How does postage work

Stamped envelopes and cards. All commemorative stamps, which celebrate distinguished artists, athletes, historic milestones, natural wonders, and more, are issued as Forever Stamps.

The Postal Store has a wide selection of Forever Stamps available for purchase. Back to top. Global Forever stamps can be used to mail a postcard or 1-ounce letter-size mailpiece anywhere in the world. In addition, mailers may use a Global Forever stamp as postage for any type of single-piece international or domestic mailpiece. The Global Forever Stamp cover up to 2 ounce letters when used to send to Canada. All other countries require Additional Ounce postage to a max of 3. What are semipostal stamps?

Prices are adjusted in increments of five cents. By law, revenue from sales minus postage and the reasonable costs of the Postal Service is to be transferred to a selected executive agency or agencies. What are NetStamps? NetStamps are used like regular stamps and never expire.

NetStamps are Denomination stamps with the value printed on the face of the stamps. For additional information, visit the Stamps. For information on Stamps to Go, please visit www. What should I know about U. Postal Stamps? All postage stamps issued by the United States since are valid for postage from any point in the United States or from any other place where U. Mail service operates. You may use any Denomination stamp s to equal the total postage affixed.

Total postage affixed must equal at least the postage charge for the class of the mail. The USPS does not exchange stamps solely because of new postage prices. As mentioned above, postal stamps do not expire and can be used indefinitely. In the event of a price increase, customers can purchase Denomination Stamps to make up the price for postage or use Forever Stamps.

You can use Denomination stamps of that value. Stamps which are mutilated or defaced are not valid for U. S domestic or U. However, a minor tear at the corner of a stamp does not render a stamp invalid. This standard needs to be applied in a common sense fashion allowing for the possibility of minor tears in stamps when they are removed from their host sheet or booklet. However, if more than a minor portion of a stamp has been torn and is missing, the stamp should be exchanged for another stamp of equal value provided the remaining portion of the stamp is in substantially whole condition and its denomination is evident.

No, a used stamp cannot be reused. Stamps that have not yet been used, but have been attached to an envelope may still be used. However, you may not cut an unused stamp from an envelope and use tape to apply to a new envelope. Your item should be neatly addressed and free of extraneous information that might confuse the postal employees, such as old shipping labels or unnecessary writing. Have your item weighed. Tell one of the employees on duty that you need to know the weight of your item in order to calculate the correct postage.

Priority mail typically arrives faster, but First Class mail is less expensive. Keep in mind, however, that you can only mail items First Class if they weigh 13 ounces g or less. Apply the required number of stamps to your item. After affixing the stamps to your envelope or package, hand it over to the postal clerk.

USPS classifies a 9" x 12" envelope as a "flat. Not Helpful 14 Helpful Why do you recommend people round up using Forever stamps? You're encouraging them to waste money. Shouldn't one just keep a handful of lower denomination stamps around and pay the exact rate? Your suggestion is helpful.

However, some people might find it more convenient to use Forever stamps or the equivalent. Not Helpful 7 Helpful However, the Postal Service would prefer that you mail the parcel at a post office, because they are required to make general inquiries about the contents of the package for safety reasons. Not Helpful 3 Helpful Not Helpful 2 Helpful 7. If I'm mailing a 6 x 9 envelope that weighs 4 ounces and it's going from zip code area to area How many stamps should I use? Use about 4 Forever stamps.

However, you may want to take it to the post office to be mailed instead; although this is not required, you can be absolutely certain the stamps added are accurate. Not Helpful 3 Helpful 9. Yes the post office sells stamps, money orders, etc. They also provide USPS logo labels for free.

Not Helpful 1 Helpful 5. If I am sending a 6-page letter with 10 photos in it, how many Forever stamps should I use? There are a few variables that will determine the postage price, like its origin and destination, which level of service you use Ground, Priority, First Class, etc. Visit the Postage Price Calculator at postcalc.

Not Helpful 7 Helpful 5. I've found the USPS website calculator at postcalc. Not Helpful 2 Helpful 5. Typically, size and weight determine price. All envelopes must be flat. Unusually-shaped square or vertical envelopes will also cost more to send.

Not Helpful 5 Helpful 5. No, it actually costs less. At Stamps. Plus you can mail and ship as much as you want. Yes, you can print postage from many of the software products you probably already use including Microsoft Word, Outlook, QuickBooks, and others.

Also, you can import your contacts directly into Stamps. Yes, you can have multiple people access your Stamps. In addition, all users must be using the account from the same location. With the multi-user option, companies can also monitor postage spending for individual users. Mac users can use our web-based version we call Stamps. With Stamps. Mac-compatible shipping software is also available with Stamps.

We created Stamps. If you have 5 or more locations we can create a network of Stamps. This is a huge benefit over traditional postage meters.

Plus, Stamps. Learn more about our Enterprise Postage Solution. Savings include:. With UPS, Stamps. Connections with your data source can be established in under 5 minutes. Simply click, connect and ship. Yes, after a label is printed, Stamps. Customs Forms are integrated into Stamps. Just hand the international package to your daily mail carrier and your package is on its way!

Give your customers the ultimate in service by emailing them a pre-addressed, postage-paid shipping label when they need to return merchandise back to you.

The label can be printed by your customer from any web browser. And you control the delivery speed, and more importantly, the shipping costs for your return delivery.