How many UK stamps on envelope?

[SimonaMusik]

Hello!

I'm currently sealing envelopes to send to the UK and I have come accross something i'm a bit confused with.

On the Royal Airmail Site, it says letters within the weight of 20grams can be sent for 97p for the rest of the world.
Can the letter be any sized?

My envelopes are 16.5 cm in length and 23.5 cm in width. Should one 97p stamp be enough to send to New Zealand??

The royal airmail site isn't very clear with this.

Thanks so much

- Simona

[ScottishDan]

I'm not too sure but It costs me 97p to send a C5 envelope to most countries around the world (as long as it weighs under 100grams) from the UK .

[osiris]

Yes, to send a letter that weighs under 20g it would be 97p. There are details on size limits here http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/cont ... 36#1400039, you're well below them.

You would need to purchase stamps that add up to (or over) 97p. These can be the specific 97p stamps, "1st Class", "2nd Class" or any of the denominations. You can use any of these stamps http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/cont ... tId=600025 as long as they add up to or over 97p (you can use the "Large" ones too, just focus on the cost).

I'm not too sure but It costs me 97p to send a C5 envelope to most countries around the world (as long as it weighs under 100grams) from the UK .

Anything 20g-100g would be more than 97p though?

[kimmylee]

In the UK size limits only apply to inland mail. So anything going out of the UK, is priced by weight only.

up to 20g: £0.97
up to 40g: £1.46
up to 60g: £1.98
up to 80g:£2.51
up to 100g: £3.04

So I hope your letters got there ScottishDan ;) I have no idea how insufficient postage would be dealt with when it crosses countries.

[ScottishDan]

Yes, to send a letter that weighs under 20g it would be 97p. There are details on size limits here http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/cont ... 36#1400039, you're well below them.

You would need to purchase stamps that add up to (or over) 97p. These can be the specific 97p stamps, "1st Class", "2nd Class" or any of the denominations. You can use any of these stamps http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/cont ... tId=600025 as long as they add up to or over 97p (you can use the "Large" ones too, just focus on the cost).

I'm not too sure but It costs me 97p to send a C5 envelope to most countries around the world (as long as it weighs under 100grams) from the UK .

Anything 20g-100g would be more than 97p though?

Hmmm.. well that's what i've been paying. I will need to look into that, I hope my big batch of letters I just sent to America get there! :neutral:

[HappinessStan]

In the UK size limits only apply to inland mail. So anything going out of the UK, is priced by weight only.

up to 20g: £0.97
up to 40g: £1.46
up to 60g: £1.98
up to 80g:£2.51
up to 100g: £3.04

So I hope your letters got there ScottishDan ;) I have no idea how insufficient postage would be dealt with when it crosses countries.

It's not quite as straightforward as that.

You can send photos and, IIRC, "a covering note" from the UK to the US up to 100g for about £1.60 (the Royal Mail website is down at the moment, and it is horrible to use at the best of times, but the rates are on there), if you write "Small Packet" on the envelope. It will help to use a customs form, on which you write "Photograph(s)", and no value. Two 10x8 photos, a letter, a return A4 envelope, a sheet of not-too-thick card and the envelope it's sent from the UK to the US in weighs in at less than that when I do it.

Over 100g it costs a bit more, but cheaper than airmail. Works for anything over 40g.

The cost of postage is going up in (I think) April, so if you are able to get 1st or 2nd (either large or small letter) stamps without the prices on they work like US Forever stamps.

If you send something in the UK to overseas with insufficient postage, they get returned to sender with a sticker on telling you to take them to a post office to pay the balance and re-send. Given how few celebs put their home address on the back, or are likely to pay excess postage, they will end up at the sorting office and sent off to be destroyed (according to the guys at our local sorting office). Not a good idea to send an SASE with insufficient postage to the UK.

[SimonaMusik]

In the UK size limits only apply to inland mail. So anything going out of the UK, is priced by weight only.

up to 20g: £0.97
up to 40g: £1.46
up to 60g: £1.98
up to 80g:£2.51
up to 100g: £3.04

So I hope your letters got there ScottishDan ;) I have no idea how insufficient postage would be dealt with when it crosses countries.

It's not quite as straightforward as that.

You can send photos and, IIRC, "a covering note" from the UK to the US up to 100g for about £1.60 (the Royal Mail website is down at the moment, and it is horrible to use at the best of times, but the rates are on there), if you write "Small Packet" on the envelope. It will help to use a customs form, on which you write "Photograph(s)", and no value. Two 10x8 photos, a letter, a return A4 envelope, a sheet of not-too-thick card and the envelope it's sent from the UK to the US in weighs in at less than that when I do it.

Over 100g it costs a bit more, but cheaper than airmail. Works for anything over 40g.

The cost of postage is going up in (I think) April, so if you are able to get 1st or 2nd (either large or small letter) stamps without the prices on they work like US Forever stamps.

If you send something in the UK to overseas with insufficient postage, they get returned to sender with a sticker on telling you to take them to a post office to pay the balance and re-send. Given how few celebs put their home address on the back, or are likely to pay excess postage, they will end up at the sorting office and sent off to be destroyed (according to the guys at our local sorting office). Not a good idea to send an SASE with insufficient postage to the UK.

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP EVERYONE

What im sending is: two 6x4 photos, a covering letter, and a small envelope so they can return the two 6x4 photos signed.

Will one 97p stamp be enough? The weight should be around 10g.

[HappinessStan]

From April the prices will be

10g £0.76
20g £1.10

If you're confident that it will sent back before then, or that the weight will be under 10g you'll be ok, otherwise put another stamp on just in case.

The full list of new prices from April 2011 is here
ftp://ftp.royalmail.com/Downloads/publi ... cument.pdf

Rest of World ones are on pages 9 and 10.

[osiris]

You can send photos and, IIRC, "a covering note" from the UK to the US up to 100g for about £1.60 (the Royal Mail website is down at the moment, and it is horrible to use at the best of times, but the rates are on there), if you write "Small Packet" on the envelope.

"Small Packet" is only for goods, gifts etc. The "covering note" is supposed to be related to its contents but no more (i.e. your letter of request is not just a cover note). If they open your package to check the contents (as they sometimes do for customs) your letter will invalidate your package and it may be returned to you.

It's basically trying to cheat the system. Like reusing stamps. Can you get away with it? Possibly. Should you...?

[HappinessStan]

Since the discussion here is about an envelope being returned from the UK to the US containing a photograph (goods) and no covering letter, I believe that my suggestion remains entirely valid. It is unusual in my experience for the letter to be returned, and if the celebrity has written on it then I doubt that even a fastidious customs official could consider it to be more than a covering note, since it was written by the original sender in the USA (or elsewhere) and on its way back having become at most a covering note, and not a letter, which - as you say - is prohibited by the rules.

Of course it shouldn't be done the other way around, but I don't accept that as a means of returning an envelope with a photo in that it is fraudulent.