Overwhelmed Newbie, Need Help on Sending Mail from US to UK

[luckyas13canbe]

I've got my envelopes and photos, just waiting on my stamps now.

Any last minute tips for me in general? How brief do you guys keep your letters? I figured half a page to one page (handwritten) would be advisable, but then I see people here talking about how they wrote a 3 page letter, and I'm like...really? I figured that would be a big no-no.

How do you guys phrase your request for an autograph, too? Trying to find the best, most polite way to ask.

Just to say, long letters (ie these people who write multiple pages) are pointless... 99% of celebs will have zero time to read one page let alone ten pages of "i love you in this, you're cute in that" etc. Keep it short and sweet, be polite, always thank them for their time and you'll get good responses.

RM

[CrimeofPassion]

I brought one of the envelopes into work today to weigh on our postage meter (they all contain the exact same things, so they should weigh the same). It was 4.4 ounces. The envelope measures 10” x 13”, and because it’s rigid, I believe it has to be sent as a package according to USPS rules. So I think I have to fill out one of those little customs forms for the overseas ones. For the ones I’m sending within the US, the price should be $2.41. To the UK, I think it’s $12.75.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think I can use, say, this $10 stamp on the ones I’m sending to the UK (plus a few $1/$2 ones): https://store.usps.com/store/browse/usp ... herPostage

I was hoping to avoid standing in line at the post office to send these, since I work 9-5, the same exact hours they’re open, and on Saturdays their line is out the door – just ridiculous. I wanted to put postage on them myself and drop them off, but I need to be confident I’ve put the correct postage on, particularly for those UK ones.

The slightly smaller SAE by itself weighed 3.4 ounces (I put the photo in when I weighed it). So the ones in the US should cost $2.24 to send back, while the ones in the UK cost £3.50 via airmail, I believe (so 6 UK first-class stamps?).

Let me know if any of this sounds wrong!

[luckyas13canbe]

Hey,
Sorry just saw this somehow. If you've weighed them out at your end, and have ensured the dimensions are correctly entered on both USPS and Royal Mail price checker, then you should be fine. Remember that some celebs might put an extra photo or stiffening card in so it's sometimes wise to account for that in advance

Let us know how you get on

RM

[CrimeofPassion]

Dang, you guys must use lighter envelopes than I do. Considering that my SAE weighs 3.4 ounces, I think I'll need a whole bunch of UK stamps. Royal Mail is telling me it'll cost £4.50. 8 stamps it is, then!

[luckyas13canbe]

make sure you double check that, sounds hefty to me, but if you've weighed it...

[CrimeofPassion]

Well, it was 3.4 ounces, which is roughly 96 grams, and I added a few grams to that just to be safe.

It's a photo/document holder made out of cardboard, so it does weigh more than an envelope. I'm just not sure I trust the postal service not to bend something, and even if it isn't outright bent, it could be damaged. The woman at the post office once told me that they really don't pay much attention to packages marked "fragile" and "do not bend." I had wanted her to mark a package as fragile, but she said it didn't make much of a difference!

[luckyas13canbe]

Sadly that's true, but if it's marked (and you can just write it on it yourself) then at least if it is damage you have even more scope to claim compensation for the item

RM

[Rew]

Hey gang! I am writing my very first fan letter, from the US and to a UK celeb. I've read through this thread but still have some questions. (I also figured it'd be better to bump this old thread than to create a new one.)

I've got my letter mostly written now. I don't have any photos or merch or anything--I'm just including an index card if they want to sign it or put a little note. And I'm guessing the two envelopes I use (one for my letter and the other the SAE) need to be different sizes, the SAE smaller to fit inside the original envelope? Or should I use the same size and just fold the SAE inside the original? What sizes should I use on both? Also, should I include my return address on both envelopes?

But it's postage that's causing me the greatest pain. I want the SAE to be stamped, but I was crushed to learn today that IRCs were discontinued by the USPS earlier this year. What the heck do I do?? You can't order from the Royal Mail website unless you're British (i.e. have a UK address, phone number, etc.). It doesn't look like there's anyone selling on this forum either; I made sure to check the selling/trading section. (I asked one user who said they're not doing it anymore, and another I haven't heard back from yet.) And even though I'm not really expecting a response, I don't want to lower my chances to 0% by not including any postage on the SAE at all. Worse, I've been trying really hard to get this letter sent off no later than the end of this week or weekend! Any help?

My second concern is with the length of my letter. I'm already almost done writing it, but I only just read on this forum that length is a big no-no. Er, well... my letter is looking like at least three handwritten pages so far! xD However, this is a rather minor celebrity, so while I'm sure she gets her fair share of fan mail, I don't think it's as constant as the big names. So is the length still in danger of being too much? (I spent a lot of time talking about some of the celeb's more obscure works, so hopefully it will still be meaningful.) This celeb seems like a private person--they're not on Twitter or any social media--so I don't know if I should expect any sort of reply. But if the celeb never so much as reads it, I would be beside myself! (Well, not that I would ever know, but I don't want to write anything I know the other person would never read or just toss into the bin.) So I hope three or four pages for someone who doesn't get as much attention as other actors won't be too much?

Sorry for such a long rambling post, and sorry if I'm retreading old territory. I'm completely new at this and wanted to get all my questions out in one place--thanks in advance!

[luckyas13canbe]

I've answered a bit to you in bold below, let me know if I can help in any other way. Welcome to FM

Hey gang! I am writing my very first fan letter, from the US and to a UK celeb. I've read through this thread but still have some questions. (I also figured it'd be better to bump this old thread than to create a new one.)

I've got my letter mostly written now. I don't have any photos or merch or anything--I'm just including an index card if they want to sign it or put a little note. And I'm guessing the two envelopes I use (one for my letter and the other the SAE) need to be different sizes, the SAE smaller to fit inside the original envelope? Or should I use the same size and just fold the SAE inside the original? What sizes should I use on both? Also, should I include my return address on both envelopes?

easy enough to fold in half, that's what is done by most.

But it's postage that's causing me the greatest pain. I want the SAE to be stamped, but I was crushed to learn today that IRCs were discontinued by the USPS earlier this year. What the heck do I do?? You can't order from the Royal Mail website unless you're British (i.e. have a UK address, phone number, etc.). It doesn't look like there's anyone selling on this forum either; I made sure to check the selling/trading section. (I asked one user who said they're not doing it anymore, and another I haven't heard back from yet.) And even though I'm not really expecting a response, I don't want to lower my chances to 0% by not including any postage on the SAE at all. Worse, I've been trying really hard to get this letter sent off no later than the end of this week or weekend! Any help?

There's loads of threads about this but it boils down to a few options...
Get a hold of UK stamps... not easy in short time, but can be done via eBay
Use local currency, if you're in the states or europe, then that can work, but no guarantee
Get a UK fiver from currency exchange and use that


My second concern is with the length of my letter. I'm already almost done writing it, but I only just read on this forum that length is a big no-no. Er, well... my letter is looking like at least three handwritten pages so far! xD However, this is a rather minor celebrity, so while I'm sure she gets her fair share of fan mail, I don't think it's as constant as the big names. So is the length still in danger of being too much? (I spent a lot of time talking about some of the celeb's more obscure works, so hopefully it will still be meaningful.) This celeb seems like a private person--they're not on Twitter or any social media--so I don't know if I should expect any sort of reply. But if the celeb never so much as reads it, I would be beside myself! (Well, not that I would ever know, but I don't want to write anything I know the other person would never read or just toss into the bin.) So I hope three or four pages for someone who doesn't get as much attention as other actors won't be too much?

Length is one of those things... if it's a minor celeb then you never know it might work better, but if they get lots of mail then the chances of it being read are slim. Have you checked for other potential feedback on here or on other sites? I'd say that's too long if I am honest, and you would be better to trim it down more than a bit. There's also no point in getting worked up etc... if it's read it's read, if not, then not. YOu could get an awesome personal response, a standard signed item from a PA or nothing... either way, it's not something to get upset about.

Sorry for such a long rambling post, and sorry if I'm retreading old territory. I'm completely new at this and wanted to get all my questions out
in one place--thanks in advance!

Hope that helps.
RM

[kimmylee]

You should be able to order from Royal Mail's shop and have them sent abroad, it may be you were on the Business shop instead of the personal one here.

In the help it lists delivery charges for all over the word so fingers crossed it will work!