamps I just stuck 2 first-class & 1 postcard stamp on each. That worked, although I think it's something closer to 83 cents or something.

J.

TelegramSam · Post by **TelegramSam** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 2:18 pm

Bleh. I think I'll just jam three on there and hope it works.

Thanks everybody.

burnsbyrne · Post by **burnsbyrne** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 4:24 pm

Presently it's $0.84 for a first class letter to Italy. I imagine that it's the same or maybe a little less to Ireland.
Mike

brianc · Post by **brianc** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 5:50 pm

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 6:59 pm

Right. A standard Christmas card takes a 39 cent stamp. Therefore, using the Domestic Rate Chart, I deduce that a standard Christmas card weighs less than 1 ounce. Looking at the International Rate Chart, I see that a 1 ounce letter requires 84 cents in postage to Ireland.

There is a requirement to include the county and a postal code.

Also, do not send any advertisements for venereal disease preventives unless your recipient is a physician or registered pharmacist.

Post by **Nanohedron** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 7:07 pm

Lambchop wrote:Also, do not send any advertisements for venereal disease preventives unless your recipient is a physician or registered pharmacist.

That is a Christmas greeting I frankly hadn't considered, ever.

And what, by the way, is a postal code? Is it the same as one's ZIP code?