How to mail this letter to germany?
July 19, 2017 10:17 AM Subscribe
I've got one of these little Moleskine Messages note-book mailers that I'd like to send from USA to germany. But the woman at the post office said "Nope, we can't send it because the stamps are in the wrong spot."
weight is about about 5 grams so I need 4 forever stamps. The problem: my forever stamps were to big to fit on the front of the card, so I put a couple on the back, with a little arrow saying "More stamps------->".
I've already affixed $2 worth of postage to this envelope, but I'll do what it takes to get it to the recipient.
Should I stuff it in a mailer and send that? Should I put some more on the lower right corner? Should I just drop it in a mail box and see what happens?
weight is about about 5 grams so I need 4 forever stamps. The problem: my forever stamps were to big to fit on the front of the card, so I put a couple on the back, with a little arrow saying "More stamps------->".
I've already affixed $2 worth of postage to this envelope, but I'll do what it takes to get it to the recipient.
Should I stuff it in a mailer and send that? Should I put some more on the lower right corner? Should I just drop it in a mail box and see what happens?
Response by poster: The post office clerk said that I could not affix a stamp over top of the stamps I already put on. And like I said I already affixed $2 in postage to the envelope, I would prefer not to tear it off and throw it away.
posted by rebent at 10:29 AM on July 19, 2017
posted by rebent at 10:29 AM on July 19, 2017
Not sure if that is still the case but once upon a time you could find post office clerks who'd take your uncancelled but unsuitable stamps and let you pay the difference for a suitable one. Given the amount involved though I'd just find a big enough envelope and start from scratch because life is too short.
posted by koahiatamadl at 10:35 AM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by koahiatamadl at 10:35 AM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
These are all basic (unavoidable) USPS rules. Postage has to You can peel off the currently affixed stamp and reuse it since it hasn't been canceled by an inkover stamp (just tape it down at your next use). For situations like this, it's often best to get a metered postage stamp sticker from your Post Office.
(My dad was a letter carrier for 20+ years).
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 10:36 AM on July 19, 2017 [6 favorites]
(My dad was a letter carrier for 20+ years).
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 10:36 AM on July 19, 2017 [6 favorites]
I would tear them off, save them, and then glue them the next time I wanted to use them.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 10:37 AM on July 19, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 10:37 AM on July 19, 2017 [5 favorites]
Personally I would either drop it in a blue box or try my luck with a different clerk. They can send it the way you have it, it may just take a little longer if it's rejected by the optical sorter and has to wait for a human to approve it.
posted by mama casserole at 10:41 AM on July 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by mama casserole at 10:41 AM on July 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
Before doing the following, I might just try a different postal worker. They should be able to find and cancel stamps even if they are on the back, it just may have to be processed manually.
You can carefully steam off the forever stamps and then reuse them elsewhere. Don't cover them with tape when you reuse them, just use a drop of glue or a gluestick. Despite what some people claim online, it is not illegal to do this with stamps that have not already gone through the mail.
posted by muddgirl at 10:50 AM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
You can carefully steam off the forever stamps and then reuse them elsewhere. Don't cover them with tape when you reuse them, just use a drop of glue or a gluestick. Despite what some people claim online, it is not illegal to do this with stamps that have not already gone through the mail.
posted by muddgirl at 10:50 AM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: How about putting your letter in a new envelope that you decorate? You may lose $2 in stamps but the recipient will be able to see and appreciate your original design and you can decorate another beautiful envelope. I've had my share of frustrations with mail clerks (they may have been gruff but were just doing their job) as well as sent creative international mail that got lost or returned. While I'd prefer to have it my way from the start, I'd much rather have to repackage something than risk having it never arrive.
posted by smorgasbord at 11:12 AM on July 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by smorgasbord at 11:12 AM on July 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
I have put all sorts of nonconforming things in the mail.
Just drop it in a box with no return address and it will get to where it's going.
posted by littlewater at 11:44 AM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
Just drop it in a box with no return address and it will get to where it's going.
posted by littlewater at 11:44 AM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I put it in a new envelope. FWIW I did want to just chuck it in a mailbox and see what happened, but I decided to give it the best chance it could have of arriving to the destination.
posted by rebent at 1:12 PM on July 19, 2017
posted by rebent at 1:12 PM on July 19, 2017
Ask the post office (a different one or a different clerk) to hand cancel the stamps.
posted by ananci at 1:17 PM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by ananci at 1:17 PM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by mskyle at 10:23 AM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]