I started Postcrossing after you told us about it a couple of years ago. I love it and I'm hooked!! I buy postcards wherever I go and I have a huge stash now. I'm just disappointed that Canada Post is going to raise stamp rates so much in April. I've stocked up on permanent stamps so I could save some money.
Here my profile, who knows, I could draw your name one day:

Here is a link that might be useful: My profile

What a nice idea, and how good that you both are having fun with it!

Casey, so far it's only the stamps inside Canada that are going up in price. To the US and International are still the same. I talked to the girls in our post office about it at work a few days ago. No more permanent stamps are being sold either. I meant to stock up on those, but Canada Post recalled them, and now all stamps have a price on them. :( I have a stash of about 100 cards right now. They're from Victoria, Vancouver, Banff, Canmore, Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg, and a flew places in between. :)

I bought a ton of permanent stamps at Costco when I heard they were going up. One of the postal outlets at a Shopper's Drug Mart near me is still selling permanent stamps, I bought some 2 days ago. They must be selling off what they have left.

I read that international stamps were also going up in price. Canada Post said they haven't set a rate yet but it would be similar to the domestic rate hike, which could mean international stamps would go up to $2.50!!

Then I better hurry up and get rid of the rest of my postcards. The girls in our outlet hadn't heard that yet. Sucks to be Canada Post. Raise our postage prices, get rid of home delivery. Their loss, not mine. I'll stop sending any mail, period. With fax and email these days, who needs to send letter mail anymore.

Oh, rats, Deb ...

... here I was about to congratulate and thank you for doing your small part to alleviate Canada Post's woes!

ole joyful

I get 90% of my mail through epost, so I rarely get home delivery anyways. Besides the postcards, I can't remember the last time I mailed anything. Besides a parcel at Christmas. Which sorta makes up for a year of not mailing postcards. $25 for a small box to Maryland. I mailed a parcel to The Netherlands just over a year ago. Three jars of Grape Jelly. The jelly cost me $15 at work, in total. The postage was $75! It took a month to get to her. You can't buy grape jelly in The Netherlands. And she was craving it.

Oh - so the "postcards" that you referred to ...

... were just the invisible kind!

Here I was thinking "hard copy"!

Oh, well ... the attempts at keeping up to date are sometimes somewhat futile.

ole joyful

debby, on your last comment, there are a number of European sellers of American products. Besides websites, including Amazon uk and myamericanmarket.com, there used to be a store in the Hague that carried a wide selection of American products. I forget the name, it's been awhile. Either of these alternatives would be much quicker and cheaper.

Good luck.

I'll have to see if she knows about it. I have family in Den Haag as well, who may know of this store. That's where my friend lives too.

i did ask, and she said it's a very expensive store and they don't sell Welchs Grape Jam. :(

amazon uk does and I think also that website I mentioned (which is in France).

Bonnemaman (A French company that makes awesome jams and jellies) has a grape product too.

This post was edited by snidely on Sat, Jan 25, 14 at 17:31

Ole Joyful - they are real postcards!!!!!!!!!!!

Got the usual stash of travel postcards. Time to get rid of them.

Ole Joyful, yes they are real postcards that I've bought from Victoria BC, to Winnipeg Manitoba and places in between.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lookie here at the bottom of the page for my postcards. Just click on the

So ... you are helping Canada Post as they face their problems, ladies ... thanks.

o j

we bought stamps yesterday at Costco as the price raise is today....

So thanks Debby and Karen, I have signed up and have sent my first postcards (Germany, Russia, Ukraine, USA, Taiwan and Belarus). I staggered sending them out and have six sent as one has been received and registered. I haven't received one yet, but am hoping there will be one in my mailbox soon.

I have to say I was totally surprised, the card I sent to Germany was received in five days, amazing. The one I sent to the USA is still in the system somewhere, 9 days later.

Thanks for this ladies, I am enjoying it so far.

Jane

sometimes the cards come and go really quickly. Other times it seems to take forever. I often wonder if the cards that are never registered, and I have several, were stuck between flyers and thrown out in error.

Joyful, if and when I stop sending cards, it's my business. it's expensive enough as it is to mail anything. A parcel to Europe with 3 jars of jam that I spend $10 on cost me $75. Why? A lady wanted to send a SIM card to her husband in Japan quickly. It was going to cost her the same thing. Really? Because it had to be rushed. Odds are, he would have been back in Canada before it got there. And raising the cost of stamps and removing home delivery is like raising my rent and taking away half my house.