Please explain those "Forever" postage stamps to me & why should I buy them?

[MELSMICE]

I know they have the "Forever" stamps available now. Could someone please explain what the benefit would be to purchasing them?

How long will they have them available to purchase? If they are always going to be available why would I buy them now?

I'm confused about the whole thing - someone please help!

 

[HayGan]

The forever stamps will only be on sale for a limited time. They will be "forever" good as postage on a first class letter. I really think that the USPS is counting on lots of these being purchased and then never used. It will give them a huge infusion of much needed cash now.

I personaly won't be buying any. I really don't see the point. Most of my stuff is paid online and the only time I use a significant amount of stamps is Christmas time.

 

[Ragnrok23]

I might be completly wrong, but I think all stamps now are going to be good "forever". In the future, stamps will not have a price on them. When the rates go up, the stamps will cost more, but old stamps will still be good. you will no longer have to buy the $.02 stamps to cover the difference.

Like I said, I could be wrong, but that is what I got out of an article I read a couple of motnhs ago

 

[HayGan]

I might be completly wrong, but I think all stamps now are going to be good "forever". In the future, stamps will not have a price on them. When the rates go up, the stamps will cost more, but old stamps will still be good. you will no longer have to buy the $.02 stamps to cover the difference.

Like I said, I could be wrong, but that is what I got out of an article I read a couple of motnhs ago

Just the new stamps marked "forever" will be valid forever at presiding postal rates (for a first class letter.) The USPS will begin to issue stamps with the value marked on them shortly. Those will need to have additional postage added if used in the future following subsquent rate hikes.

 

[ICF]

Those stamps, for $0.41, will be able to be used right now or 10 years from now regardless of the price of a 1st class stamp in 2017. You are essentially pre-paying today in order to save you a few cents a letter down the road.

I didn't think it was a limited time thing. I thought they were going to be available from now on, at whatever the current price is of a stamp. So you can be a "forever" stamp now for $0.41 and in 2 years when the price goes up again you could then buy it for $0.43 (or whatever the current rate at that point in time is).

 

[geetey]

My dh looked over the new 'forever' stamps and we aren't going to be buying any. It certainly isn't a good deal for the consumer unless you can purchase a LARGE amount of stamps and can guarentee you won't loose or damage them. Even if we purchased $1000 worth of stamps, accounted for an annual increase in postage costs, it would still be years before we hit a point of saving anything through pre-purchasing.

Now if the latest Disney series would just come out!

 

[MELSMICE]

My dh looked over the new 'forever' stamps and we aren't going to be buying any. It certainly isn't a good deal for the consumer unless you can purchase a LARGE amount of stamps and can guarentee you won't loose or damage them. Even if we purchased $1000 worth of stamps, accounted for an annual increase in postage costs, it would still be years before we hit a point of saving anything through pre-purchasing.

Now if the latest Disney series would just come out!

This is what I kept thinking & the reason I wanted someone else to explain it to me. I thought maybe I was missing some great deal about these stamps. I guess not!

 

[disneysteve]

It is a novel gimmick, but won't save most people anything. Let's say you use 10 stamps per month (120/year). At $.41, that would be $49.20. At $.43, it would be $51.60. So if you buy a year's worth of Forever stamps now, you will save a whopping $2.40 over the next year. You will also lose some potential interest on your savings, making your true savings somewhat lower.

I suppose if you have a business and use hundreds or thousands of stamps, the savings could become significant, assuming you could get that many Forever stamps, but otherwise, I don't see how it is worth laying out the money now.

 

[geetey]

Thanks for explaining it better than I did, Steve.

 

[ecuagoddess]

Now if the latest Disney series would just come out!

Looks like we only have to wait until August Scroll WAY down for images!

 

[mickeyfan2]

I bought some the other day, but I just plan to use them after the 14th.

I too think that they are hoping that many will not be used. All stamps are good forever. They are worth the amount on the stamp.

 

[geetey]

Looks like we only have to wait until August Scroll WAY down for images!

SOOOOOO cool! I can't wait to get my hands on some of those! I love them!!