General Forum

I'm about 6 weeks back with trading and I'm seeing quite a few PWE's that are short on postage. I don't know if its people trying to save money here and there but as someone who takes the time to weigh and apply the appropriate postage on every trade I do, it leaves me with mixed feelings. 

I do know that, if and when, I have to stand in line at my local post office to pay for "postage due" on a trade, that will probably mark the end of my trading days. 

I'm in a smal town in rural Alberta Canada so I always get the postal clerk to weigh and apply the appropriate postage when I PWE cards. So far so good with me doing that. Sorry to hear you're going through that. Hopefully it's a temporary (overlooked) thing.

Postage prices went up from what I understand but getting a scale and checking is a good practice or go by the post office. 

I use a scale at home too. I know we traded a month or so ago, hopefully it wasn't one of mine! If anything I think I put too much on sometimes.

I too go the post office counter at my local Shopper's Drug Mart (Canada) and weigh every PWE I send to make sure the postage is correct. I view that as a responsible trading practice that should be followed by all.

I have seen situations where a trader takes their PWE or package to a PO, the clerk applies the postage, and then the receiver's postmaster charges postage due. That being said, I have a list of the current value of the basic stamps....forever, intl forever, extra ounce, non-machinable. I weigh everything on a scale I bought on Amazon. To conifrm the cost I use the USPS postage calculator and then select the stamps that add up to the cost the USPS shows on their site. 

I do this, too! The scale is inexpensive, and pretty accurate!

Out of 100s of PWE that I have received I only had one that had postage due.   I have had on one tell me they had to pay extra postage.

The funny thing was the mail man brought the postage due PWE to the door along with another PWE with out postage due.    (same amount of cards as the postage due one).    I asked him why??   He stated he only delievers the mail.  But he figured some way along the line someone felt it and said it was ridged and it was a package.  

I sent out 15 cards in a PWE with only one stamp and no problem that I know of.  I have had PWEs check at the PO for weight and 15 card is below but 21 is a little over.   The guys at the PO state they are a little ridge but just put them in the blue box and they should go through with ot a problem.

I have never received a postage due envelope and hope that none of my partners have received one from me. I've not been notified if that's happened. Most of the time I round up if it's within 0.1-0.2 ounces of the next rate level.

I am inclined to believe that this may be a clerical decision by whoever handles the mail. As we all know postal clerks have their interpretations, so I'm assuming those that are within the system that determine the need for added postage have them, too.

Given the frequency of trades I do, as well as the added complexity of sometimes travelling to the USA and mailing cards from there, I bought a scale off Amazon for $50.  For the first so many trades after getting it I'd write the weight on the back of the envelope and take it to the post office and have them weighed.  Once I was confident that what I wrote matched what shows on their scale I began using it with every trade I do... and so glad I did.