Postage & Stamps

What It Costs to Write Abroad, and Where the Multiple Bites Hardest

An international letter is 2.1 times the domestic price. A small package abroad is 2.7 times. The multiple is not constant — and knowing where it is worst decides what you send.

Two Stamps Cover More Than You Think

Two $0.82 stamps cover a 2 oz letter with 53¢ to spare — and they also cover a 3 oz one. The third ounce is free, and almost nobody uses it.

One Thick Letter Costs Less Than Two Thin Ones

The first ounce costs $0.82 and every ounce after it costs $0.29. That single fact decides almost every question about what to put in an envelope.

The Tenth of an Ounce That Costs 87¢

A 3.5 oz letter costs $1.69. Add one more tenth of an ounce and it stops being a letter at all, and the price jumps to $2.56.

The Wonders of Postal Activities: Exploring the World of Mail Services