Going Postal: The Evolution of Stamps

In the 'good old days,' a stamp was a stamp, but to others stamps
created intrigue.

When life was simple, stamps were only as far away as a short
walk to the Post Office. Those days seem long ago and incredibly
different from the hustle and bustle of today. But one thing remains the
same, stamps whether for collecting or use are still intriguing to
many.

Despite being more
accessible, stamps are not easier to get these days.

Here’s why:

• Waiting
  in lines is not something most people have the time or patience for.

• You
  could get stamps while at the grocery store, but most local market
  requires cash or debit card payment for stamps and lots of folks
  commonly use a credit card for purchases as a way of gaining some
  loyalty points. Clearly you could do a separate transaction, but is it
  fair to the others in line?

• What about ATMs? Some dispense stamps, but
  most do not.

Truth is most of us don't send enough formal mail to use the stamps up
before the rate changes, which nowadays feels like they are coming more
frequently than ever before. Stamps make many of us "Go Postal," and we
hate it! So, let's take a look at some alternatives that can solve our
problem from home or office.

ABOUT ELECTRONIC STAMPS

Described by Marvin Runyon, a former Postmaster General, as
"available, on-call, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week," electronic stamps
first came to market around 2003-2004. Stamps.com is one organization
that today is still thriving. While the premise is similar to their
competition – cutting down on trips to the Post Office, saving money
when compared to postal meters like Pitney Bowes, making mail look
professional, never overposting (overpaying for postage) and on demand
printing choices— Stamps.com allows the customization of postage. If you
want to commemorate the birth of a child, a special day or just share
an image of your family, pet or favorite vacation moment, this online
monthly subscription service makes it super easy.

CREATION OF DYMO STAMPS

Dymo recognized the need for a no-fee based service and provides Dymo Labels as a utility for the users of their Dymo LabelWriter 400 Turbo,
LabelWriter 400 Twin Turbo, LabelWriter Duo, LabelWriter 450,
LabelWriter 450 Turbo and LabelWriter 450 Twin Turbo. Designed with the
small business owner in mind which likely does not care about
personalization, the system manages letters and packages based on a no
fee model – no monthly fee, no long term commitments, no hidden charges.

Endicia, now owned by Newell Rubbermaid, the parent company of Dymo,
is marketing a more upscale solution focused on small to medium business
(SMB) and supports envelopes to 70 pound packages. Offering a variety
of postage choices and options, Endicia also recognizes that sometimes
UPS (United Parcel Service) or FedEX (Federal Express) are better
choices for your parcels. They compare costs and transit times so you
can make decisions, not guesses. The Standard, Premium, Mac,
Professional and Platinum Shipper programs have pretty much every
function and feature you could want including free downloads of scale
reading utilities like InstaRate. For their consumer base who wants to
put their images on stamps, Picture It Postage is a great service
although a bit costly in my opinion.

Years ago, buying Stamps was simple. You went to the US Post Office
in your community, asked for a roll of stamps, paid for them and went
home. Now we have even more choices. Choices that blend technology and
service and are sure to save us time while providing great value.

Want to share your experiences with these or other postal products?
Have a great stamp collecting story? Email LabelValue.com