[Pete]

Hi Guys, it's Pete from MushroomVillage.com (always feel like have to introduce myself, I don't get around much these days...)

I have a question I am hoping I can et more help with here than at my own forum. The USA raised postal rates today, and so I am trying to code new rates into my site. I am checking all the countries I ship to against the Post Office list, and already I've run into trouble because I can't find Scotland and Wales on the list.

First off, let me tell you my geography is horrible, and so is my knowledge of world events. A country could be renamed or blown off the map and I'd have my nose too buried in Smurfy research to pay any mind.

With that being said, does anyone know what happened to Scotland and Wales? I trust Rachel is alive and well? What's going on here?

These postal increases drive me mad. How come it took nearly 200 year to get to 13 cents or so to mail a letter, then it just 30 more years it's up another 25 cents? Inflation - makes no sense to me! What's it going to cost in another 30 years? One of my children?

[Bunno Smurf]

Hi Pete,

Maybe because they are part of the UK the US Postal system just includes Scotland and Wales in the UK??? Just a thought. I am sure they are not listed seperately on our Australia Post website.

[Guest]

Yes Linda is correct, Scotland and Wales are part of the UK, Northern Ireland is also classed as UK.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom

Sending within the UK I pay the same rates for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The rest of Ireland is classed as Europe rates so I would pay the same as to France, Spain, etc. there. For me the Channel Islands is a funny one because I pay postage at UK inland rates because they are British but then I have to add a customs label as if I was sending them to the States or Australia. Such a lot to remember!

[Pete]

The U.S. Country list lists "Great Britain & Northern Ireland" but no mention of UK, Wales, England, or Scotland.

Once again, I apologize for not paying attention in Geography, but does maybe "Great Britain" mean England, Scotland and Wales?

If I can't clear this up any further, I'll just list it as "UK (Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales)" - would that be a correct thing to say? Is "England" synonymous with "Great Britain?"

Smurf On!!

[Fram]

Great Britain is England, Scotland and Wales, so you either say Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, or UK.

[Guest]

It's classifying it as Great Britain and Northern Ireland because they are all the same postal system here, so same rates. And like Fram says you take Great Britain to be England, Wales and Scotland. Great Britain does not include Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom is the combination of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

[Guest]

Quotes from Wikipedia

Politically, Great Britain describes the combination of England, Scotland, and Wales. It includes outlying islands such as the Isles of Scilly, the Hebrides, and the island groups of Orkney and Shetland but does not include the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands.

Great Britain is also widely, but inaccurately, used as a synonym for the sovereign state properly known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

[Rachel]

Hi Pete, good to hear from you, also good to hear that you are getting your geography sorted out. I can remember a time when you had never heard of Wales and Scotland so you are getting there.

I think your questions have been answered already, just remember, Wales is special.

[Pete]

Yes, I started my eCommerce with marbles, which is a US thing primarily. Smurfing has taught me a lot of geography! I think I have the UK sorted out now, for about 10 minutes

Thank you so much!!

[Tojo]

If I remember right I think the U.K. is Great Britain plus N. Ireland, Isle of Man & the Channel Islands. I think this is very complicated for most foreigners. Here in Germany most people consider Great Britain to be England & are then surprised when a Scotsman or Welsh Miner punch them in the face after being called English

By the way, nice to hear from you again Pete

[Syd Smurf]

Here in Germany most people consider Great Britain to be England & are then surprised when a Scotsman or Welsh Miner punch them in the face after being called English

It could be worse.....you could email a seller your address and they send your smurfs to Austria

[KiwiSchlumpf]

It could be worse.....you could email a seller your address and they send your smurfs to Austria

I heard that due to a lack of interest the "Island" of Australia (or was it Austria ) has been annexed by Tasmania and so all postage must be sent to places like "Sydney, in the Nortern state of the Republic of Tasmania".

I also heard that Wales and Scotland have both been overrun with Smurfs and from this day on should be called "Smurf Village North" and "Smurf Village West" ... *in that order* just to confuse Gargamel in case he has a compass. Good news is that the postage is payable in smurfberries as money has no value. BTW how is life in the conquered territories under the tyrant rule of Papa Smurf?

Also to save the annoyance of the mapmakers who always put Antartica on the bottom of the page or along the crease of the atlas, for lack of other space to put it .. has now officially been given back to the sea. No smurfs live there so the loss shouldn't be noticed.

As far as geography goes.. I have trouble getting from work to home and back again so as long as I don't go further a field then I should be okay.
... I tend to move in odd circles ...

ps ignore everything I say.. I ate all the smurfberries, just to keep the cost of postage down.

[XoioX2000]

For some very obscure reasons, I love this thread....

[Syd Smurf]

ps ignore everything I say.. I ate all the smurfberries, just to keep the cost of postage down.

Are you sure they were real smurfberries you ate....or were they little smurfberry pictures on a square tab of cardboard?



If so...then I fully understand

[Rachel]

Here in Germany most people consider Great Britain to be England & are then surprised when a Scotsman or Welsh Miner punch them in the face after being called English

Funny yet so true!

Are you sure they were real smurfberries you ate....or were they little smurfberry pictures on a square tab of cardboard?

David, I agree, a very funny read.

[KiwiSchlumpf]

I see it as my lot in life being a "Jokey smurf" to add a little madness.. .. I think when I as a sunbather smurf, I may have stayed out in the sun too much!.. check out my blue tan!