I don live in the UK. How can I send a stamped, self-addressed envelope (SAE) to a contact in Britain so they can reply to me?
– For years, family historians have been plagued by the problem of how to send SAEs and avoid the high cost of International Reply Coupons (IRCs) when writing to researchers overseas. The best solution seems to be to obtain a supply of UK postage stamps. Unused UK stamps can be purchased from: British Philatelic Bureau, 30 Brandon Street, Edinburgh EH3 5TT, Scotland. Orders can be submitted by e-mail british.philatelic.bureau@dial.pipex.com if you are prepared to give them your credit card number and include a delivery address. There is a handling charge of £0.34 per order. My advice is to order sheets of 20-pence stamps. It is then easy to send five stamps to cover a £1.00 search charge or to buy a £1.00 microfiche. When writing to unknown individuals from whom one actively hopes for a reply, the postage sent should ALWAYS EXCEED the minimum of 44 pence it will cost the person to respond. Airmail letter rates from the UK to countries outside Europe are currently (January 2000): to USA
