US Forever Stamps are Now Forevermore
Recently, the United States Postal Service (the “USPS”) announced an important new policy regarding the First Class postage stamps used to mail one ounce letters. From now on, all new one-ounce First Class stamps will be “Forever Stamps.”
In other words, no matter how much you pay for them today, these stamps will always be worth whatever the one-ounce letter rate is in the future. Currently, the one-ounce rate is 44 cents, but even if it rises to $2 in the future, today’s Forever Stamps will be worth enough to pay it. This is why the USPS will not mark the Forever Stamps with any particular denomination (face value).
These new stamps will probably be a welcome sight to non-stamp collectors. Now, as long as you have some of the Forever Stamps, whenever the postal rates go up (as they inevitably do), you won’t need to buy new, more costly one-ounce stamps or small-value stamps to make up the difference between the old and the new.
Of course, these new Forever Stamps won’t be the first ones used by the USPS for First Class mail. However, up to now, there’s only been one. That first Forever Stamp first came out in April 2007 and shows the Liberty Bell. Originally selling for 41 cents, it now sells for 44 cents. It, too, will be good to use on one-ounce First Class mail “forever.” Like the Forever Stamps that will be coming out this year, the original Forever Stamp is marked “Forever” instead of with any face value.
The original Liberty Bell Forever stamp is a definitive (regular) stamp. As part of this significant expansion of its Forever Stamp program, the new Forever Stamps will also include commemorative stamps – the stamps that are issued to commemorate or celebrate a particular person, historical event, or place. For example, Forever commemorative stamps honoring the Lunar New Year (this year is the Year of the Rabbit) will be available for sale on January 22, 2011. Additional Forever commemorative stamps announced for 2011 include a stamp honoring the American author Mark Twain and a set of five stamps featuring characters from Disney animated films, among others.
It’s likely that some non-stamp collectors will buy stocks of these Forever Stamps as a hedge against future postal rate increases. The effect of this new stamp policy on stamp collectors and stamp collecting as a hobby is currently unknown, however. It’s possible that the new stamps won’t discourage stamp collectors at all. Stamp collectors are much more concerned about condition and scarcity than a particular stamp’s face value.
Clearly, this new policy of the USPS will make life easier for users of the mail. Its effect on stamp collecting remains to be seen.
Showing posts with label USPS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USPS. Show all posts
Sunday, January 09, 2011
Friday, May 08, 2009
Last Few Days to Buy Forever Stamps For 42 Cents
May 10 (which is a Sunday) will be the last day United States postal customers can purchase the US Forever Stamp for 42 cents. The next day, May 11, the cost for first-class, one ounce postage increases by 4.76% (two cents) to 44 cents. But don't despair: if you've read our previous blog entries about the Forever Stamp, you know that the Forever Stamp can be used to mail a one-ounce letter regardless of the current price of a First-class mail stamp, and regardless of the original price you paid for the Forever Stamp.
On the same day, May 11, the United States Postal Service is introducing Forever Stamp envelopes. Postal customers looking to beat the price changes can order the envelopes by telephoning 1-800-STAMP-24.
Forever Stamps are available online at www.usps.com, by phone at 1-800-STAMP-24, and at many grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores and banks.
As stamp collectors and dealers, we hate the Forever Stamps. But as mailers, we love them.
May 10 (which is a Sunday) will be the last day United States postal customers can purchase the US Forever Stamp for 42 cents. The next day, May 11, the cost for first-class, one ounce postage increases by 4.76% (two cents) to 44 cents. But don't despair: if you've read our previous blog entries about the Forever Stamp, you know that the Forever Stamp can be used to mail a one-ounce letter regardless of the current price of a First-class mail stamp, and regardless of the original price you paid for the Forever Stamp.
On the same day, May 11, the United States Postal Service is introducing Forever Stamp envelopes. Postal customers looking to beat the price changes can order the envelopes by telephoning 1-800-STAMP-24.
Forever Stamps are available online at www.usps.com, by phone at 1-800-STAMP-24, and at many grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores and banks.
As stamp collectors and dealers, we hate the Forever Stamps. But as mailers, we love them.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
US Postal Rates Going Up Soon So It's Time to Talk About the Forever Stamp Again!
The US Post Office has been selling the "Forever Stamp" for the past couple of years now, first for 41 cents and then, when the first class one ounce rate went up last May, for 42 cents. Well, the rate is set to go up again in a few days, this time to 44 cents. The USPS has promised that the Forever Stamp will be good for mailing one ounce first class letters at anytime in the future, regardless of rate increases.
The inevitable result is that Forever Stamps are irresistible to millions of Americans trying to save money anywhere they can in today's tough economy. And as the newest rate increase approaches, a new round of Forever Stamp stockpiling will occur, with Forever Stamps becoming even more popular than they already are.
But it seems that not quite everyone understands the concept of the Forever Stamp. People know that when they buy Forever Stamps they pay whatever the going rate is for first class one ounce stamps: currently 42 cents, but soon increasing to 44 cents. Even though the stamps have no denomination printed on them, they know their cost because that's what they're charged by the post office when they're bought. The confusion sets in when they're used after a rate increase: we've seen many a time when additional postage has been added to a Forever Stamp, apparently because the mailer didn't understand that what they paid for the stamp would still be enough despite the rate increase.
Just to eliminate the confusion, as long as the mailed piece is a first class one ounce piece, no additional postage needs to be added to a Forever Stamp. Doing so just adds to the coffers of the USPS and wastes the money of the person doing it. It may only be a couple of cents, but it all adds up.
Does the same kind of confusion surrounds the Breast Cancer stamp, since it is also non-denominated and satisfies the first class one ounce rate, no matter what was paid for the stamp at the time it was bought? We rarely see additional postage added to it, but we'd appreciate your comments.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
US Postal Service Running Out of Money
The Associated Press is reporting that US Postmaster General John Potter told Congress that the US Postal Service will run out of money unless it gets some help this year from the US government. Potter has also asked to reduce delivery from six days a week to five days a week. His testimony was given at a Federal Workforce, Postal Service and District of Columbia subcommittee hearing on the financial stability of the Postal Service.
The USPS lost almost $3 billion last year and the PMG says it is looking at losing even more this year. According to Potter, if the reduced delivery schedule is approved, the USPS could save up to $3.5 billion each year.
It's hard to believe that cutting delivery by one day could save that much money. But we can think of even more ways the USPS could save: stop printing more than 100 different stamps each year (no country needs that many different stamps, and they're expensive to design and produce), stop advertising on television (that's expensive, and the USPS essentially has a monopoly over many of its services, so why bother advertising!), stop paying people to take surveys about current or proposed postal services and products (sure, I'd take one if they paid ME $10 to do so), stop giving away free boxes and other shipping supplies, and more. The USPS should get lean and mean, not bloated the way it is now, and has been for a long time.
The Associated Press is reporting that US Postmaster General John Potter told Congress that the US Postal Service will run out of money unless it gets some help this year from the US government. Potter has also asked to reduce delivery from six days a week to five days a week. His testimony was given at a Federal Workforce, Postal Service and District of Columbia subcommittee hearing on the financial stability of the Postal Service.
The USPS lost almost $3 billion last year and the PMG says it is looking at losing even more this year. According to Potter, if the reduced delivery schedule is approved, the USPS could save up to $3.5 billion each year.
It's hard to believe that cutting delivery by one day could save that much money. But we can think of even more ways the USPS could save: stop printing more than 100 different stamps each year (no country needs that many different stamps, and they're expensive to design and produce), stop advertising on television (that's expensive, and the USPS essentially has a monopoly over many of its services, so why bother advertising!), stop paying people to take surveys about current or proposed postal services and products (sure, I'd take one if they paid ME $10 to do so), stop giving away free boxes and other shipping supplies, and more. The USPS should get lean and mean, not bloated the way it is now, and has been for a long time.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Yet ANOTHER Rate Increase by the United States Postal Service
Groan. They've done it again (or, at least, they're about to do it). The Governors of the USPS announced yesterday that they have approved new rates for First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, Periodicals (newspapers and magazines), Package Services (retail Parcel Post), and Special Services, effective May 11, 2009. The price of a First-Class Mail stamp will increase two cents to 44 cents.
Many Postal Service shipping prices were raised in January 2009 and thankfully they will not increase again in May. But in addition to the First-Class Mail stamp, other postal rates that will go up May 11 include: postcard stamps increasing by a penny - to 28 cents; the first ounce of a large envelope (flat) increases 5 cents to 88 cents; and the first ounce of a parcel increases 5 cents to $1.22. The new, increased First-Class Mail International postcard and letter rates (first ounce) are: Canada - 75 cents, Mexico - 79 cents, and other countries - 98 cents.
The likely result of these increases? We think enough is enough. There have been entirely too many rate increases lately, and they're coming faster and faster than ever. My goodness, the last postal rate hike was just last month! There is a breaking point, and we may be rapidly approaching it. People just may react by sending more emails and making more phone calls, sending fewer letters through the mail. Postal revenue may go down instead of up - the opposite effect that the USPS wants. I mean, good grief, it's now cheaper to place a telephone call to just about any country in the world - and talk for more than a few minutes, too - than it is to send a one ounce letter to the same place.
What's wrong with the USPS? They need to get as lean and mean in conducting their business as the rest of us have had to become, not price people out of using their service. USPS, you need to get much more efficient in how you do things, not raise your rates yet again. That's what makes a business successful in these hard economic times.
Groan. They've done it again (or, at least, they're about to do it). The Governors of the USPS announced yesterday that they have approved new rates for First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, Periodicals (newspapers and magazines), Package Services (retail Parcel Post), and Special Services, effective May 11, 2009. The price of a First-Class Mail stamp will increase two cents to 44 cents.
Many Postal Service shipping prices were raised in January 2009 and thankfully they will not increase again in May. But in addition to the First-Class Mail stamp, other postal rates that will go up May 11 include: postcard stamps increasing by a penny - to 28 cents; the first ounce of a large envelope (flat) increases 5 cents to 88 cents; and the first ounce of a parcel increases 5 cents to $1.22. The new, increased First-Class Mail International postcard and letter rates (first ounce) are: Canada - 75 cents, Mexico - 79 cents, and other countries - 98 cents.
The likely result of these increases? We think enough is enough. There have been entirely too many rate increases lately, and they're coming faster and faster than ever. My goodness, the last postal rate hike was just last month! There is a breaking point, and we may be rapidly approaching it. People just may react by sending more emails and making more phone calls, sending fewer letters through the mail. Postal revenue may go down instead of up - the opposite effect that the USPS wants. I mean, good grief, it's now cheaper to place a telephone call to just about any country in the world - and talk for more than a few minutes, too - than it is to send a one ounce letter to the same place.
What's wrong with the USPS? They need to get as lean and mean in conducting their business as the rest of us have had to become, not price people out of using their service. USPS, you need to get much more efficient in how you do things, not raise your rates yet again. That's what makes a business successful in these hard economic times.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
US Mail Delivery Cutbacks?
The Washington Post reports, "In testimony before a Senate subcommittee ... , Postmaster General John 'Jack' Potter said the post office may be forced to cut back to five-day delivery for the first time in the agency's history, citing rising costs and an ongoing decline in mail made worse by the global recession. The potential move, which would have to be approved by Congress and postal officials, could mean the elimination of mail on either Saturdays or Tuesdays, the system's slowest days, postal officials said."
Washington Post reporter Dan Eggen writes, "For much of its early history, the post office delivered mail seven days a week, including twice-a-day stops in some cities. The switch to six-day service came in 1912, when the agency eliminated Sunday delivery due to objections from Christian groups."
We think that the USPS would do better by cutting their expenses rather than cutting their services. Have you ever thought about how much money the USPS spends every day by giving out free priority mail and express mail envelopes, boxes, tape and labels? Or by giving out the elaborate packages that they provide for use when a person moves to a different address? There are other examples of what we would call "inefficiencies" or even "waste" at post offices.
Maybe the USPS should cut back on those rather than reducing its services.
The Washington Post reports, "In testimony before a Senate subcommittee ... , Postmaster General John 'Jack' Potter said the post office may be forced to cut back to five-day delivery for the first time in the agency's history, citing rising costs and an ongoing decline in mail made worse by the global recession. The potential move, which would have to be approved by Congress and postal officials, could mean the elimination of mail on either Saturdays or Tuesdays, the system's slowest days, postal officials said."
Washington Post reporter Dan Eggen writes, "For much of its early history, the post office delivered mail seven days a week, including twice-a-day stops in some cities. The switch to six-day service came in 1912, when the agency eliminated Sunday delivery due to objections from Christian groups."
We think that the USPS would do better by cutting their expenses rather than cutting their services. Have you ever thought about how much money the USPS spends every day by giving out free priority mail and express mail envelopes, boxes, tape and labels? Or by giving out the elaborate packages that they provide for use when a person moves to a different address? There are other examples of what we would call "inefficiencies" or even "waste" at post offices.
Maybe the USPS should cut back on those rather than reducing its services.
Monday, February 11, 2008
The United States Postal Service announced today that the first class domestic 1 ounce letter rate will go from 41 cents to 42 cents in May of this year. We haven't yet heard whether there will be any other rate increases, such as increased charges for domestic parcel post or priority mail, or for international mail.
A couple of things (in addition to costing more to mail an item) make this rate increase important to stamp collectors.
First, the new rate will necessitate the printing of new 42 cent stamps - and possibly other stamps too, if other rates are also increased. That means that there will be a whole raft of new, collectible stamps to be added to existing stamp collections. Additional one cent stamps will also need to be printed in order to meet the demand - people will want them in order to use their "leftover" 41 cent stamps after the rate hike goes into effect.
Second, just how "forever" will the Forever Stamps be good for, and how long will they continue to be printed, now that the USPS has announced a rate increase so quickly on the heels of the last one? Maybe there will not be as many printing varieties of the Forever Stamps as we originally thought - because it's possible that once the existing stock is gone, no more will be made and sold to the public.
Alternatively, new printings - and hence additional varieties - ARE possible, although after the beginning of May, they'll cost 42 cents instead of 41 cents. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.
A couple of things (in addition to costing more to mail an item) make this rate increase important to stamp collectors.
First, the new rate will necessitate the printing of new 42 cent stamps - and possibly other stamps too, if other rates are also increased. That means that there will be a whole raft of new, collectible stamps to be added to existing stamp collections. Additional one cent stamps will also need to be printed in order to meet the demand - people will want them in order to use their "leftover" 41 cent stamps after the rate hike goes into effect.
Second, just how "forever" will the Forever Stamps be good for, and how long will they continue to be printed, now that the USPS has announced a rate increase so quickly on the heels of the last one? Maybe there will not be as many printing varieties of the Forever Stamps as we originally thought - because it's possible that once the existing stock is gone, no more will be made and sold to the public.
Alternatively, new printings - and hence additional varieties - ARE possible, although after the beginning of May, they'll cost 42 cents instead of 41 cents. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.
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