What Does It Take To Use Postage Stamps?

We've all been there. We have our chessmen and our options. In speed chess, if you make an illegal move, you lose the game. At a post office, if you cross the line they will refuse to serve you and even tell you to leave. Either way, you don't win by showing mercy.

"Good morning, I'd like to buy some postage stamps to put on this to send it registered mail, please."

"Why registered? It might cost less to send it certified mail."

"Good morning, I'd like to buy some postage stamps to put on this to send it registered mail, please."

"Okay..." and they add everything up, write up all the forms, and reach for the postage meter.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!"

"What's the matter?"

"Good morning, I'd like to buy some postage stamps to put on this to send it registered mail, please."

"You mean you want stamps and not the meter?"

"Good morning, I'd like to buy some postage stamps to put on this to send it registered mail, please."

The potholes are trying as hard as they can to ruin a stamp collector's day. They want the addressee to consider you to be as guilty as all the other mailers who use postage meters instead of stamps.

Consider adding this line when they try to use the postage meter:

"I don't hate stamp collectors as much as you do." That tells it like it is. You are not a punk for using postage stamps to pay postage. It is your right.

Perhaps we've been there because you took us there a couple of years ago ...

That's why the postal entities issue so many I guess <G> Issue as many as they can but insist on meters. That way all the postage stamp sales, that are NOT used, are gravy for them.

Chimo

Bujutsu

GeoffHa" Yup. I recall it as well. There's youtube videos of this as well.

I'm not sure if your serious, trolling us, or trolling postal clerks. If your serious just ask what are the available postage stamps right now as you would like to use them on this registered letter your sending. They will be happy to show you what they have in their drawer. Or ask if they have specific stamps. This is what I see people do all the time at the post office. Saying you want to buy stamps to send a letter is just conveying you want to send the letter. They can't read minds.

It would be cool to see this on a TV show or movie, where the customer snaps and walks into the post office with a machine gun and shouts, "You touch that postage meter, punk, and I'll blast your brains out! I have a right to use stamps. Get that through your head, or get a bullet through your head!"

That's what it would take to stop some window clerks from pulling stunts like that.

Automatically assuming it's okay to use the postage meter is like going on a date and automatically assuming it's okay to grope her. Unlike a date, however, it's not goofy to ask first.

Wow.
Suggestion...buy your stamps from the Cave, get yourself your own cancel and postmark permit, and then drop in mailbox so you do not end up in prison.
Don

Or, even cheaper, you could treat post office staff as human beings who have a queue to deal with, and stop getting worked up about trivia.

So.... here's my rant......

I sold an item I sold an item honeybee on eBay ( which happened to be a stamp album ). I charged the buyer $14 shipping..... I arrived at the post office and saw a sign and a kiosk advertising a "priority mail medium size box" at a rate of $13 and change ( I don't remember the exact amount I think it might've been 13.85).... I grabbed the box from the slot, packaged the item and....... god forbid....... affixed $11.65 in postage......

I arrive at the front of the line to learn that I have procured the wrong box!! I didn't select a "flat rate" medium box! Both boxed say " priority mail medium size box" but only one of his flat rate, which can take up to 70 pounds!

So I had to pay $25 for my 5 pound 14 ounce medium sized box...... why aren't the boxes different colors? I can honestly say I completely understand the term " going postal".... I can't remember the last time I was anywhere near that angry....
No wonder they're losing money every year!

My post office only has flat rate boxes. Actually, I had thought that's all that was available. Did you ask to speak to a supervisor to see what they could do?

FWIW, you cannot put your postmark permit-cancelled mail in a mailbox. You have to take it to a post office that handles postmark permit-cancelled mail. YMMV.

dkabq8,
Can you not drop it in a mailbox that handles postmark permit-cancelled mail or do you have to actually hand it to clerk?
Don

Don, with my precancel permit I have to actually hand it to a clek ( who then most of the time has no clue as to what to do with it ) and I think the postmark permit is handled the same way

Peter

If there was a mailbox that handled postmark permit-cancelled mail, then I suppose that I could use it. However, where I live, my only option is to take it to the one post office location than handles that type of mail.

This happened to me a few years ago. I went to my local post office to
send a registered letter. I filled out the form and when I was called
I handed them both to the postal clerk.

"I'd like to have stamps on this please."

"We can't put stamps on registered mail."

"I've sent registered letters for the last 30 years and I know you can."

"Sir, we can't put stamps on registered mail."

"Get me your supervisor please."

The clerk went in the back and soon his supervisor made his appearance.

"I'd like to have stamps on this."

"We can't put stamps on registered mail."

"Sir, if you don't put stamps on this I'm going to first speak to the postmaster of this office and then to the postal inspectors."

Needless to say I got stamps on my piece of registered mail from a different clerk.

There is no question that the postal service discourages the use of stamps. For instance, I mailed an album today. I printed a postage-paid label and my credit card was charged $12.85 and I dropped the package in a collection box. I could have provided my own label, affixed $13.65 in discount postage to the package, taken it to the post office, waited in line 30 minutes and then argued with the clerk over whether or not the stamps were valid for postage, waited until a supervisor came over and said "looks OK to me".