If you have friends and family who live in jolly old England, you may want to send them cards on their birthdays, gifts at the holidays and an old-fashioned written letter now and then.
Of course, if these people recently relocated to the United Kingdom, you might be understandably unsure of how to go about mailing anything to England, as well as the costs.
At Pak Mail, we get these types of questions all the time, and we are here to reassure you that there is no such thing as a silly postage-related question. Fortunately, we can also tell you that we offer reliable and relatively inexpensive shipping and mailing options for the UK.
USPS Postage Rates
In general, First-Class Mail International is the most affordable mail class for sending letters, postcards and flat packages to England, as well as 190-plus other countries. You can purchase and use Global Forever stamps to send letters or postcards that weigh up to 1 ounce to England; like the domestic Forever stamps, you can buy them at the current one-ounce rate, but they will not expire even if and when this amount goes up.
Stamps for standard-sized letters and standard-sized postcards that are up to one ounce in weight start at $1.15 for all countries. If you are sending your favorite aunt in England a large-sized birthday card filled with some photos and other goodies, you will have to pay more based on England’s price group; you can bring the envelope to your local post office and they can weigh it and advise you on a total amount for postage.
Is Tracking Possible?
If you are sending a box of gifts to your friend in London, tracking can help you to keep tabs on the package until it arrives safely at his or her flat. Depending on which method you select to send the package, you can get tracking info.
This is straight forward for shippers like FedEx and UPS and is available for most USPS options, including Global Express Guaranteed and Priority Mail Express International shipping services.
Free USPS Tracking is also available for certain select destinations for First Class Package International Service shipments. Please note, right now, tracking is not available for regular first-class letters and postcards going over to the UK. If you have questions on any of these important points, visit the USPS site and click on the “International” tab at the top of the page.
What are the Options for Fast Package Shipments to the UK?
Of course, there are a number of speedy shipment choices for sending a box of presents to your friends or loved ones in England. As you might suspect, these tend to cost a lot more than a simple envelope with a birthday card tucked inside. Rates can vary widely (think $50 and up) so give us a call to discuss your options.