US ‘Forever’ stamp
Alan
US ‘Forever’ stamp
The US Postal Service has informed the Postal Rate Commission of its
proposals for a ‘Forever’ stamp.
The stamp will not carry a denomination and it will be a ‘non-expiring’
stamp. The stamp would be valid for the ‘first-ounce-First-Class Mail
letter postage’ regardless of the actual rate on the date of use.
The first ‘Forever’ stamp will be sold at the new rate (42 cents if the
Postal Service proposal is approved) and will be available just before
rates change.
The design of the stamp is currently under review and will be announced
by the Postal Service at a later date.
The Postal Service considered the experiences of foreign postal
administrations in developing its plans for a ‘Forever’ stamp. The
experiences of Great Britain and France, in particular, have been useful
guides in as-sessing the project.
Mette
news:IFBRg.1365$DQ3...@news-wrt-01.rdc-nyc.rr.com...
Canada Post has announced a similar issue scheduled for Nov. 16, 2006
http://www.rpsc.org/canadapost.htm
(scroll to bottom of page)
--
Mette
Outgoing messages checked with Norton AV
ian-b
Alan wrote:
>
> The US Postal Service has informed the Postal Rate Commission of its
> proposals for a 'Forever' stamp.
>
http://forums.delphiforums.com/stamps/messages?msg=22019.1 on the
Virtual Stamp Club
Ian Billings
Norvic Philatelics
www.norphil.co.uk APS, ATA, VSC
dtf
Sorry for being so stupid, but if the rate changes a year later how
does a forever stamp assume a new value as opposed to the old one.
This stamp I assume never has any printing changes or it would not
be a "forever" stamps. Thanks for your time and effort.
Don
Alan
dtf
Hi Alan;
I am not doing too well. Let me try another way to get by my
confusion. The new stamp comes out at lets say 42c - I buy
1000 of them. Two years later the same stamp is now 45c
because of a rate increase. So if I buy enough of these little
critters, I will only have to pay what the originals cost and and
they would be worth the new increase two years later.
Thanks again
Don
Alan
Thats right, exactly. And the post office gets your money, interest
free and saves on reprinting stamps every time theres a price increase.
Its been working well in many countries in Europe for many years.
England from about 1989 I think.
Alan
from www.gbstamps.com
"In the United Kingdom, these stamps are called “non-value indicators”
or “NVI’s.” The first NVI’s were issued in 1989. At that time, Royal
Mail was beginning to use private retailers, such as drug stores and
supermarkets, to sell stamps to the public. The NVI’s were created to
avoid problems at the time of postal rate changes.
With normal denominated stamps, sellers can be left with obsolete
inventory when a postal rate changes. This inventory would have to be
returned to Royal Mail and replaced by stamps at the new rates. At the
same time, customers holding stamps of the obsolete value might try to
exchange them for new ones or would need to purchase small-value stamps
to make up the difference. For example, a customer with 19p stamps might
want to purchase 1p stamps when the rate increased to 20p. This requires
extra postal staff to handle the demand and costs the postal service
money to print and distribute the make-up rate stamps.
Customers not wishing to go to the trouble of getting make-up rate
stamps sometimes simply ignore the increase and run the risk of having
their letters marked “Postage Due” and become subject to a steep fee (£1
at the time of this writing). Alternatively, they sometimes use two of
the old stamps — good for postal revenue, bad for customer satisfaction."
Tracy_...@frontiernet.net
wrote:
That's highly unlikely. More than likely, there'll be some identifier
such as a date stamp like they have now on the lower left of some U.S.
stamps.
dtf
Thanks guys, sometimes take a while for an old brain to catch on.
Have a good one.
Don
Alan
Tracy,
Why whould they have a date stamp ?. Thet are "Forever" stamps !
Tracy_...@frontiernet.net
Then, tell me how a postal clerk would know when a previous NVI was
used for the current rate? Either a small date or color change would
suffice. The clerk would not be able to tell the difference in postal
rates, now would he / she?
So, the P.O. would lose money on future usages of old stamps and
nobody would be able to enforce it. (I'd love to see them try!)
OK... I walk into the post office and check out the stamps. They
look exactly like the stamps I purchased before the rate hike. I go
home, mail some letters with the old stamps. How can they tell if
there are NO differences at all? The only way would be my conscience.
When the US was using the letter stamps "A", "B", "C", they almost got
it down. No need to put the letter on the stamp, simply change the
color when the value changes or change the small date stamp like on
pre-sorted and bulk rate stamps (diner, atlas, etc.). There are
plenty of colors to choose from! Yes, they may be dull stamps but
aren't they trying to cut costs with an NVI anyway?
Alan
Because A "forever' Stamps is valid FOREVER. If it was bought now and
used in 20 years it would still be valid for the regular rate. Why is
that so hard to understand ?. Yes, you can go out and buy a $1,000,000
worth of stamps now and keep them under your bed for twenty years and
use them then but what you have gained in any rate rise would also be a
gain for the Post Office as they have you interest free loan for twenty
years ( which you gave them ) plus the added savings of not printing new
value stamps or new stamps as a make up value.
Peter
>>
>> When the US was using the letter stamps "A", "B", "C", they almost got
>> it down. No need to put the letter on the stamp, simply change the
>> color when the value changes or change the small date stamp like on
>> pre-sorted and bulk rate stamps (diner, atlas, etc.). There are
>> plenty of colors to choose from! Yes, they may be dull stamps but
>> aren't they trying to cut costs with an NVI anyway?
>
>Because A "forever' Stamps is valid FOREVER. If it was bought now and
>used in 20 years it would still be valid for the regular rate. Why is
>that so hard to understand ?. Yes, you can go out and buy a $1,000,000
>worth of stamps now and keep them under your bed for twenty years and
>use them then but what you have gained in any rate rise would also be a
>gain for the Post Office as they have you interest free loan for twenty
>years ( which you gave them ) plus the added savings of not printing new
>value stamps or new stamps as a make up value.
That depends on whether or not you thing postage rates will rise ahead of
inflation.
If you do, then buying a stash of NVI stamps would be a good thing to do.
Alan
Go for it
Peter
What makes you think I expect postage rates to rise ahead of inflation?
Alan
of inflation?
A.E. Gelat
short. Why is it so difficult to understand the concept? A forever stamp
is valid forever, as simple as that. I assume canceling machines and postal
clerks will recognize it and let it go through. End of story.
Tony
----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----
Peter
>What makes you think, I think, you think, postage rates will rise ahead
>of inflation?
Well, it's either that or you were encouraging me to loose my money :-)
Tracy_...@frontiernet.net
Sounds like a plan. Let's see it implemented. Go for it. Get on it
an let us know what happens. :^P
BTW, that 20 year loan is fluff and bloats their income / revenue for
the present value - a false indicator for long term stakeholders.
Future value will most definitely stink and doubtful that the interest
earned will make up for the difference. Ever notice that USPS is
selling everything from stamps to toys to whatever, to pull in income?
Of course, they can always go belly up at a certain, planned
obsolescence time and walk away with the goods earned to date. How
many of those schemes have you heard of? Too many for comfort.
Private mailing companies probably wouldn't honor USPS stamps.
Does wonders for USPS, but doesn't give any security to the public.
Tracy_...@frontiernet.net
Tracy_...@frontiernet.net
<age...@kingwoodcable.com> wrote:
>I deleted all the numerous and rather silly comments, to make a huge string
>short. Why is it so difficult to understand the concept? A forever stamp
>is valid forever, as simple as that. I assume canceling machines and postal
>clerks will recognize it and let it go through. End of story.
I wish it were so. so. so simple...
I can see it now. USPS issues NVI! 5 years later, USPS repeals NVI!
Why?
Alan
They can do that of course, but I dont think they would get away with
not honoring their previous obligations.
Rod
Definition of "forever"
Time taken by a room full of monkeys with typewriters to come up with the
entire works of Shakespeare ... with no typos !
Alan
Tracy_...@frontiernet.net
I understood it long before the topic was brought up. Let's see you
implement it now... Go ahead... We're waiting!
Alan
!!!
malcolm
first offering - already being practiced by Royal Mail - but not
necessarily solely as a result of NVIs but certainly assisted by them.
The money saved by closing poorly used post offices altogether - give
every drug store and corner shop a franchise for selling stamps- hive
all the peripheral activities of the post office to other agencies -
think of the salaries, rents,pension payments you save!!
QED
Tracy_...@frontiernet.net
wrote:
>The big money saver for the post office is the one I mentioned in my
>first offering - already being practiced by Royal Mail - but not
>necessarily solely as a result of NVIs but certainly assisted by them.
>The money saved by closing poorly used post offices altogether - give
>every drug store and corner shop a franchise for selling stamps- hive
>all the peripheral activities of the post office to other agencies -
>think of the salaries, rents,pension payments you save!!
USPS seems to have sales going on over here at banks, supermarkets and
elsewhere. There are, however, many smaller P.O.s located throughout
the area where I live. Some in fairly "desolate" areas. I'm not sure
that Elizabethtown P.O. postmen want to deliver to New Russia or out
further. Some P.O.s are in small stores as it is. Secondary business
or income. Good idea. We see work ads for these occasionally.
malcolm
seperated from the mail delivery system for some time. The actual
postal business is increasingly centralised ( as in regional sorting
offices, concentrated delivery depots etc), leaving the post offices as
a sort of stamp retailer, and general financial government business
outlet. With more and more direct debit, and government departments
constantly looking to make savings in the cost of collecting and
dispensing money, the retail outlets are constantly being squeezed. The
opening up of stamp sales to every Tom,Dick and Harry has been the nail
in many a local post office coffin.
As I said the Post Offices can save a fortune by closing uneconomic
offices - but there is a social cost - especially in Rural Areas. The
elderly, the poor and underpriveledged seldom have access to bank
accounts, and other sophisticated financial services, and where the
rural post office has closed, they are compelled to travel to the
nearest urban centre - except that the same pressures which led to the
demise of the post office has also killed off the local bus service!!
The opening up of mail to unbridled competition in postal services is
another problem. The post office is constantly being attacked in its
profit-making segments, while being forced to continue its loss-making
activities - because no one else wants them - more pressure to save
money by closing rural offices.
What has all this to do with philately? Everything. The entire plank
upon which postal services, and ultimately stamp collecting depends -
is the fundamental idea behind the penny black - a Universal,cheap
method of written communication for everyone, everywhere.This is under
attack worldwide - and the forever stamp should be considered in its
context as a factor in this attack whether as a positive or negative (
or in this case Both!)
Malcolm