How To Get Free Or Cheap Stamps

If you have to send things via USPS, you will need to have stamps, and while one or two don’t cost much if you mail regularly, the costs add up. There are some places you can get mint stamps for less than face value. We have compiled a list of the best free or cheap stamps sources.

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The 10 Best ways to get cheap stamps are below.

Key Takeaways

• Although there are many ways to get free canceled or collector’s edition stamps (which do not have legal value) to add to a collection, there is no legal way to get free mint stamps for use on postage.
• If you are looking for free canceled stamps for your collection, place an ad on sites such as Craigslist or Freecycle, or send a request to the International Society of World Wide Stamp Collectors. Alternatively, join a Stamps on Approval club with Vista Stamps or Arpin Philately.
• Because Forever stamps remain legal to use no matter how much time passes and will always cover a standard first-class letter, you can stock up on them now and use them later when the price increases.
• Some sites, such as Amazon and eBay, offer the opportunity to buy mint stamps at substantially reduced rates, with 20 to 30 percent savings off the face value. However, you cannot get US Forever stamps at such reduced rates, and you will have to mix and match stamps to make up the correct postage.
• If you find US Forever stamps at substantially reduced rates, such as 20 to 50 percent savings off the face value, do not buy them, as these stamps are counterfeit.
• If you want to save money on US Forever stamps, buy them in coils of 100 or 200 from online retail sites.
• You can sign up for a Stamps.com subscription for reduced rates on stamps, and if you do a lot of mailing, it can lead to substantial savings.
• BuyDiscountStamps.com allows you to buy stamps cheaply without a subscription. However, the minimum order is $500, which is a solution more suited to business owners.
• You can use rebates sites to help reduce the cost of buying stamps.
• Using a rewards credit card to pay lets you get a cashback on top of any other reduction you may have earned, making for significant savings.

Where To Get Free Or Cheap Stamps

If you still like to send things by mail or run a small business that ships with USPS, you will need stamps. While there is no way to get free mint stamps that are legal to use for mailing things, you can still save significantly on the amount you pay for stamps.

Although these ways may involve some effort getting a rewards credit card or signing up for rebates sites and stamp subscriptions, they will pay off in the reduced rates you pay for stamps. Let’s look at how you can get stamps cheaply.

1. United States Postal Service

If you buy stamps from USPS, you will pay the going rate. However, you can purchase stamps in books of 20 rather than buying them in bulk, and you often get unique commemorative designs. You will save buying here, rather than from many other places that charge more than face value.

2. Walmart

Walmart also offers savings over many other places, as they sell stamps at face value, like USPS. What’s particularly handy about buying them here is that you can stock up on stationery simultaneously.

3. Office Depot

Your local Office Depot or Office Max also offers stamps at face value, making for savings compared to the inflated prices charged by many other places.

4. Stamp Dealers

Stamp dealers’ primary source of income is buying and selling stamps from collectors, and that’s how you can sometimes get substantial savings on stamps. Stamps collectors often buy special editions in the hope that they will become valuable.

But most of these stamps don’t increase in value, and stamp collectors pressed for cash may sell them to stamp dealers at a loss (say, around 70 percent of the face value). The stamp dealers then sell these stamps to ordinary customers at reduced rates. If you buy stamps this way, you will have to mix and match several to get the correct postage.

5. eBay

eBay provides a fantastic place to get significant savings on stamps. Type in “Face Value Stamps” and check through the auction lots. You can get savings of 20 to 30 percent off the face value of stamps. The only downsides are that these won’t be US Forever stamps, so you will have to mix and match to get the correct postage, and the stamps are generally sold in packs of 100 or 200, so you have to buy in bulk.

6. Amazon

On the face of it, Amazon is not the cheapest place to buy stamps. But if you shop carefully for deals, you can sometimes get good savings on stamps. It is particularly worthwhile if you have an Amazon credit card. Ensure you buy from a reputable seller to avoid counterfeit stamps.

7. BuyDiscountStamps.com

If you are willing to spend a minimum of $500 on stamps, you can buy US Forever stamps and other mint stamps for around 10 percent off from BuyDiscountStamps.com. This solution is helpful if you are a business or if you and some friends club together to buy stamps.

8. Stamps.com

For around $20 per month plus applicable taxes, you can get a subscription to Stamps.com and US Forever stamps for about 25 percent savings. They offer a 4-week trial that gives you $5 in free postage, plus an additional $20 free postage after completion of the trial. They also give you a free digital postal scale for signing up.

With no long-term contracts, you can cancel anytime, and if you are mailing in bulk, a subscription is worth it for the savings.

9. Use Rebate Sites

Rebate sites, such as Cashbackholic, MrRebates, and TopCashBack, offer you a percentage cash back on your purchases on your regular online shopping sites. By buying stamps through one of these sites, you can get a 5 to 10 percent rebate on the purchase price.

10. Buy Using A Rewards Credit Card

Shopping with a cashback (rewards) credit card, you can stack deals by buying things like stamps that you would buy anyway, and get money back, thus making for significant savings on stamps.

Related Questions

Where Are Stamps Cheapest?

The cheapest place to buy stamps is eBay. Just be aware that many sellers are offering counterfeit stamps.

Are Cheap Stamps Legal?

Some cheap stamps are legal, but many are counterfeit (illegal). Ensure you buy stamps from a reputable seller and avoid “too good to be true” deals.

What Is The Cheapest Stamp You Can Buy?

The cheapest stamp you can buy is the 1¢ stamp, which USPS still sells. It features an apple design.