Mac Stamps

Living abroad means having to adapt to customs of the host country, which could lead to either total frustration or bliss. I think each expat out there has got some silly story to tell about their host country. Mine started off as a frustration and changed into bliss, literally over night. Last night I was busy burning a CD for Carla with pictures of the wedding. I have been a bad girl and been postponing it for weeks ignoring her request to send it to her asap *sorry about that dear*. I told her my reason for postponing was not the fact that I had to burn a CD, that takes only 2 minutes but the fact that I had to sort out the stamps... I know... it sounds lame but it actually became a major annoyance!

So last night when I had finally written some postcards and finished Carla's parcel [even though it's flat and smaller than a postcard envelop it is still considered a parcel], I started the dreadful journey online in search of the right stamp...

Let me explain the system over here...There are seven different ways of sending off mail overseas: Airsure, International Signed For, International parcels, Airmail, Surface mail, HM Forces Mail and HM Forces Special Delivery. Then within the UK there is: First Class mail and Second Class mail, Standard Parcels and Recorded Signed For. First Class mail is supposed to be delivered the next day [not over the weekend though] and Second Class will take two to three days, within the UK that is. Then there is Recorded Signed For mail, within the UK and there is Recorded Signed For mail, outside the UK. Both are different issues and require a different form to be filled out which you will be given at the post office; orange for within the UK and blue for outside the UK. I had to send out eight parcels over xMas last year with valuables therefore needed 'signed on delivery', it took two weeks to arrive in the Lowlands, you want to know why?

Because some idiot had given me the orange sticker forms instead of the blue while I specifically had mentioned the destination... A nice Indian man at my local post office took time to explain it to me a while ago when I asked for orange forms, he kindly told me that I needed the blue ones instead. He is actually the only person at that post office who really enjoys his job and it's showing! I remember -in December- I was suprised to hear that for £9,- I had sent off, eight parcels, C. was there with me to help me fill out those annoying forms. In hindsight I guess they were just arsing about at that particular post office [Lakeside Mall].

Anyway... Postage depends on weight, size and destination. There are pricing tables to be found online so once you know how much it weighs you can look up how much postage is needed to send it off. So far so good, I mean it still takes forever to sort out how you would like to send stuff since there are too many options but my major annoyance is the fact that there is no amount mentioned on the new stamps... It just says First Class or Second Class... So the other day when I was at my local post office the Indian gentleman gave me these First Class stamps called First Class Stamps for Large Letters, meant to be used for large sized envelopes within the UK. According to him I could also use these for postcards outside the UK, he again explained it very well and took time to help me out.

I ended up searching for images of stamps last night just to see how much one stamp was worth since I needed to put 69p on one envelope [parcel I mean]. 50 x Large Letter 1st Class Stamp Sheet = £24.00 so one stamp is 48p... Then I still needed 21p and again ended up looking online to find the price of one small First Class Stamp and ended up paying 13p extra because I didn't have the 21p only 34p stamps. This is how they make huge profits each year... But... While I was searching I found out that you can now print your own postage online... They had the same system in the Lowlands but only for PC. Everything seems to be developed for PC users only most of the time so to my surprise I found out that it works for Mac as well!

I really don't understand the ways of this country at times, they have fitted carpet in their airport corridors *yuk*, above ground telephone and internet wires that stop working when there is a slight thunderstorm, but they have a brilliant online postage system for ta da: Mac!

I think I'll stay a bit longer