What kind of stamps

Choose a service Close. Show more branches. You can buy stamps from our Self Service Kiosks. Using self serve kiosks. How much is a first class stamp? How much is a second class stamp? Useful links, extra information and related mails services. Last posting dates Prohibited and restricted items Get the best value from postage How to address mail.

Branch Finder How to send a parcel Price Finder. The Postal Service upped the price of stamps to help offset the loss in mail volume and the cost of operating expenses. This was the 12 th unprofitable year for the company, which is not funded by tax dollars, but rather products and services.

The Postal Regulatory Commission approved the large increase in stamp costs, which have steadily been increasing since First Class Mail was established in , as a mailing system based on cost rather than distance to destination. The forever stamp is one of the products developed to help with mailing convenience during price changes. Forever stamps were first used in April with a Liberty Bell Stamp. Forever stamps are sold at the current rate for a 1-ounce letter.

These stamps are timeless — even when stamp prices go up, forever stamps remain valid. Starting in , most new first-class one ounce stamps were made as forever stamps. They were used in time of war, or while ensuring a peace-keeping operation. Most often, the letters will be transported by the army itself until they reach the country of destination.

Military stamps were widely used during World War II by soldiers who wish to send letters to their families. Minisheet or miniature sheet -- commemorative issue that is smaller than a regular full sheet of stamps, usually having more than 1 stamp.

Official mail stamp -- stamp used by the government. Occupation stamp -- stamp used by the occupying army. Overprint a regularly-issued postage stamp such as a definitive or commemorative issue, which has been changed after release by Printing Over a part of the stamp.

Denominations may be changed through this manner. Perforated stamp -- usually refers to perforations surrounding a stamp to divide a whole sheet into single stamps. Perforated stamps can also be those stamps having perforations across the middle with letters monogram or a pattern, which are called PERFINS. These stamps are typically bought by corporations to deter theft by employees.

Postage due -- a stamp denoting that full postage has not yet been paid, and the amount owed is indicated. Postal tax stamp -- a stamp that indicates a tax aside from the postage fee has been paid and it is required to send mail. This is often required on mail issued on a specific day or for a few days.

Revenue stamp -- used to collect taxes and fees on alcoholic drinks, medicines, hunting licenses, playing cards, tobacco, firearm registration, documents, etc. It is issued by local and national governments, and by officials. It is also called a tax stamp or fiscal stamp. Self-adhesive stamp -- a pressure-sensitive, self-sticking stamp that does not need moisture to stick.

Semi-postal stamp -- A first-class definitive stamp may be bought for 50 cents, but a first-class semi-postal stamp costs 60 cents.

The excess 10 cents will be transferred to a charitable institution less the postal service's costs to fund a cause. Customized postage indicia are sold at a premium by authorized private companies. The extra cost of customized postage goes to the licensees, though, in some instances, a portion of the extra cost may be used to support a particular charity or cause.

See below. Semipostal stamps see above may be used to raise funds for causes. As noted earlier in this report, however, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform long has had a rule against considering legislation that proposes the issuance of new semipostal and commemorative stamps.

Customized postage also may be used for this purpose. Stamps are produced by the USPS alone and may not carry images, messages, or advertisements promoting political causes, private businesses, etc. However, persons, groups, and businesses may put images, messages, and advertisements on certain forms of postage, such as customized postage and postage meter indicia.

CSAC assesses proposals for new commemorative stamps against 12 criteria and advises the Postmaster General, who has final authority to determine both subject matter and design, on appropriate and desirable proposals. The CSAC advises that new stamp proposals be submitted "at least three years in advance of the proposed date of issue to allow sufficient time for consideration and for design and production.

Consumers also may call the USPS at This began a quasi-judicial process in which all interested parties, including citizens and business firms, would submit testimony to the commission concerning USPS's proposed postage rates. The Postal Rate Commission would hold hearings, take testimony from witnesses, and issue a recommended decision, which the USPS's Board of Governors could accept or reject.

Frequently, the entire process took more than six months, and the results were difficult to predict. The PAEA replaced this process with a less adversarial and more expeditious process that takes less than two months Stat.

Now, when the USPS wants to raise postage rates, it files a notice with the PRC, which takes public comments and verifies the proposed rates' compliance with the law. Market-dominant products are those that the USPS need not compete with the private sector to provide. Each year, the USPS may raise the postage rates for market-dominant products at a rate that is no higher than the previous year's increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers.

Competitive products are those for which a competitive market exists. Otherwise, the USPS may price these products at the level it deems appropriate, relative to competitors' prices. During the th , th , th , and th Congresses, bills were introduced to permit certain persons to send letters and packages free of postage to servicemen and women in combat zones.

None of these bills has become law. Yes, a member of the armed services may do so, provided that he or she is on duty in a designated combat area, the mail is personal correspondence, and the mail is addressed to someone in the United States 39 U. This report originally was written by [author name scrubbed], who has since left CRS.

Readers with questions about this report's subject matter may contact [author name scrubbed].