Re-use STAMPS?

[osiris]

Exactly! And if someone leaves their mobile on the table & you steal it, that's ok, right? It's not your fault they weren't watching their stuff.

Ok a bit excessive but you see my point. Reusing stamps IS fraud. Whether you get caught/they bother to prosecute is another matter.

[dfreely]

I don't reuse stamps.. like some others have said, it's illegal and it's the kind of stuff that adds up and causes USPS to lose more money. And really, getting away with 44 cents just isn't that important.

[Johnny's Fan]

I somehow think that the fact people are too lazy to write to each other anymore, companys send information via email, offers from catalouges are no longer posted if they have your email address, a million vairiety of parcel carriers have sprung up over the years... is more likely to be the reason your postal service is losing money. At least, they only mention they deliver 177 billion parcels instead of 214 billion not the fact X amount of stamps are being re-used.

And as I said, if I go to trouble to get $20 worth of stamps and $4 of it comes back to me unmarked.... I'm sure lots of lots of people in America who can easily buy stamps re-use them, so I don't feel guilty. At least I am using the service at all. If they fail to make my stamps invalid..... it's not my fault, and I don't see why I should throw them away. It's not like it happens all the time anyway.

[packrat]

I'm sure lots of lots of people in America who can easily buy stamps re-use them, so I don't feel guilty. At least I am using the service at all. If they fail to make my stamps invalid..... it's not my fault, and I don't see why I should throw them away. It's not like it happens all the time anyway.

It really doesn't matter what other people are doing. It only matters what YOU are doing. Illegall is illegal, and immoral is immoral. It doesn't matter whose fault it is the stamps are not cancelled. Reusing them is illegal and costs the post office money. It is theft of services, and/or pettit larceny.

[Johnny's Fan]

True, but when people try to compare using $1 in stamps to theft of a mobile phone or whatever then it gets a little silly. How many people daily download music and film from the internet and do so with no thought to the music and film industry? And the people who buy pirated DVD's and where the money goes from all that?

So you have to look at it in perspective. Should I be doing it? Probably not. Am I going to lose sleep over it? No. Are there worse things that people are doing daily, which is illegal and if they coughed up they could buy the item legally? Yes, and unlike stamps, they are having a direct impact on a specific industry.

And anyway, I buy my stamps off eBay. (Which is legal as they wouldn't be allowed to sell them). The seller is making (or maybe losing I don't know) money on the stamps after buying them from the Post Office. I paid for the stamps. So buying them off Ebay was what did the PO out of any money (and a customer) not my re-using them. Once they've left the PO, anything they get sold for, they won't be receiving the money, so if I get 2 go's out of those stamps what does it matter? I never paid them directly in the first place and I wouldn't be buying them from them anyway. I actually think a lot of the eBay sellers probably do make a profit, as I usually end up paying more for the stamps than the value anyway.

[dfreely]

Once they've left the PO, anything they get sold for, they won't be receiving the money, so if I get 2 go's out of those stamps what does it matter? I never paid them directly in the first place and I wouldn't be buying them from them anyway. I actually think a lot of the eBay sellers probably do make a profit, as I usually end up paying more for the stamps than the value anyway.

That's incredibly broken logic. It's not so much the stamp itself, but it's value. If it's meant to deliver a letter, then it does matter if you use it to deliver two. It's a lot like going to a store, paying a dollar for one candy bar, and taking two instead. And how much you paid for them simply doesn't matter, just because you decide to overpay for something doesn't change it's value.

[mharm2k6]

This question comes up time and time again... the answer is simple:
It's illegal. Don't do it.
You listen to me, or ignore it- but the fact that it's illegal won't change. If you do it, I doubt any one is going to go to your house and beat you down... but that doesn't change a dang thing. Same with pirating media, just because you probably won't get caught doesn't make it right.

Think of a stamp like a voucher or a gift certificate. You go and buy a stamp and essentially you've just bought a 'coupon' saying that in return for the money you paid up front, the post office will deliver your package/envelope at a later date when you redeem the 'coupon' [use the stamp]. When you reuse a stamp, you are conning the post office out of their money. They've already rendered their services once and you've completed the transaction- regardless of whether or not it's canceled.

This whole idea of reusing stamps is similar to the situation I'm sure most of us have been in: If you were to go into a store and purchase something and then upon exiting the place you realize you were given too much change. What do you do? Yes it's an oversight on their part- but it's a matter of ethics as to whether or not you go in and tell them. I mean who's going to know right? But that wouldn't make it right.

-M

[musicfan]

This question comes up time and time again... the answer is simple:
It's illegal. Don't do it.
You listen to me, or ignore it- but the fact that it's illegal won't change. If you do it, I doubt any one is going to go to your house and beat you down... but that doesn't change a dang thing. Same with pirating media, just because you probably won't get caught doesn't make it right.

Think of a stamp like a voucher or a gift certificate. You go and buy a stamp and essentially you've just bought a 'coupon' saying that in return for the money you paid up front, the post office will deliver your package/envelope at a later date when you redeem the 'coupon' [use the stamp]. When you reuse a stamp, you are conning the post office out of their money. They've already rendered their services once and you've completed the transaction- regardless of whether or not it's canceled.

This whole idea of reusing stamps is similar to the situation I'm sure most of us have been in: If you were to go into a store and purchase something and then upon exiting the place you realize you were given too much change. What do you do? Yes it's an oversight on their part- but it's a matter of ethics as to whether or not you go in and tell them. I mean who's going to know right? But that wouldn't make it right.

-M

i totally agree with you...this is an illegal act and if you get caught you can get a huge fine....and my take on this is if you cant afford to buy stamps you cant afford to pay that huge fine if you get caught...so i really hope you dont get caught...cause that fine can get expensive.....please dont say we didnt warn you..

[Johnny's Fan]

Once they've left the PO, anything they get sold for, they won't be receiving the money, so if I get 2 go's out of those stamps what does it matter? I never paid them directly in the first place and I wouldn't be buying them from them anyway. I actually think a lot of the eBay sellers probably do make a profit, as I usually end up paying more for the stamps than the value anyway.

That's incredibly broken logic. It's not so much the stamp itself, but it's value. If it's meant to deliver a letter, then it does matter if you use it to deliver two. It's a lot like going to a store, paying a dollar for one candy bar, and taking two instead. And how much you paid for them simply doesn't matter, just because you decide to overpay for something doesn't change it's value.

You're absolutely right. I've re-read my post and I have no idea what I was trying to say. Next time, I will make sure I'm properly awake before I even attempt to write anything.

[johnnylightning]

Don't be such sucks,if the postal worker was too lazy to punch out the stamps they are good to go again,whos gonna know and whos gonna care,nobody thats who.....