What Stamps Does Your Post Office Have On Hand? Ask, Be Shocked And Report Back

I am a philatelist specializing in postal history, I also collect stamps. No not how you think. As my various philatelic activities occur I have accumulated lots of mint US postage generally to have on hand to pay postage and fees on my outgoing mail matter.

I have various accurate postal scales, as well as up to date Notice 123s, AKA Rate Folds etc. My postal matter is already weighed, pre-stamped and all associated documents are prepared.

If I know I am really splitting that last fraction of an ounce razor edge thin, I carry postage for the next weight unit.

Thus I have little or rare call for buying stamps over the postal counter.

Of course, I am human and like all humans we screw up...

So I show up all prepared to mail an item to Ireland, price group 5 for first class international. just like I have done several time before. I grab an envelope fill it, weight it, stamp it and I am on my way. Once there it is weighed, rated, postage confirmed and postage affixed met the required amount. Off the scale, on to the counter, I slide it over to do the next activity and BINGO, loser!

I had a small stack of similar envelopes accumulated over time (Monday Morning Quarterbacking Allows that statement). Which previously I believed were identical envelopes. So back to the postal counter...

When I slide that envelope to my left it came to rest on the mail matter size schematic diagram. Now I measured my last several identical mailing envelopes and they were consistent. But this, this identical envelope had the audacity to be different by a fraction of an inch, a tiny fraction. No longer a small envelope but a dreaded three ounce flat, a large envelope. Same weight but instead of $5.10 in postage it was now $5.95 exactly 85 CENTS MORE.I had nothing, this letter was 2.1 ounces, nothing close by weigh. I had no stamps with me. If you read this far, here is were the rubber meets the road...

I look at my postmaster, yes it is a one person plus part time helper office, and ask," Can I get 85 cents in stamps?" as I pull out as dollar bill.

Response: "Ah, um, oh ah, I will need to check." Imagine postmaster rummaging through stamp drawer mumbling and looking befuddled. Next word spoken, "no." I confirm what is held up can't be made to hit 85 cents. I have beautiful $5.10 in wonderful fully collectible soon to be cancelled postage stamps going to one who collects such used stamps. I do not want a meter. I drive home affix additional 85 cents additional postage, return, cancel the stamps myself and they arrive in good order yesterday.

WHAT? Well since forever stamps there has been little need for other denominations. I no longer carry anything a dime or under. He stopped carrying anything at or above priority rate a good while back for the same reason, little demand.

So I am mailing a second unplanned letter to Ireland from in a tourist area (aka vacation or mountain home). Went in to pay annual PO Box renewal and mail a letter, #10 envelope 2 ounces, rate $3.40. I whip out a pair of $2s and ask for postage stamps please. Hummmmm, let me think.She found two $1.70 international forevers (nice compass rose design) and smiles triumphantly. This after she remember that at the last rate increase these forevers went up to $1.70. To kill time, we discussed the lack of the lower denomination stamps which could be used to make $3.40.She mentions which other local offices carry, surprise, stamps, in other than forever, useful denominations. I took my 60 cents change.

So does you post office carry any stamps other than forever with the hope no one comes in to ask for make up postage and not a meter?

See here for an interesting overlay to this story: https://goscf.com/t/90214

Edit:To make it look like English is my first language.

TL;DR, but read the call of the question. You can't expect an office to stock products that almost never sell and complicate accounting. Using meter stamps allows the office to account for sales and avoid shrinkage. The cost of one-cent, two-cent, five-cent, and ten-cent makeup stamps is so low that I just buy a sheet of each as needed from USPS online fulfillment and keep them around. They take 2-3 years to use, but who cares when the cost of a sheet is 20 cents to $2? If you want them in your office, ask to speak to the Postmaster as s/he places the stamp orders for their office. Let us know how it goes.

Dear TD/CR,

That was covered in the TL/DR portion



Edited for .spelling.

My rural PM has a tiny stock of denominated stamps that she keeps in a three-ring binder of plastic sheet protectors. If you ask for actual denominated stamps, she pulls out the binder. blows off the dust and starts thumbing through. Lots of empty pages with scattered singles and maybe a block here and there. Other than weddings and some other uses stamps exist now merely as revenue producers for creatures like us that mostly require no service in return for our cash.

I have had similar experiences trying to get 1, 2, and 3 cent stamps to add to my 13/15/29/32 cent stamps to make whatever the current postage rate is. Although they will look and maybe find a couple, the usual response is to use a forever stamp. I'm trying to use up discounted postage stamps not get more stamps.

My suburban office (population 25,000, with several large employers) hasn't stocked stamps under 10 cents in years (since well before Covid). They do stock a reasonable variety of forevers, and I have been able to buy global forevers there. I haven't tried to buy anything else in quite a while but they do have some things available.

Like many of us I have large volumes of discount postage available to me so I have no shortage of low denomination stamps to use.

My rural post office in an unincorporated farm area has, 1 cent, 2 cent, 3 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent denominated stamps, plus the additional ounce (28 cents) school bus stamp. They have the boring flag forever stamps and usually have the current commemoratives. If they are out of a particular commemorative stamp they will order one in for me.

My local office had an array of small denominations and all recent issues until USPS assigned a new postmaster. Since then, I have a wider variety of current stamps to use than does that office.

So now they mostly use the PVIs. Those are so large they can't fit on things like certified mail envelopes without covering part of the green certified mail label. The clerk gets annoyed and hastily wraps the PVI around to the envelope's other side.

(btw the additional ounce rate is 29 cents for letters, it keeps changing and is tough to track)

I have experienced extremes regarding stamp availability. For business purposes, I might buy a dozen sheets (of each) in a single transaction: Forever, Additional Ounce, Nonmachinable, and the small denominations. Sometimes I am declined on multiple consecutive visits due to lack of inventory. Though, often my order is fulfilled without issue.