Postage Optimizer: Compute The Best Combination Of Stamps To Reach A Given Postage Value

If you are like me, you have a varied selection of older low-denomination stamps alongside your "Forever" and "Additional Ounce" stamps, often acquired through discount postage lots. I got tired of sitting with a calculator and trying to figure out how to assemble, for instance, the $2.74 for a four-ounce First-Class Parcel with the fewest number of stamps and without overpaying, so I wrote a web app to do that.

If you find yourself needing to perform these calculations frequently, bookmark the Postage Calculator on CollectPostmarks.com. Enter the stamp denominations you have available and the total you are trying to reach and click "Calculate":





The next time you visit the page, if you haven't cleared your browser cache in the interim, the values you entered the last time should still be there.

Any improvements you can think of? Let me know!

Interesting idea, and, as you said, it calculates the lowest number of stamps to meet your goal. But I am wondering how long it will be to use up your supply of 1c stamps? For example, if your needed postage was 12c, it looks like your calculator would give:

1 x 8c, 4 x 1c = 5 stamps

In my case, I probably would just use a 13c and eat the 1c difference.

Anyway, thanks for posting.

mcgeesorg, this is a great idea - thanks for posting this!

Good job.
Suggestion for improvement...Allow user to enter all their excess postage inventory (write and store this in a cookie). Then display a 'I need this amount postage' field. Calculate best combination(s). Allow user to deduct (write over cookie with new values) from their inventory. Next time user visits page, retrieve inventory and go directly to 'I need this amount postage' page (use existing cookie with inventory values).
Don

I do this in a spreadsheet, and with no inventory maintenance, to wit:



Columns A,B,C,D,E,F ... integer value = enter the denomination of a stamp to use, in whole numbers, eg, for U$D.042 enter 42

(For a plate block of 4x25c stamps, I enter 25 in each of ABCD, but you could enter 100 in any cell.)

Column G ... text note ... "=" ... for aesthetics

Column H ... formula ... =0.01*SUM(A1:F1) ... gives me the total value entered (so far) in A thru F

Column I ... formula ... =100*(H1-J1) ... gives me the deficiency, eg, how many cents am I short of the target total in J1 ...

Column J ... numeric, two decimal places ... the target to reach, eg, U$D 1.42

Column K ... text note ... eg, "1oz IL CN stiff" ... explains that the value in J1 (eg, U$D 1.42) is the rate for one ounce, non-machinable, to Israel or China.

Hints:

Each time you copy & paste the row, the row references update automatically, eg, if you copy into row #2, they will change to H2, J2, etc.

You copy & paste the row so that you do not have to re-compute the same combination. Very useful if you buy you FVP in sheets.

I limit myself to six stamps, but if you insert new columns (say, between E & F), everything will work just fine for 8 stamps. Etc.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

Edited to add a single picture to the one thousand words.

Hi 51studebaker

I would not use "cookies" as that is too volatile. Personally, every time I exit the Internet I clear cache, cookies, etc.. Therefore the data would be lost.

To save the data, a better solution would be to have a "button" to save the stamp denominations entered and a "button" to load "Saved denominations". This could be a "drop down button" with Save and Load options.

The denominations can be saved on the users machine in an area that most users would not know about,therefore the file cannot be corrupted. In a multi-user .NET program I used, on XP,
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\program name\ as the storage directory. Same can be done from a Web Page.

Jerry B

All of the above reminds me of a moment about 50 years ago where I bought 10 pens for 60 cents each. The girl had to use an adding machine to figure out 10 times 60!

Peter

ikeyPikey: Your idea appeals to me. I like the flexibility of spreadsheets, where I can insert rows or columns on the fly and otherwise customize it to my taste.

Back in the Bad Old Days (IBM XTs and such), you would meet folks who had to figure-out Visicalc for work, but were innocent of every other piece of software, so they'd even setup their letterhead in a spreadsheet so's they could do their correspondence.

This is an ideal application for a spreadsheet, because you can easily save all of your configurations, sort/group them by the target rate, quickly find what you need or make a new one, etc.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

My problem with using older low denomination stamps for postage is not so much the math but the room I have on an envelope
to affix them...sometimes I have as many as a dozen stamps to make up the right postage rate...and most of the time the recipients tell me that none of the "pretty" stamps got cancelled!...a fun challenge.