SASE Is the Place
 

If I'm sending a SASE to another country, do I need the SASE to be in that country's stamps? Can you tell I almost never use the post office for anything?

You need an IRC, an "International Reply Coupon".
I think that's what it's called.

Yes, there is such a thing.

Nemo

Local stamps with a bit of excess for weight mistakes OR IRCs (International Reply Coupons) are needed. I hardly ever use IRCs because they expire, and mainly because most Post Offices aren't ready to sell you any since most clerks don't even know they exist! Also, they are more expensive than they need to be since they are generalized and apply to all countries in the Universal Postal Union all around the world. My stamps have all been from Britain, purchased by email from the Royal Mail, who have schedules online of what the return postage ought to be at the time of mailing. But you have to guess ahead, since rates constantly rise. There might be other recommendations from others who send to the UK, and I'm certain somone will tell you more about IRCs. Good luck.

I've been able to purchase IRC's in my Manhattan post office.

Nemo

Which one?

Fourth Ave & 11th Street

If the rest of us send you cash, will y'all get some for us? In most of the country, IRCs are completely, entirely unobtainable. And they're not sold online.

Maryann, what a ridiculous state of affairs.

Orwn, believe it or not, other countries won't want your American postage stamps, much in the same way that if you walked into my local shop and handed over a dollar bill they'd look at it like it was Monopoly money and hand it back to you. Is your submission to a magazine in the UK? Order stamps online from the Royal Mail, and if in doubt put £1.50p in stamps on the return (back to the US) envelope. That should cover it, no problem. For Ireland, 2 Euros should work, from the an Post website. If it's Australia or one of them antipodean places, get a jet-propelled carrier pigeon.

Rory

I, too, keep being told that IRCs are no longer available in America. The last time I pried 5 of them out of my local post office, I was later told that they were obsolete and worthless.

Admittedly, I live in the boondocks of South Louisiana, and probably in real states you can still send your IRCs abroad. I have had to limit my overseas submissions to journals that take e-mail.

Gail,

See above. There's an easy way around this.