New Stamp Issues Poll: For, Against Or Neither?

Most of the new issues would be much better if they were actually used! I like getting mail from the world over with some of that fancy paper actually doing a deed!

I don't actively collect used worldwide stamps anymore, but when I buy stuff from foreign dealers on ebay, they often use interesting stamps to mail it, and I end up saving the covers.

Lots of varying opinions. Personally, I still pay my bills via postal mail; a couple sports blogs go direct to a credit card bill, which is mailed. Seems sort of hypocritical to bemoan the decline of stamp collecting, but then admitting "I pay all my bills on line."

So, I come down on the side, more of less, of DJCMHOH. I like seeing USA institutions honored when appropriate. But too many dead generals from 100 years ago turns people off. I've used most of the commem. series on my outgoing mail; like the Planets, Pluto, Simpsons, Harry Potter, Star Trek, Star Wars, and even Sports Balls. I don't use the common definitive stamps like Flag over Porch, etc.

Some of us forget sometimes that stamp collecting is supposed to be fun. Time to lighten up.

OzwaldO: welcome to the Forum.

In belgium collecting the new stamp issues is almost an impossible job. Last time I went to my local'post office they coudn't sell me the new stamps because they don't get distributed to the smaller offices anymore... You can maybe buy them in the bigger regional office but I didn't checked it out. The newly issued stamps can still be ordered online or with some sort of document. This way you never get any of the new stamps in the mail because no one will do the effort.
It is possible to take a subscription on the new stamps but the last couple of years I find you get just papers with some stamps in it (the collection for this year will be 15 blocks and 4 loose stamps and 12 self-adhesive stamps). This way it's almost impossible to get them all stored. One year will quickly fill half a stock album.
The designs are noce but they are almost unreachable for the normal people and buying them will get you a lot of blocks almost an A5 big with mostly 5 stamps in it.

Vincent - is it just me, or is it actually quite hard to find post offices in Brussels? I found a large one near de Brouckere (now moved, I think, because of the road and metro works), but none of the smaller branches that you find in, say, Paris.

It is indeed not that easy to find one, I think there are maybe 5 post offices in Brussel the city and let's say around 12 if you also count the municipalities. I'm not from brussels myself so I'm not sure if it are exactly 5 offices but it will be close to that. In Belgium the post (bpost) is also a bank so a post office will be multi functional as bank office.

I collect Queen Victoria commonwealth ( mainly mint/unused )
but I do buy the new uk sets when they come out.

But I dont get "excited" about them as I would when finding a Victoria stamp that finishes one of my sets.

I guess I like the idea of stamps been rare or hard to find,
oh yeah the vote.........i voted neither for or against which is at 54%