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I need some help understanding the amount of postage required to get signed photos returned from the USA please

Hi guys,

how are you?

I'm hoping I can get some help on the best way to get mail returned from America via airmail without the issues. I don't want to leave anybody shortchanged but I certainly don't want to have any nasty surprises and Overpay either.

I'm looking to send 2 8 x 10 photos in a C4 envelope, with a piece of cardboard. If I were to send 2 8x10's , a c4 envelope and cardboard to stop the photos from being bent - what in your opinion is required to get it returned without any hassles 2 forever stamps, 3 , 4 ?

Because in the past I sent 2 international reply coupons which got my mail returned no problem but recently I sent a 40 gram envelope ( about 1.4 ounces ) and I sent three international reply coupons ( which provided 3 forever stamps ) but according to the sender due to the thickness ( I'll use thinner cardboard this time) I ended up needing to send them an additional 12 USD. I find US postage very confusing and don't want to get burned again.

I tried asking USPS but they ignored my messages unfortunately .

Thank you for your time and help .

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Permalink Reply by Beatles410 on May 29, 2019 at 5:31pm

What I have done in the past, sending from the US to the UK, is to find out the cost to mail out. I then go to the local currency exchange and include the same amount in British pounds. Has worked very well for me, but it is a bit of a gamble..

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Permalink Reply by Gratefulphish on May 29, 2019 at 9:57pm

U.S. postal regulations are bizarre, and that's just for domestic mail. Regular envelopes are calculated solely by their weight. But, once you go with a large "flat," meaning any large rectangular envelope that would hold an 8x10, then you are charged an additional fee, plus the weight charge. Then, if you insert cardboard which causes the item to exceed 1/4", there is a further charge. On top of all of that, you then need to calculate the international postage. I actually tried to figure this out on the USPS website, but it would not give any prices except for one of their priority mail services, which start around $12.00 or so. It should be less than that. If I get a chance when I go to the Post Office next, I will try to get you a more definitive answer.