The US Post Office has issued a new stamp dubbed the “forever” stamp, which now costs 41 cents. It is good for one ounce of First Class postage now, even though the rate is 39 cents, but it will be good for the same one ounce perpetually regardless of the rates.
US rates are scheduled to rise to 41 cents for the first ounce on May 14, 2007.
So if you buy it now, you will save in the future. Is it a good deal?
Let’s calculate. A 2-cent rate rise on a 41 cent base is about 5% (4.878, to be more exact). If you put the same money in an interest-bearing bank account at 5%, and if postage rates rise on a yearly average of 5%, you are pretty even, at least for a few years if you ignore compounding on either side.
Money in the bank can be used for anything. Money invested in stamps is more limited.
So what’s the big deal? A government con game or a good investment?
I can go for that. Not a good investment or a rip-off, just a convenience. Certainly it would avoid the box I now have of multi-demoninational, and mostly useless, stamps.
Stamps never lose their value. Next time you are at the post office buy some 2 cent stamps, put them on the envelope along with the 37, drop the envelope in the slot and voilà your letter will speed to its destination.
Yes, and the last time I was at the post office, I bought the thirty seven cent stamps and some whatever cent stamps to use with my old ones. I never got around to buying 39 cent stamps, because between the two, I had enough to last until now.
Like I said, I don’t mail out much in the way of snail mail. So, the forever stamp ends up being fairy convenient, eliminating several decades of trips to the post office. (That’s for a total of two. )
Maybe not 101 years, but according to the news link in the OP:
But do you really think snail mail provided by the US Gummit will still be around in 100 years? We’ll probably be getting our mail thru an implanted chip.
Tomndebb, I guess there’s no Great Debate here, as I expected. I would not be offended if you wanted to move this thread to some other forum. In SDMB, that is.
Yours are “Forever”, ours are “Permanent” (with a little “P” in the corner of the stamp). A rose by any other name…
In answer to your comment, our respective post offices now need to produce far fewer low denomination stamps (maybe none at some point) for those souls that have kept old stamps and now want to use them, so it’s an advantage to them.
In future I won’t need to worry about when my stamps were issued (since I mail very little, a sheet of 10 lasts A LONG time), and I find it a nuisance having to buy a bunch of 1 cent stamps then remember to keep them with my normal stamps just because I bought a sheet of stamps just before the price went up, so the “Permanent” stamps are an advantage to me too.
I really like to buy whatever stamps have the art that strike my fancy. That said, I am never sure of exactly when new rates go into effect. I understand that rates are going up to 41¢, so in that window of time between when I think the rates are going to go up until they actually go up, I can use the “Forever” stamps without worry.
I dunno…sometimes I take great joy in plastering the entire right side of an envelope with postage. I’ve sent letters off with 7 different stamps on them, just because I could. Yeah, if I mailed more than Christmas cards every year it would be a pain, but since I don’t, the new stamps don’t mean a lot to me. In fact, the last stamps I bought were because they were cool, not because we needed them.
How long will “forever” stamps be available? That they would even after postage goes beyond .41 cents seems hard to believe. Anyone know?
But, in the interest of possibly having a set or two around for when otherwise you’d have to pay a buck, certainly is enough enticement for me. I’ll at least buy a book.
I haven’t used Parcel Post for 30 years, so that’s not a problem (UPS, Fedex, Priority Mail, First Class and Media Mail serve all my needs). Seriously, don’t you think that actual delivery of products may decline if the essential data is available electronically? Already, you can pay bills online, watch movies online, send letters and photographs (emails or files) online, buy & sell stocks & bonds online, communicate online, etc. – all activities that required some physical delivery years ago.
And your packages end up with one of the earmarks of terrorist bombs, excessive postage. Good luck.
Or you could invest in a calendar, useful for keeping appointments as well.
“Forever” stamps will be sold at whatever the cost of first-class postage is at the time of purchase.
Right now, they cost 41 cents. In five years, they may cost 48 cents. However, the ones you buy today for 41 cents will still be good for mailing a first class letter 5 years from now.
This works out for the government because they got the use of your money for the intervening five years, and the associated interest.
You’ll get the object-file for your purchase electronically via implant. You’ll walk over to the household rapid prototyper, upload the file and, a short while later, have your object.
Hurrah to the post office for coming to their senses and making me that much less likely to have to wait an extra ten minutes behind someone who needs to buy 17 4-cent stamps, 2 3-cent stamps, no wait, 3 2-cent stamps. And can I send this package with these fourteen airmail stamps? Ok, then I need a 33-cent stamp, too. Oh, you don’t sell those? Well, then how about another 11 3-cent stamps. No, not those ones. Do you have any with dogs on them?
Yep guys, got it both. Thank you. I understood the concept of the “forever” price and all, just wasn’t really clear on how long they’d be selling it and, obviously, was overlooking it on my own. Now that I’ve got it changes with each postage rate increases, then I’m all set. Needless to say, when I’m financially set, I’ll buy a bunch so I’ll have something to leave in my will.
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