We’ve all seen and experienced first-hand the price increases by the U.S. Postal Service in the last few years.  The main reasons cited for the rate changes are increased use of electronic bill pay, the invention of email and any number of advents in technology such that I’ve lost track of them all.  In whole or in part, all of these things have conspired to drive down mail volume, while labor and infrastructure costs have continued to rise.

Where prices will go in the future is anyone’s guess, but one thing is for certain…they aren’t going to go down!

The good news in all of this is that there is a way you can ensure you won’t have to spend more than today’s going rate on postage anytime soon, no matter what 2011 or 2012 holds.

Since April 2007, the Forever Stamp has been a tried and true means of keeping postal costs down over time.  Back when they first launched, the cost of a Forever Stamp was just 41 cents ― a bargain for a stamp that had no expiration date and that you could use anytime to mail a first-class, standard-sized letter anywhere within the U.S.  Although today’s price has risen to 44 cents, it’s still a great way to insure against future rate increases.

According to James M. Kiefer, Pricing Economist for the U.S. Postal Service, “The single-piece, first-ounce price ― commonly known as the stamp price ― is the most visible price offered by the Postal Service.  It is also the single most important price in terms of revenue generated.”

Reading that quote, you might ask yourself why the U.S. Postal Service would be willing to sell you a stamp that can be used decades from now for what you paid today, when that very stamp and the revenue it generates are what’s keeping the Postal Service in business.  The details are complicated, so maybe the trick is to stop asking why and get to the business of how Forever Stamps can save you some real money.

Interestingly, the typical household in America is not affected all that much by changes in the stamp price.  In fact, an increase of two cents in the stamp price amounts to only an estimated $3 annual increase in postage costs for the typical household in America that sends an average amount of first-class mail.  Even at $.44, mailing a letter in the good old USA is still a bargain in comparison to virtually anywhere else in the world, that’s for sure.  But that doesn’t mean you can’t make a smart move for your pocket book and save yourself some money, does it?

If you’re lucky enough to have the resources right now to buy Forever Stamps in bulk at the going rate, the fact is that you’ll eventually save a significant amount of money.  Even if you only send the typical amount of mail per month, adopting a “buy and hold” Forever Stamp strategy will mean more money in your pocket in the long run, for sure.

However, the real cost savings when it comes to Forever Stamps is for home-based or other small, mid-sized or large businesses, distributorships, licensee opportunities and franchises, many of which incur significant postage costs each year.  If these bulk postage consumers can exercise that same “buy and hold” strategy, they will save a ton of dough.  Buying ten thousand or even a hundred thousand stamps today will save hundreds if not thousands of dollars in the long run ― money that can be spent elsewhere.  Let’s be honest, in this day and age, smart business owners know that every little bit saved helps to lower overall expenditures and ultimately increase profits.

Why not consider buying Forever Stamps as one important cost-saving strategy for your business this year?

Not convinced?  Well, the U.S. Postal Service is really working hard to make buying Forever Stamps worth your while.  It recently issued two new, first-class-mail Forever Stamps on coils.  Saving money by purchasing Forever Stamps in bulk has never been easier!

For more information on the latest Forever Stamps and the most current U.S. Postal Service news, visit https://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.

In the meantime, here are some additional Forever Stamp and U.S. Postal Service fun facts you may find interesting:

• The Forever Stamp first went on sale in April 2007.  Since then, more than six billion Forever Stamps have been sold.
• In May of 2009 Forever Stamps were raised to 44 cents per stamp.
• As of December 2010, the Forever Stamp can be purchased in coils.
• As the name suggests, Forever Stamps can be used to mail a one-ounce letter regardless of when the stamps were purchased and no matter how prices may change in the future.
• Forever Stamps are always sold at the same price as a regular first-class mail stamp.  They currently sell for 44 cents each.
• Forever Stamps are available for purchase at post offices nationwide, online at usps.com, by phone at 1-800-STAMP-24, and from Automated Postal Centers and ATMs.  They are sold in booklets of 20 and sheets of 18, as well as coils.
• An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation; that’s 146 million homes and businesses, six days a week.  It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars.
• The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.