Buying Postage Stamps at a Discount!

May 14, 2007

Here's a Clever Idea for Small Business Owners.

In order to beat USPS rate hikes, buy old stamps at a discount from Stamp and Coin Dealers!

Dan Pritchett at Logos Bible Software found a creative way to make a deal with a local stamp and coin dealer to not only buy old stamps at a discount but get his invoices hand stamped for free as part of the deal! This idea wouldn't work for large businesses, but if you're an entrepreneur or run a small eBay type business, with more modest billing and invoicing needs, this idea has merit.

Check out Dan's blog and a clipped version of his article below.

clipped from blog.logos.com

The Secret to Beating the Postage Increase

Buy your stamps for 10% off.

Yes, it's pretty obvious I know, but 99% of the people reading this article don't think it is possible – "isn't it against the law for the post office to give discounts on stamps?" So what – you don't have to buy them from the post office.

I know it sounds too good to be true, I thought so too until I figured out how to do it.

If you are like me, you have spent hours of your life poring over your expenses in every category, trying to find a place to shave off a percent or two here and there. Then you come to the postage category. You look at that solid and steadily increasing dollar amount, shed a few tears, and move on since you know there is no way to save on the actual postage itself. You can't just stop mailing invoices or statements, and you can't use bulk mail for them – you're stuck.

After crying a few of those tears year after year, I read "Chapter 9: You Can Always Find 5%" from my favorite business book Fire Someone Today and was determined to once and for all find a way to shave something off that number somehow. Everyone said it couldn't be done – "Everyone knows there are no discounts on postage other than bulk mail." I was more determined than ever to find a way to shave at least 5% off my postage expenses.

I talked to my post office representative, I called the postmaster, I asked the UPS guys, the mail forwarders, the bulk rate mailers, and everyone else I could think of. Then I called the local "Stamp & Coin" shop and hit pay-dirt....