As a savvy shopper and postal expert with over a decade of experience, I‘ve learned that you should never pay full price for postage stamps. With stamp costs rising faster than ever before, it‘s more important than ever to find discounts and workarounds to save on this unavoidable expense.
Whether you only mail a few letters per year or run a business that ships thousands of packages, overpaying even a few cents per stamp really adds up over time. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll share insider tips that can slash your postage costs by up to 50%, along with little-known tricks to score free stamps.
I‘m also going to expose some common stamp-buying mistakes that cause millions of consumers to waste money every year. You‘ll learn how to sidestep these pitfalls and keep more cash in your wallet by making strategic choices when purchasing postage.
But first, let‘s take a look at how sharply stamp prices have spiked in recent years, and where they‘re likely headed in the future. If you‘re not taking advantage of the savings techniques I outline below, get ready for some serious sticker shock at the post office.
Stamp Costs Skyrocket to Historic Highs
U.S. postage rates have increased nearly every year over the past decade, with few exceptions. A First Class stamp now costs $0.58, which is a 65% hike compared to the $0.35 rate of 2000. This chart shows how dramatically stamp prices have climbed over the past 20+ years:
| Year | First Class Stamp Price |
|---|---|
| 2000 | $0.33 |
| 2002 | $0.37 |
| 2006 | $0.39 |
| 2007 | $0.41 |
| 2008 | $0.42 |
| 2009 | $0.44 |
| 2012 | $0.45 |
| 2013 | $0.46 |
| 2014 | $0.49 |
| 2017 | $0.50 |
| 2018 | $0.55 |
| 2019-2022 | $0.58 |
(Source: USPS Postage Price Calculator)
As you can see, we‘ve reached a point where stamp costs are going up not just every few years, but annually – sometimes even twice per year. And there‘s no relief in sight, according to the Post Office.
The agency is projecting $0.60 First Class stamps by 2023, with similar percentage increases expected for other popular rates like Media Mail and Priority Mail. A 2022 government report warned that USPS may run out of cash by 2024 without significant structural changes.
Translation: Consumers and businesses need to get creative to rein in postage costs, because prices show no signs of stabilizing. Even if you‘ve never concerned yourself with finding stamp deals before, now is the time to start.
Where to Find the Cheapest Stamp Prices Every Day
Many people don‘t realize that you can buy postage stamps from tons of places besides the post office. Major retailers, warehouse clubs, and even gas stations sell stamps – often for much less than the $0.58 you‘d pay at USPS.
Let‘s compare the base stamp prices at some of the most common retail sources:
- Amazon: $0.49/stamp ($0.09 off) when buying rolls of 100
- Costco: $0.576/stamp ($0.004 off) on books of 100
- Walmart: $0.54/stamp ($0.04 off) when purchasing 20-stamp booklets
- Kroger: $0.55/stamp ($0.03 off) for 4-packs
- BJ‘s Wholesale Club: $0.529/stamp ($0.051 off) for 50-stamp rolls
- Sam‘s Club: $0.575/stamp ($0.005 off) for 100-count coils
As you can see, Amazon offers the lowest everyday price at $0.49/stamp when you buy in bulk (100-stamp rolls). That‘s $0.09 per stamp less than USPS rates, or a savings of over 15%.
To visualize the impact, let‘s say you purchase one 100-count roll per year. With Amazon‘s pricing, you‘d spend $49 on postage annually, compared to $58 at the post office. You‘ve saved nearly $10 on stamps in just one year. Now imagine if you‘re buying postage for a small business – savings of 15%+ will have a major effect on your bottom line.
One caveat about ordering from Amazon: Make sure the listing explicitly states that these are genuine USPS Forever Stamps. Some unscrupulous sellers hawk cheap knockoff stamps that are invalid for mailing. Only buy from trusted retailers to avoid getting scammed.
The other retailers I mentioned consistently sell stamps for less than USPS rates, although discounts are more modest (in the range of $0.01 to $0.05 per stamp). Still, those nickels and dimes add up, especially on bulk stamp purchases.
Scoring the Biggest Stamp Bargains on eBay
Out of all the places I‘ve bought stamps over the years, eBay is by far the most useful for snagging the deepest discounts. Rolls and sheets of stamps routinely sell for 20-30% below face value. Savings of 50% or more aren‘t unheard of if you‘re persistent.
The best eBay deals are on older non-Forever stamps. While you can no longer use them to mail First Class letters, you can still combine these stamps to reach the current $0.58 postage rate. (For example, you could use two 29¢ stamps to send a 1 oz. letter.)
Here‘s a step-by-step process for finding the most undervalued stamps on eBay:
- Search for "unused US postage stamps" and filter by "Newly Listed" items
- Set the buying format to "Auction" and sort results from lowest price to highest
- Look for listings with low starting prices (under $10) and minimal bids so far
- Calculate the potential savings based on the total face value of the lot
- Place your maximum bid slightly above the current price, up to 50% of face value
- Repeat daily for the best shot at winning lots for well below USPS rates
Using this method, I‘m usually able to acquire sheets of 100-200 stamps at around half the post office price. Instead of spending $58 on a 100-pack of Forever Stamps, I can get the same amount of postage on eBay for $25-$30 total – a savings of up to 50%.
One important detail to keep in mind when buying discount stamps from any source: The stamps may not always be in pristine condition. Some may be torn or yellowed. This has no effect on the postage value, but it‘s something to be aware of if you want your mail to have a crisp, professional appearance.
Cutting Costs on Postage With Online Services
If you mail a high volume of letters or packages, using an online postage service can greatly simplify your process while unlocking exclusive stamp discounts. Companies like Stamps.com and Endicia partner with USPS to offer reduced rates on postage printed through their platforms.
Stamps.com charges a monthly subscription fee of $17.99, but they provide users with a free digital scale, $5 in bonus postage for signing up, and a 4-week trial. Subscribers save 5% instantly on all Priority Mail and Express shipments compared to Post Office pricing.
Here‘s a sample savings breakdown for a small business using Stamps.com:
- Average monthly shipping spend: $250
- 5% discount on $250 worth of Priority Mail: $12.50
- Free digital scale ($50 value)
- $5 bonus postage credit
- Monthly subscription fee: -$17.99
- Total savings in first month: $49.51
- Total annual savings: $144.12
As you can see, using an online service like Stamps.com makes financial sense if you typically spend at least $50/month on postage. The monthly fee pays for itself in shipping discounts. Plus, you‘ll save hours upon hours not waiting in line at the Post Office.
Tapping Into the Stamp Collector Market for Deals
Stamp collecting is an incredibly popular hobby around the world, with millions of dedicated philatelists always hunting for unique, rare, and historically significant stamps to add to their collections. Believe it or not, you can also find valid postage for dirt cheap from collector clubs and dealers.
It works like this: Collectors periodically refresh their inventories by selling off less desirable stamps in bulk auctions, usually for a small fraction of the stamps‘ face value. Stamp dealers buy up huge lots of these unwanted stamps for pennies apiece.
After verifying the stamps‘ authenticity, condition, and postage eligibility, dealers then resell the stamps to the public at deep discounts – still a bargain compared to Post Office rates, but high enough to turn a profit.
You can find reputable stamp dealers by browsing the member directories of major collector groups like the American Philatelic Society and the National Stamp Dealers Association. Consider signing up for email updates so you‘ll be the first to know when new discount postage lots become available.
Pursuing stamp deals from collectors and dealers requires a little more time and research than buying from a national retailer, but your extra effort can really pay off. I‘ve scored sheets of 500 stamps for under $100 this way – an 80% savings!
If you‘re buying older stamps to use as postage, just remember to ask the seller if the stamps have full original gum (OG) on the back. OG stamps are no longer collectible, but they‘re still valid to mail letters. Stamps with damaged gum (DG) sell for even less, but technically can‘t be used for postage.
Creative Bonus Strategies to Save Even More on Stamps
Now that we‘ve covered the most reliable places to buy cheap postage, I‘m going to share some outside-the-box tactics to stretch your stamp budget further or eliminate certain postal costs entirely.
For starters, you should always check coupon sites like RetailMeNot before purchasing stamps online. Merchants sometimes offer limited-time promo codes for free shipping or bonus discounts on postage orders. Even a 5-10% off coupon code can have a significant impact.
Insider Tip: Around major holidays like Christmas and Mother‘s Day, buy your stamps from greeting card websites such as Hallmark.com. They tend to run great seasonal deals (30% off or more) on rolls of themed Forever Stamps to encourage customers to mail their cards.
If you‘re an avid credit card rewards collector, you can double-dip your stamp savings by paying with a card that earns bonus points on office supply store purchases, such as Chase Ink Business Cash. Then use your points to buy merchant gift cards where stamps are sold.
Last but not least, never underestimate the power of prepaid postal envelopes to eliminate certain mailing expenses altogether. Many businesses provide postage-paid mailers as a courtesy to customers. Banks often send free stamped envelopes for depositing checks or sending in bill payments.
Simply save these envelopes and reuse them to avoid paying postage when sending in rebates, submitting insurance claims, returning products to retailers, or any other correspondence with the company that provided the envelope.
Some utility providers also accept postage-paid envelopes from any other company for mailing in periodic meter readings. As long as the envelope indicates no postage is necessary, you‘re good to go.
The Bottom Line
I hope you‘ve found this guide enlightening and empowering when it comes to slashing your spend on stamps. I‘ve lost track of how much money I‘ve saved over the years by employing the tactics explained above. It‘s easily over $1,000 – no exaggeration.
If I can leave you with one final piece of advice, it‘s this: Never assume the post office is giving you the best possible price on stamps. With a little comparison shopping and cunning, you can almost always find a cheaper way to mail your letters and packages. Those small savings add up to a huge difference.
The next time you catch yourself complaining about the ever-rising cost of stamps, pull up this guide and treat it as your roadmap to outsmarting the postal service. Spending $0.60+ per stamp may be inevitable in the near future – but only for consumers who don‘t think critically about where and how they buy their postage.
Here‘s to keeping our postage costs under control in 2022 and beyond. May your mailbox always be full of smartly-sourced stamps!
