I can’t find anything about this new law online. Can you provide some more information? This is the first I am hearing about it. Source?
“The Postal Service’s proposed changes will provide the public notice of the handling of items bearing counterfeit postage. Under the revision to DMM 604.8.4, articles found in the mails with counterfeit postage will be considered abandoned and may be opened and disposed of at the Postal Service’s discretion.”
3-6 per month?! We only get one per month
I buy all the stamps since I’m a collector, but I’ve bought a stamp with 90 sen (postcard price) for all postcards I send out.
I have a limit so I usually buy stamps after I’m sure how many postcards/mails I’m going to send. So maybe 1-2 sheets, or 10 individual stamps with different designs (not a sheet) each month.
Sometimes we only get 1-2 new stamp designs every several months in Indonesia.
I have a lot. I generally by two sheets of each new issue, unless they are exceptionally large (which makes them harder to use for postcards), or I really don’t like them. I will try to match the theme of the card with the theme of the stamps if that is possible. Smaller stamps I like I buy more of. I also occasionally by older unused stamps so that I can create the total cost for overseas mail ($1.50) using a combination of current and older stamps. On domestic postcards I only use the domestic stamp specifically for them (it is a lower rate - $0.51 than the first class letter rate - $0.66). The U.S. does not produce as many new stamp designs per year as some other countries do, and we occasionally produce some exceptionally unattractive stamps (a subjective opinion, of course).
I also make it a point to have a few sheets of each of the fundraising stamps on hand. These are stamps whose price is a little higher, where the extra money collected when they are sold goes to a specific charity. Currently there are four different versions: Healing PTSD, Alzheimer’s, Breast Cancer and Save Vanishing Species. These are referred to as “semi-postal” by the USPS, and currently cost $0.85 per stamp and are marked as “first class” as opposed to “forever.”
I usually use them all😁
I used to collect stamps, but now I find it more attractive to attach them to postcards.
Anyway, Commemorative stamps recently issued in Korea cost 430 won each!(about 0.32$/0.29€)
So I usually buy a set of 16 stamps. It costs about 6,880 won.(about 5.14$/4.71€)
In Korea, I only have to pay 430 won per postcard, so I don’t spend much money on stamps…
And when I buy old stamps, I buy them at original value in a community where Korean users gather.
Lastly, I ask Korean users who go to the post office to purchase stamps.
They send me stamps after receiving an additional 500 won for postage.
They are precious to me.
I’m a high school student, so I don’t have time to go to the post office, and the transportation fee to go to the post office is more expensive.
I am reading with interest the various comments here. Thanks!
https://www.uspis.gov/news/scam-article/counterfeit-stamps
Previously USPS would return to sender or collect postage due. Not anymore.
I buy my stamps at a discount webshop, that sells old, but still valid stamps that they buy from I think official resellers and from collections. They make ready made packages for you, combining small values up to the €1,65 we now pay in NL for an International < 20 grams sending (card or letter). The combinations are randomly chosen and for instance currently I stick 2 x 0,39 eurocents and 2 x 0,44 on each card and they are always mentioned by the receivers as awesome and fun. For this I pay 1,485 in stead of the regular 1,65, so I have benefit ánd funny stamps that are well received.
Sometimes I don’t like the choices myself (World Press Photo in black&white, all royals, yikes) but receivers do not know that and some of them even love those themes. My latest silly pleasure is colour matching the stamps on each card and I always look for stamps that coincide with the receivers interests.
Every now and then (as e.g. for WPD) I buy official stamps at the Collect Club from PostNL.
I have my stamps in flat see through HEMA boxes, per value and I can usually write at least 50 cards before running out. I buy at least that amount on a monthly basis. Retirement provides
At the end of the month/stash, it is hard to combine properly, so I do that with for 10/15 cards left, sorting which stamp goes best with which one. That’s part of the fun for me.
Have a nice day y’all!
The face value of Semi-Postals currently for sale is 66 cents, not 85 cents. Complicated to explain, but they are worth the rate at which they were discontinued, not Forever. In other words, if they discontinued one design on 31 December, 2023 and some of those are found in a drawer years from now, they’d have 66 cents face value at that time.
I am lucky, and work in a wonderful Post Office in Tasmania. I collect so many topics of stamps and store them in categories so when a Postcrosser has a favourite subject I try to surprise with a themed stamp.
50 miniatures?? Holy cow, i was thinking very hard choosing if i should get 2 miniatures or 3. And you get 50, wow. And it sounds expensive
@stefbot75 I think this is a question for you
I think I have a stock of about 200 € of stamps, and more than 20 different stamps. When I have only a couple of stamps left of a kind I tend not to use them, waiting per the perfect person to send them to.
I love miniature sheets. Most of them are just beautiful to resist.
Glancing at my stamp stash, I probably have between 75 - 100 stamps which includes only international stamps and a variety of forever stamps. I often visit the post office to mail packages and at the same time I will purchase stamps. Although I visit the post office weekly, I purchase stamps every 2 weeks. Unless there is a new forever stamp. I do not keep these stamps. Have I regretted it, yes sometimes. I don’t consider myself a stamp collector but I keep all the stamps from received postcards cause I keep the postcards.
I’m considering purchasing stamps on the USPS website.
The prices are very low comparing to what we have in Ireland. Here one national stamp is 1.35 and one international is 2.20. So a sheet of 16 national costs me almost 21€. And 16 international 35.20€.
I’ve just counted and I have enough stamps to send about 1000 cards think I might sell some on eBay!
A very good thing you’re in another nation, or I might be tempted to buy some!
In one small tray on my desk, I just counted 328 mint stamps… Taking the time to count even a small portion shows me that I DON’T NEED more stamps.
My favorite part of having a lot of beautiful stamps is sharing them on my cards. Even for Officials, I use three unique stamps.
Oh… There is no distinction between domestic and overseas stamps in Korea. Also, I often use stamps issued in the 1970s and 1980s. Surprisingly, their value is still valid in Korea.
It’s just that the price of the mail goes up.
The interesting thing is that the domestic fare is 450 won. International is 430 won regardless of country!
Honestly, the price of mail is much cheaper than the high prices in Korea. I don’t think the government was very interested in the mail😅
Anyway, I use stamps on postcards as follows: