[Dx-qsl] Re: Stamps, Money and IRCs

Tue May 7 22:40:06 2002

John,
There are those who believe sending IRC's is safer than sending Green
Stamps. Which may or may not be true (each case is different) but beliefs
and logic don't always mesh.
Until the last price hike, IRC's were cheaper than Green Stamps (since you
could buy them on the gray market from QSL managers and active DX'ers for
$.75 each or less). This can be signficiant for those sending out a large
number of cards.
Many DX stations or managers ask for "1 GS or 2 IRC's" or less frequently "2
GS or 1 IRC." In these cases, whichever combination is more economical is
the one I go with. It adds up over time.
For mail going to locations where foreign currency is verbotten or where the
cost of conversion is artificially high, I will send IRC's to avoid creating
a potential hassle or legal trouble for the DX. I'd sure hate to find out
that I got some poor schmuck in hot water for sending him currency against
his wishes and/or against local laws.
Some amateurs believe that sending the DX or his manager his own local air
mail postage is cheaper or easier than sending GS's or IRC's. I'm not sure
that's always true, and when you add in complications of things like the
Euro conversions and special stamps for external vs. internal use, I'm doubt
it's worth the trouble. But someone who does this may be in a better
position to comment.
Some non-US QSL managers ask for 1ドル or 1 IRC yet send mail with a US First
Class stamp on it. In one case I know of, mail sent by that manager is
postmarked with an APO zip, so he's obviously sending mail from a European
US military installation. I have no problem with that, now that I'm aware
of it, but from now on he gets SASE's!
And it should be noted that there are some non-US QSL managers who insist on
2ドル or 2 IRC's, but somehow manage to send cards back with a $.34 US stamp
postmarked in the US -- usually at or near an airport Post Office. There's
got to be more to the story there... but without knowing more of the story,
this leads to speculation of pocketed funds. In these cases, sending those
managers their own local air mail postage might eliminate the speculation --
if they'll accept those envelopes.
I also expect to see some envelopes sent to DX arrive back with US postage
after next weekend. Postmarked in or near Dayton OH. I've seen that happen
in the past, both with DX'ers going to Dayton and to Visalila and a few
other major convention-size hamfests.
Finally John, while you prefer to deal purely in Green Stamps, someone may
one day send you IRC's. So what do you do with them -- cash them in or
recycle them?
Incidently, when someone is concerned about the weight of airmail,
especially if it's a stuffed envelope near the 1 oz. mark (and before the
last rate hike, 1/2 oz. mark -- when it was $.60 for a 1/2 oz., 1ドル for an
oz., as opposed to $.80 for the first oz. now), don't send two 1ドル bills.
Get some 2ドル bills from the bank. They also tend to be crisper and in better
shape (since very few get circulated) which can make a difference on
exchange in some countries, yet have less of an "envelope profile" than two
bills would for the same value.
73, ron wn3vaw
"You are a fluke of the Universe
You have no right to be here
And whether you can hear it or not,
The Universe is laughing behind your back"
-- National Lampoon's Deteriorata
----- Original Message -----
From: John Warren <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 10:51 PM
Subject: [Dx-qsl] Re: Stamps, Money and IRCs
I'm baffled.
A significant proportion of the traffic on this reflector concerns
figuring out and obtaining the correct foreign stamps, understanding
the latest currency availability and changes, and trying to deduce
the policy of each post office toward IRCs. Why do we torture
ourselves like this?
Just use Green Stamps! They are one of the lowest denomination paper
currencies in the developed world, hence are flexible - use one or
two - and can be easily hidden in a letter. They are accepted
(desired?) almost everywhere, and have become a MUCH more
exchangeable worldwide currency than IRCs.
My overseas DX friends seem to find them highly convenient. They use
some of the G/S received from the U.S. for their own QSLing, and cash
the balance at almost any bank to cover their mailing costs.
I never use anything else, even to the few places where G/S are
nominally illegal, and my return ratio most certainly hasn't suffered.
Am I missing something?
John, NT5C.
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