Buying At The Local Po.

Can I buy whole sheets or plate blocks from my PO?
Do they only cost face value there?
How should I ask them what they have in stock there?
Thanks.

You can buy any current stamp they have on stock at face value. In addition you can buy from the postal web site and they probably have the biggest selection.

Once a stamp is out of print and sold out you need to buy from the secondary market which most of the times mark the stamps up some.

So there is no up charge for sheets or blocks?
Thanks for replying.

Also should I just say I am a collector and ask to see what they have?

My local PO has a 3-ring binder of the current issues that you can look through to pick out the ones you want. Your branch may also have one.

Suggestion though: don't spend time thumbing through at leisure if there is a long line of customers waiting, or ask if you can stand to the side and browse while the clerk helps another customer.

At some post offices they show what they have in stock in a frame somewhere in the lobby. But of course you can ask what they have in stock; they are just like a retail store even if they don't know it most of the time.
All kidding aside, maybe your post office has a clerk that is familiar with collecting and is willing to help? If you are close to a larger city you can also find the main post office where the stamps are distributed from.
Pick up a Philatelic Catalog from the post office, you can order by mail. They will charge for mailing the stamps, but this way you can get ALL the issues!

Peter

Just ask them to see what stamps they have. Not all PO's will have every stamp in stock. In addition some will order the stamps you want if they do not have them.

Don't worry about how long the line is or is not. When it is your turn your are a customer and they will spend the time with you. Heck I have spent my fair time in line while people bs then take time to search for ever to find the correct change.

They will give you what ever you want, singles, blocks or sheets. No there is never any extra cost in buying stamps at the PO.

Now I'm not going to tell you that all clerks like working with stamp collectors. If you should find one of these people hold your ground to get what you want. In general though they are very helpful.

Some issues they won't sell you single stamps or blocks because they aren't supposed to break up the sheets, they are supposed to sell full sheets. Other issues you can buy singles or blocks.

I have yet to have been refused any stamp for a single, though I would not expect to be able to get the new inverted Jenny. This may be the case but my postmaster/clerk will break singles from anything. Often when I bring mail in for stamps she knows I like comm's and she has just about every sheet whit stamps taken from them so she gladly adds them to my mail.

In any event it never hurts to ask at times you will be surprised what happens.

Ok.
Thanks for the tips.

Get to know the people at your post office. Remember their names. They all know me at my post office and have many times saved me the last sheet of a new issue when I did not get there for a couple weeks without my ever asking them to do so. If you sell on ebay they can be a big help if your post office is busy. When I am in a long line , they will tell me to just drop my packages on the counter and skip the line as they know I have already weighed it and I have the proper postage on it. They also hand cancel everything for me as they know I am dealing with stamp collectors.

It sure helps to be nice to the post office. I send myself cancelled stamps. I like very well centred light cancels.

joe