Here we go again… Stamp prices are set to rise by a penny to $0.42 on May 12th, 2008. At that point, it will have been just under a year since the last stamp price increase, when stamps went from $0.39 to $0.41. The good news is that the availability of “forever” stamps obviates the need to buy those annoying little $0.01 stamps.
Along with the “regular” postage hike, postcards will also be going up a penny, to $0.27.
In the mean time, why not hop on over to Stamps.com for a bunch of free postage and a free digital scale? You can always cancel if you don’t like it.
Amy, this article is over a year old. Prices *did* go up on May 12, 2008 just as I stated in this article. They are also going up on May 11, 2009 as you’ve correctly pointed out. This information is included in a more recent article that I’ve written on the topic:
http://www.fivecentnickel.com/stamp-prices-to-increase-in-may/
The date is actually May 11th of when the price change goes into effect;
http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2009/pr09_018.htm
To some a day doesn’t matter, to me, if I can buy the forever stamps for one more day for 2 cents cheaper per stamp…yeah it does.
I agree with comment #2 by JSB.
I’ve recently began thinking about switching to online pay for my bills, etc. too.
For 1 day try being a letter carrier in a large city such as Detroit, Mi. Try rushing a whole day to cover additional territory that management has given U in the same 8 hour day to justify their positions. Try dealing with vicious pit bulls & irate patrons that see U as the face of the govt that is responsible for all their problems Do continue working in -40 wind chill all the while having a supervisor screaming at U when U come back to the station 5 minutes past your given route time. In addition,do try understanding why Postal Inspectors would pull U off the street & accuse U of multiple fictitious infractions while doing your job.
If you do make it than you are a hell of a robot.
I don’t mind the “little stamps” – I use snail mail almost exclusively for personal correspondence and the extra stamps can add character to the envelope – but I hate the non-denominated stamps that they put out around a rate increase. I have stamps in my box-o-mailing-stuff that say “USA First Class” and I have no idea when they are from or how much they are worth. The Forever stamps – which I do not otherwise buy, as their design is dull – are handy for this exact reason.
42/41-1 ~ 2.4% or less than inflation, so last year forever stamps were a bad deal. They are convenient though.
(This would have been around 1968, and the new tokens were larger than the old. Fares were raised again a few years later, but this time nobody stocked up on old tokens, expecting them to stop working. The people were fooled; this time there was no change at all to the tokens.)
The Forever stamp is the precise reason for the one-cent price increase.
Barring some sudden spike in costs, prices will increase one cent at a time to prevent people from “cashing in” by buying Forever stamps on the last day before a price increase.
Since there is no way (short of holding back stamps) to prevent people from cashing in this way, the amount of the windfall will be limited to one cent per stamp per price hike.
This reminds me, in the 1960s New York City subway fares were increased twice. One enterprising guy bought up a large suantity of tokens (which are needed to pass through the turnstiles to get to the train platforms), expecting to use them after the fare increase.
What happened – and what he didn’t expect – was a change in the size of the tokens; the old ones didn’t work after the fare increase.
So the guy sued, demanding that the tokens’ stated value – “Good For One Fare” – be honored. He lost.
I have signed up in the past to get the free postage at stamps.com. Good deal.
And, I am all on board with the Forever stamps…good deal.
How else do I save on postage? Well, I have the Citi Drivers Edge Credit card and get the 5% back on Groceries, Drugstores and Gas. So, guess where I buy my stamps?
That is right…either Kroger or CVS. I get another 6%. OK. That is only about 2 cents per stamp…but hey, I will take it!!
I actually just found out about the increase about 2 hours ago on my visit to the post office.
Some chick was going bonkers over it when the clerk/mailman (what are they called?) gave a friendly reminder to her. Unfortunately I was directly behind her and had to listen to her rants for a good 8 mins. (i timed it) to mail something that took about 45 seconds.
i’m all for saving money, but jumping on the “clerk” isn’t going to change things 🙂
I am still trying to use up the $0.39 stamps from the last rate increase. I have substantially cut down on my snail mailing of bills and well, bills.
What is the stamp anyway? Isn’t that government taxation in a way? As no one else can print stamps, money or strike coins but the federal government. So 7% increase you say. Is their statistic of the volume of mail per year, it would be interesting to find out how much USPS brings in revenue to the Federal government. Found a link here it is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USPS
All the more reason to pay bills online.
Funny, Forever stamps are up about 7% for the year, stocks are down more than 10%.