Forever Stamp Value: 4 Things Businesses Should Know

It’s said that most businesses nowadays obtain the majority of their customers via the Internet. Of course, to pull this off, they use all sorts of online marketing tactics such as social media advertising and content marketing. 

While modern online advertising methods are undoubtedly convenient, some traditional marketing strategies, particularly mail advertising, remain a viable and reliable option for companies. Not only does direct postage outreach allow you to target customers within a specific region, but it can also set your business apart from competitors that are most likely relying on online marketing and outreach to push their branding forward.  

If you want to incorporate mail advertising into your company’s marketing blueprint, you can start by looking into Forever stamps—a type of postage stamp that works similarly to First-Class stamps distributed by the United States Postal Service (USPS). 

Yet before you buy Forever stamps in bulk and stash them in large quantities for your snail mail marketing, you must first know a few key facts about them. The following are useful pieces of information you should be knowledgeable of:

1. A Forever Stamp’s Value Is Equivalent To The Costs Of First-Class Postage 

If you take a closer look at any postage stamp issued by the USPS, you’ll typically find several elements imprinted in the design that tell you specific information about it. These may include the following: 

• An image that represents the theme of the stamp (nature, holidays and historical events, famous figures, and the like); 
• The year when the stamp was issued; and
• The value or price of the stamp when you bought it. 

Usually, if you want to find out the value of a particular stamp, you’d look at one of its corners where the postal value is commonly placed. But if you look closely at the value of a Forever stamp, you won’t find a dollar sign or any symbol for currency anywhere because they fall under a special category of stamps known as non-denominated postage. 

Non-denominated postage stamps like Forever stamps don’t have any fixed monetary value. So, rather than a dollar sign, you’d only find the word ‘Forever’ imprinted on the stamp. So, how would you know the value of a Forever stamp? 

To start with, it’s important to understand that the cost of each individual Forever stamp is equivalent to the cost of First-Class mails. In the United States (U.S.), the current cost of First-Class postage is 58 cents. This means that if you want to buy a Forever stamp within the country’s borders, you’d have to fish out more than half a dollar out of your wallet for each one. 

2. Already Purchased Forever Stamps’ Value Remains The Same Even After Price Fluctuations 

Now you might be wondering, ‘How are Forever stamps any different from regular postage stamps?’ Well, for one, the cost of Forever stamps is almost never-changing, hence the name. 

It’s believed that before the mailing industry came up with the idea of Forever stamps, all postage stamps had a monetary value, like First-Class postage, at the time they’re purchased.  

For instance, during the summer of 2010, the cost for First-Class stamps was 44 cents each, but starting from January 2011, the price increased to 46 cents. This means that if you bought a First-Class stamp in December 2010, you would’ve paid 44 cents. Yet if you’re to use that same stamp the next month, you’d have to buy a Special Postage stamp that costs 2 cents more and attach it to your mail to make up for the cost difference between old and new stamp prices. 

As you may imagine, the above-mentioned situation can be incredibly inconvenient and costly, both to consumers and to the local postal service provider. Nevertheless, the use of Forever stamps made the whole process much easier especially since the price of these stamps remained the same even after an increase or decrease in price is introduced. 

So, if you bought a Forever stamp in 2010, for example, you can use that same stamp the next year without having to buy an extra stamp. This is incredibly useful for businesses as it can slash off expenses drastically along with other related operating costs. 

It’s said that timing is still crucial when buying Forever stamps for your business. It’s recommended that you buy Forever stamps in large quantities before a considerable price change is announced. Though the increase may be minuscule at first glance, it may cause a considerable economic impact if bundled altogether.  

3. The Cost Of New Forever Stamps Will Rise For The Next Few Years 

If you’ve been keeping up with the news, you may have heard of ‘Delivering for America,’ a decade-long initiative by the USPS that aims to improve the financial sustainability of the industry. 

As part of their 10-year plan, USPS officials are planning on raising the cost of First-Class stamps for the next couple of years. So yes, the cost of Forever stamps is bound to rise from here on out. In fact, the plan has already started in August 2021, as the Forever stamp value increased from 55 cents to 58 cents. 

If you’re a business owner, now is your chance to grab bulk reserves of Forever stamps before the next scheduled value increase. 

4. You Don’t Necessarily Have To Pay For The Entire Cost Of Forever Stamps 

When people find out about the value of Forever stamps, it’s believed that they’d often think that there’s no way of getting them at a lower price. Even so, that’s not the case all the time. 

Depending on the supplier, you may not have to pay the full price for each Forever stamp. Digital marketplaces, case in point, may offer bundles of these stamps at a lower price. Certain stores may even provide Forever stamps as a reward from gift cards. Meanwhile, convenience stores and retailers may offer them at a higher tag. 

In other words, depending on where you’re going to source your supply, you can get Forever stamps at the lowest price possible. 

Final Words 

It’s regarded that not many individuals understand how Forever stamps work, much less their value. Anyhow, once one fully understands the concept behind it, they’re bound to realize its potential benefits to a business’ mail advertising campaigns. Hopefully, this guide has already provided you with the information you need to make full use of Forever stamps for your dynamic enterprise mailing needs.