To point out why USPS took note of them, there are unofficial Postcrossing tracking IDs recording nearly half a million postcards actively in transit from sender to receiver as of when I pulled that from their website a couple minutes ago.
This is wonderful!!! I have been Postcrossing for years and it's so much fun to get a postcard randomly out of the blue from someone. Regrettably the cost to send a postcard international from the USA is over $1 now, and the cost of a postcard means you might be spending around $2 per card, but it's so worth it.
Well, if you buy N of these global forever stamps, the cost will just get cheaper over time (inflation).
Since the non-postcrossing Global Forevers are circular and a bit annoying, I use 2 Forever stamps plus a 20¢ stamp (6¢ wasted - i suppose i could switch to 15¢ stamps...).
> if you buy N of these global forever stamps, the cost will just get cheaper over time (inflation).
Not if you buy them today to use later I would think. Since you gave up the $$$ today, it won’t do anything for you anymore even if you don’t buy another stamp again I’d think. Compared to buying a stamp whenever you need one in the future but not tying your cash up until that moment.
I just learned about Postcrossing from a small bookshop owner in Iceland! I was buying some postage to send some postcards back to family in the US. We talked about how fun the format is (and challenging! You don’t have a lot of room!).
Thank you for posting this. I've somehow never heard of Postcrossing, but I've now signed up and will have a couple cards put in a mailbox this afternoon. I am so so excited to actually receive mail. I've sent close to 150 postcards over the last 12 months to various people I know IRL, and not a single person has responded in kind. The only mail I get is from a penpal in Finland I met on Lemmy (which is always a treat to receive!)
I'll just so happen to be at the world stamp expo, so I'll be sure to try and check out the postcrossing meetups, and pick up some of these stamps hot off the press!
I received a round Global Forever 2018 stamp, which I found pretty cool. But the most extraordinary stamp I received, was from Belarus. It had a strawberry smell.
Post office gets grumpy if you post images that could allow for duplication:
18 U.S.C. § 501. If you post high-resolution, printable images of valid stamps, especially unused ones, and they can be reproduced, prosecutors could argue you’re facilitating counterfeiting.
> What is Postcrossing?
> It's a project that allows you to send postcards and receive postcards back from random people around the world.
> 423,755 postcards traveling
To point out why USPS took note of them, there are unofficial Postcrossing tracking IDs recording nearly half a million postcards actively in transit from sender to receiver as of when I pulled that from their website a couple minutes ago.
This is wonderful!!! I have been Postcrossing for years and it's so much fun to get a postcard randomly out of the blue from someone. Regrettably the cost to send a postcard international from the USA is over $1 now, and the cost of a postcard means you might be spending around $2 per card, but it's so worth it.
In the UK it's £3.60, which is nearly $5!
Wowww ok, mea culpa maxima, I should not feel so bad. I would send domestically but the international cards are so much more interesting to me.
The cost varies a lot by country, yeah. It can be more expensive like the UK or cheaper like in Japan ($0.65).
In Denmark, 46DKK ~= $7.15.
Well, if you buy N of these global forever stamps, the cost will just get cheaper over time (inflation).
Since the non-postcrossing Global Forevers are circular and a bit annoying, I use 2 Forever stamps plus a 20¢ stamp (6¢ wasted - i suppose i could switch to 15¢ stamps...).
> if you buy N of these global forever stamps, the cost will just get cheaper over time (inflation).
Not if you buy them today to use later I would think. Since you gave up the $$$ today, it won’t do anything for you anymore even if you don’t buy another stamp again I’d think. Compared to buying a stamp whenever you need one in the future but not tying your cash up until that moment.
Really depends if you would be otherwise investing that money in a way that beats stamp prices. Stamp prices very consistently outpace inflation.
Over the past 5 years, they've beaten:
* VT stock (total world index fund)
* US I-Bonds (inflation-indexed bonds)
* Fed rate for T-Bills / any HYSA
* Any other bonds
My girlfriend loves Postcrossing, she recently discovered it and we already have cards from all over the world hanging on our fridge.
If anybody outside of the USA wants me to mail them using a Postcrossing stamp (after the May 26th, 2026 release date), send me a postcard.
My mailing address is in my /hn/userprofile. Global senders, only (USA can buy their own from any USPS location).
I just learned about Postcrossing from a small bookshop owner in Iceland! I was buying some postage to send some postcards back to family in the US. We talked about how fun the format is (and challenging! You don’t have a lot of room!).
Thank you for posting this. I've somehow never heard of Postcrossing, but I've now signed up and will have a couple cards put in a mailbox this afternoon. I am so so excited to actually receive mail. I've sent close to 150 postcards over the last 12 months to various people I know IRL, and not a single person has responded in kind. The only mail I get is from a penpal in Finland I met on Lemmy (which is always a treat to receive!)
I'll just so happen to be at the world stamp expo, so I'll be sure to try and check out the postcrossing meetups, and pick up some of these stamps hot off the press!
The triangle design is pretty cool; I can't recall ever seeing one like that in the wild, but it looks like it's been a possibility since '97.
I received a round Global Forever 2018 stamp, which I found pretty cool. But the most extraordinary stamp I received, was from Belarus. It had a strawberry smell.
I think France issued a baguette smelling and a croissant smelling stamp not too long ago.
I wonder why the word Forever is struck out in the design. No mention about the design itself, just that it will be available and a triangle.
Post office gets grumpy if you post images that could allow for duplication:
18 U.S.C. § 501. If you post high-resolution, printable images of valid stamps, especially unused ones, and they can be reproduced, prosecutors could argue you’re facilitating counterfeiting.
I think it's so you can't print and try to use the image as actual postage.
That's correct, yep: https://www.stampsforever.com/resources/why-is-forever-cross...
This is fascinating! I've never heard of Postcrossing until now, but I may have to sign up!
Legitimately cool. I've never seen a triangular stamp before! NASA and USPS really the best US agencies