Just asking Letter to America, can you just apply stamps and post it in the letterbox

[eliquant]

Just asking Letter/Postcard to America, can you just apply stamps and post it in the local letterbox ?

or do you have to go to your local UK post office, have the small letter/post card weighed and then request to have it sent via the cheapest option i.e. 'surface mail' ?

the postoffice .co.uk website isn't that clear about it.

[bogeyman]

Originally Posted by eliquant

Just asking Letter/Postcard to America, can you just apply stamps and post it in the local letterbox ?

or do you have to go to your local UK post office, have the small letter/post card weighed and then request to have it sent via the cheapest option i.e. 'surface mail' ?

the postoffice .co.uk website isn't that clear about it.

Are you about to post Contractor79 to the land of his dreams?

If so, I suggest a large Jiffy bag with 'Please Kick at Every Opportunity' written all over it.

[NickFitz]

Isn't that clear?

How do I use Surface mail?
Simply go to any Post Office™ and ask to send your item Surface mail to its destination. To help you send your mail in the most economical way you can choose between Surface Letters, Surface Printed Papers, and Surface Small Packets.

[eliquant]

Originally Posted by NickFitz

Isn't that clear?

How do I use Surface mail?
Simply go to any Post Office™ and ask to send your item Surface mail to its destination. To help you send your mail in the most economical way you can choose between Surface Letters, Surface Printed Papers, and Surface Small Packets.

yeah but I'm sure I remember that I used to send post cards to France etc. without having to attend the Post Office and ask for 'Surface Mail' ... does every individual that has ever sent a post card or small letter from the UK had to always 'go to the Post Office' and 'ask for surface mail' ???? seems pointless ... why not bung 2 quids worth of stamps and hope for the best ??

[NickFitz]

This FAQ implies that, unless marked as Airmail, items posted in the usual way will be treated as surface mail, although it could indeed be stated more clearly

Depending on the weight and nature of the beast it might cost less than a couple of quid.

[bogeyman]

Originally Posted by eliquant

yeah but I'm sure I remember that I used to send post cards to France etc. without having to attend the Post Office and ask for 'Surface Mail' ... does every individual that has ever sent a post card or small letter from the UK had to always 'go to the Post Office' and 'ask for surface mail' ???? seems pointless ... why not bung 2 quids worth of stamps and hope for the best ??

Yes. Just apply sufficient stamps and it will assuredly get there.

Rudyard Kipling once returned an unsatisfactory Elephant hide to Mombassa simply by covering it with red twopenny stamps and shoving it into the post box at the end of his street.

His tongue was sore for weeks afterwards, however.

[HairyArsedBloke]

Surface mail to the US

I made that mistake once; it took over a month to get there.

[eliquant]

Yeah reading up etc. I think if its a letter or a postcard you just write 'Airmail' in the top left hand corner then place the stamps (56p worth) in the top right hand corner and then the address with Postcode and 'U.S.A' at the bottom.

[zeitghost]

After which, it should arrive promptly sometime in 2016.

[Turion]

Go to Royal Mail online and pay for and print the postage required. Stick it on the envelope and send. Dead simple and no need to make the PO queues even longer.