SSAE

I'm getting ready to send one of my books out into the world. Which is always nerve wracking. Should I do one more edit? Maybe if I just changed this word - or that word. Maybe a fresh pair of eyes would pick up something I missed... 
So anyway, I'm getting ready to send stuff off... but first I need a stamped, self addressed envelope to include with my query letter. 
But as I intend to send my first query to America and I live in Australia, you can perhaps see my difficulties. They don't sell American stamps in Australia. I know. I googled. And asked at the Post Office. 
I could maybe get international reply coupons. But to be honest they just seem like a lot of hassle as the recipient would then have to go to the post office and flaff around to work them out. And I would prefer not to be thought of as hassle-author. 
I decided to cut to the chase and go to US post online. I got all excited when the site got me to fill in this whole rigmarole before buying anything and I could put that I lived in Australia any my postcode and everything. 
And then when I was all logged in I went to buy some stamps and it was a no-go. Only for people who live in America. And now the US post are spamming me.
I tried filling in their 'problem' bit, and explained my problem and abut 10 days later they emailed to say well no, I can't buy stamps online anymore, but if I'd like to phone them during office hours... 
And by that time I'd already ebayed my stamps. They arrived very promptly with a little note saying 'Thanks Kirsty'. It made me happy. 
So the moral of my tale? If you, like me, live outside the US but need US stamps for your SSAE, ebay rocks. 


(*Pretty stamps, aren't they!)