Why Can't The USPS Sell A Set Of Definitinitives Like This?

I just bought a complete set off of ebay of the Flag for all Seasons definitive:



The USPS could easily sell a set like this with a $5.00 surcharge over face value and make some money.

The USPS will view it as "too much work" for a minimal return on their investment.

Remember, stamp collectors are no longer the target audience for the USPS. They are trying to milk the average consumer out of more money by insisting that you buy panes or booklets of (mostly) 20 stamps. The only place where they ease up on that restriction is for 3K and 10K coils that are not used -- and unaffordable -- by the average consumer. Even coils of 100 have to be purchased in full rolls and cannot be split for plate numbers, etc. The USPS won't even recognize new plate numbers, reprints or varieties that occasionally come out, so you either have to try your luck at getting what you want or scour post offices to find it.

The only exception might be for a "custom order" where the USPS will tack on a "custom order" surcharge for stamps in special positions, etc. I think that's a creative way around the idea that the USPS cannot charge above face value for postage stamps; they can do it for covers and collectibles, etc., but not for postage stamps.

I've said for a long time that the Flags of our Nation series of coils of 50 from a few years ago could have been a money maker for the USPS if they put a set together with all face-different stamps from each coil into a "collectors pack". But I guess that made too much sense, and ultimately would have cost the USPS more in staff time to create the packets than they would recover in sales.

Remember, too, that if you buy a whole pane/booklet/coil and accidentally tear a stamp in the process of separating a plate block or PNC coil strip, you have a damaged stamp that can only be used for postage at best and has no collector value. If the USPS were to get in the business of separating stamps for collectors, one can only imagine how many returns they would get from those claiming damage occurred where the stamps were separated.

As much as collectors may disagree, in the USPS's eyes: Full panes, coils and booklets are easier to inventory, easier to ship and puts more money into their coffers all at the same time. That's the bottom line.

I paid $22.95 for this set on ebay. It's face value is $12.88. You don't think the USPS could sell it for, say $18.00 and manage to make a profit off of these?

more work and less profit is the most conspicuous reason plus not every collector has the same needs.

Dumb question I know but do all the new booklets have plate numbers on them?

Yes, all booklets now have plate numbers on them. I'm not a booklet collector, but I do try and obtain the varieties of booklets where I can as it makes identification of some varieties of similar stamps much easier. In fact, I typically use the stamps on the reverse side of the booklet and just keep the side that has the plate number on it intact, not so much as a collectible, but just to help with the identification process.

Forgive me for asking a stupid question but why would the
USPS sell ordinary definitives for a surcharge over face?

Aren't these still available at the Philatelic Center(s) or
various Post Offices in the US?

OK I see in the first post there are booklet pages and
coil strips. And as I see from wt1's post that coils are only
available in large full rolls but aren't/weren't the booklets
easily available?

The USPS charges a "custom cutting fee" if you buy stamps from Stamp Fulfillment and choose to buy only one stamp, instead of a block of 4. They could easily put this set together at the end of the calendar year with leftover stamp and charge a $5.00 fee for the cutting and assembly.

OK I understand now. I'm not sure how it works here nowadays
at our Philatelic Center because I haven't ordered anything
from there in almost 2 years.
Then again in all the years when I did buy from Ottawa
or from Antigonish I never ever did buy single stamps.

Wish now I had only bought one of each and wouldnt now be stuck with all those matched plate blocks etc.

I did have subscriptions from various other countries'
philatelic centers always just for singles and never had any
problems or was charged extra.

Back in the late 90s, early 2000s, I was on the USPS standing order subscription program. It was great. They included singles and se-tenants. You had to buy whole booklets, and coils, but at least you could get commenoratives and definitives the way you wanted.

When I re-entered the hobby in 2009, I tried to re-enroll in the program, and now I had to buy no less than blocks of 4, and the se-tenant stuff was odd. If I agreed to buy blocks of 4 for commemoratives, then if I was supposed to get a se-tenant block, I would only get a 4 stamps in the se-tenant block, even if the se-tenant was a block of 10. The only way to ensure I would get the complete se-tenants I needed, I would need to subscribe to whole sheets, which I was not doing.

Yes, the USPS Fulfillment Center stamp subscription minimums did change a number of years back, however those who have been a long time customer (since 1954 for me) were grandfathered in to continue to receive one of each of most items.