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Postage Rates Increase

E-mail has replaced the need to send a letter through the regular mail. Additionally, on-line banking, while not as widely understood or accepted as e-mail has decreased the amount of bills that are sent through the regular mail. The use of e-cards has also diminished the number of cards being sent through the regular mail for birthdays, holidays and even the "just because" types of cards.

All of the pieces of correspondence referenced above would have required postage to be purchased, if sent as a hard-copy through regular mail. Now, these transactions are free of charge, via the internet.

Postage rates, for postage stamps, just have had a recent increase from 37 cents to 39 cents. 41 cents was the originally proposed number, but it seemed that the 2 cents increase was enough for now. This increase is attributed to an attempt to make up for lost volume, by increasing the price of sending each piece of mail.

The other costly update that is required when potage rates increase is the burden of businesses that use postage meters. Older versions of postage meters do not have the capability to automatically update when the postage rate varies from what they are currently programmed for. In this case, the lessee must buy an expensive up-grade chip that will re-format the postage meter to calculate the proper postage.

The postage rates for sending those materials that are unable to be sent electronically have not yet been increased, at least by an amount that is noticeable. The 2-3 days to send larger mail or packages is still costing about 3-10 dollars and sending packages overnight will cost about 20 dollars on average.

The postage rate increases will continue to be evident as the more and more people become comfortable with electronic transfer technology. However, the postal service will have to be careful to retain competitive rates, as they are not the only provider of package sending service.

Postage rates may become a big factor for businesses in the future, especially those that are responsible for a lot of outgoing materials. There will be a high market for providing the best service and the lowest price for high volume main and package distributions.

Whether it is the individual mail sender or a business, if postage rates continue to rise, and at a rate that is not found to be acceptable, people will find a way to avoid using this service all together, which is exactly what the postal service is trying to avoid. Hopefully, they will come up with a way to still provide a worthy service, without breaking the bank.

Coins, Paper Money, Or Stamps?

What should you collect as a hobby; coins, paper money, or stamps?

Which will be the best investment?

It's amusing that some people who collect coins, paper money, or stamps, always want some sort of "return" on their investment. These are the same people think nothing of buying a new car for $20,000 and selling it a few years later for $5,000. A new car loses value as soon as you drive it on the road!

As far as investment in paper money in general, I would not consider it. If someone is buying notes and thinking how much will they be able to get when they sell it again, this person has the wrong hobby. Enjoy collecting for the pleasure and for the fun of it.

Coins and stamps are tangible reminders of years gone by. Yet, while coin collecting is flourishing as a hobby, stamp collecting has gone by the wayside. Many families who inherit stamp collections are more interested in getting the collection appraised than continuing the collection. You can't collect something if you don't know what it is.

Stamp collecting dates back to 1840, when the first stamp was issued in England. One of the earliest indications of stamp collecting is an advertisement from an English newspaper in which a young woman sought used stamps as a way to wallpaper her room. Soon, post offices discovered stamp collectors as good sources of revenue. From there, an unprecedented surge began.

There are no rules about stamp collecting. Some people collect stamps from a certain country while others focus on a particular theme, such as flowers, ships or buildings.

Unfortunately, stamp collecting has simply lost its appeal to younger people.

Coin collecting, on the other hand, is at its peak popularity. Rare or modern coins offer history that collectors can hold in their hand, and every period during the past 2,500 years is reflected in coinage.

Stamps disappear and become part of the ground. A coin can be dug up and, while new varieties of stamps are not really being discovered, new types of coins from all over the world are still being found. How many stamps or bank notes do you think you'll find while exploring with a metal detector?

Whilst improperly stored coins can degrade and lessen in value, paper money can be damaged by handling, sunlight, or water. All are subject to flood, fire, or other natural catastrophe.

A stock certificate with half of it burned away is just as good as a mint one in terms of its value on the exchange. In fact, as long as ownership can be proven, it often doesn't even matter if the physical certificate exists. The same can't be said for paper money.

You can insure against these problems, and go to great lengths to assure proper storage conditions, but all of this costs money and adds to the cost of the investment, often for many years before there is going to be any return at all.

Today, coin collecting is one of the world's most popular hobbies. Amateur collectors enjoy coins for their beauty, rarity and the stories behind them. Added to this is the excitement of searching for and finding specific coins and the challenge of identifying new ones.

Why is coin collecting thriving and stamp collecting dying? Coins are still being used and are still fascinating. It is an investment as well as a hobby. Coins continue to go up in value while many stamps are at the peak value they will ever receive. Furthermore, many are going down in value.

Enjoy your hobby, and consider whatever you invest in it to be pleasure money, the same way you would count money you spent going to ball games, or dining out, or buying new clothes. Then, whatever you or your family get out of your collection is pure profit, whether it is more or less than what you originally paid.

After all, if you spend $20 a week going to the movies, you don't expect to get anything for your $1,000 a year collection of ticket stubs, do you?

I believe there is room in both the collecting of coins and paper money for both collectors and investors.

The important thing to remember in investing in coins or banknotes is rarity and desirability.

So I believe there can be a case made that both collecting and investing in paper money and coins are valid, and valuable activities.


About the Author

Postal service gives scientists stamps of approval

The U.S. Postal Service has issued four new stamps to celebrate pioneering American scientists Barbara McClintock, John von Neumann, Richard Feynman, and Josiah Willard Gibbs. Each stamp features a picture of the scientist and artwork evoking their research:

Geneticist Barbara McClintock (1902-1992), whose research on maize plants led her to discover the principle of "genetic transposition." Her research greatly advanced our understanding of how genes function. For her work, she was honored with the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Thermodynamicist Josiah Willard Gibbs (1839-1903), who devised the modern system of thermodynamic analysis. His research also had an important influence on the manufacturing industries of the day. He received the Rumford Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Mathematician John von Neumann (1903-1957), who contributed to many branches of mathematics, as well as quantum mechanics, game theory, computational theory, and computer design. He also helped to develop atomic weapons in WWII. He was the recipient of the 1956 Enrico Fermi Award.

Physicist Richard P. Feynman (1918-1988) also helped develop atomic weapons in WWII. Through the development of his innovative "Feynman diagrams," designed to better show particle behavior, he simplified the field of quantum electrodynamics. An enthusiastic and inspiring teacher, Feynman shared the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics with Sin-Itiro Tomonaga and Julian Schwinger.

Other science-themed stamp sets for 2005 include the "Northeast Deciduous Forest" set (released in April), "Masterworks of Modern American Architecture" (June), "Advances in Aviation" (summer), and "Constellations" (October).

John Gaeddert is in the Public Relations Department at CSICOP, the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal.

USPS Click-N-Ship Software Provides Free Delivery Confirmation

Gone are the days of having to stand in line at the post office just to mail a package. These days, thanks to the advancement of the internet and technology, postal customers can now print postage from the convenience of their own home. Using a standard printer, along with USPS Click-N-Ship software, consumers can print shipping labels, postage stamps and even delivery confirmation numbers.

Many individuals, who make their living at online auction sites, are constantly in need of additional convenience relating to mailing and expenses. The software, which installs quickly, is one way to save shippers a bundle of time by allowing them to print postage directly from their printer. Using standard typing paper, the software enables the shipper to print a complete label featuring the return address, shipping address, barcode and a delivery confirmation.

Widely promoted as being a shipping convenience, the Click-N-Ship software often goes unrecognized for one of it's best features. If purchased at the post office, delivery confirmation is $0.45 per package but, with Click-N-Ship, it's free. Consider mailing 100 packages per month with delivery confirmation. At the post office, customers would pay $45.00 but, with the software, they save that amount of money. Over time, free delivery confirmation can add up to a bundle of cash and, if shipping is your business, it pays to save wherever possible. Before mailing the packages with delivery confirmation, it may be a good idea to keep a record of each shipment and it's corresponding tracking number. This will be very beneficial to any shipper who may later need to provide proof of shipment.

In order to properly use the Click-N-Ship software, customers must have some idea as to the weight of their package. Therefore, it may be a good investment to purchase a portable postage scale. In addition, customers will be prompted for the dimensions of their package prior to obtaining a total. With Click-N-Ship software, customers pay for their postage online before being able to print any labels. This eliminates the need to stand in line at the post office because the postage has already been calculated, printed and affixed to each package. In fact, many shippers simply take a box full of packages for mailing, which have been postage-paid using the Click-N-Ship software, into their post office and leave them for later processing.

The USPS Click-N-Ship software is available for free download at usps.com or included on selected AOL software CDs as a bonus. Otherwise, customers may be able to ask their postmaster for additional information on obtaining a copy of the Click-N-Ship software.

Your stamp supply shopping list

Collecting stamps is a great hobby that people from all over the world enjoy. It doesn't matter if you are young or old. This hobby is not only fun, interesting but you can also learn a lot. There is a whole wide world collecting stamp community for you to be part of. The key for collecting stamps is the variety you can collect. In this case you can certainly say more is better. If you are new to this hobby you have must realize that you have to have stamp collecting supplies ready before you start your collection of stamps. Here is a list of supplies that you will need for your hobby. Stock books, stamp hinges, stamp tongs, magnifiers, glassing envelopes, blank pages, drying books, perforation gauge, water mark detector, stamp mounts, stamp catalogues, binders and of course stamp albums. This may look like big shopping list but there is no reason to be panic. Not like many other collecting hobbies, this hobby doesn't have to be expensive at all. You don't have to spend a lot of money on expensive equipments and supplies. There is of course a list of items no stamp collector can do without. Let's start with the one item that collectors can not do without and that is a stamp album. The stamp album keeps your stamps safe while at the same time it enables you to organize your collection and to display your stamps in an attractive manner. Look for something that is high in quality. What you should look for is an album that contains plenty of space for your stamps and have strong bindings with thick pages made from good quality acid free paper. Another smart item you can not do without is a stamp hinge. A stamp hinge is a small, folded, rectangular piece of paper or glassine coated with a gum. One end of the hinge is gummed onto the back of a stamp and the other end is gummed onto the album page. This helps to firmly hold the stamp on the page. These hinges are very inexpensive and around a thousand can be purchased for a few dollars. Stamp tongs look like tweezers, but these are specially designed for picking up and handling stamps. Tongs are available in both stainless steel and plastic. Either type will do, but make sure you choose tongs that do not have sharp edges, as they may tear and ruin your stamp. If the value of your collection is important to you then a stamp catalogue is a must. The stamp catalog will help you identify a stamp and will also give you a rough indication of its current value. So you exactly know how valuable your collection is in the world of philately. What you also need is a magnifying glass. This will help you to examine the inscription and design closely, the feature of a stamp as well as its condition. Also the magnifying glass would help you spot the creases or printing error of a stamp. All of these factors have an impact on a stamp's grade and its value. Glassine envelopes are translucent and available in various sizes. They are useful for sorting and storing the stamps before you place them in the album. You can also mail stamps in these envelopes. Some other gadget you will need is a perforation gauge. It measures the number of holes per two cm length of the perforations on the side of the stamps. Stamps differ in the number of perforations each have, which even helps distinguish between two identical looking stamps and also influence the relative rarity. A water mark detector is useful in detecting forgeries and identifying stamp varieties. In hobby shops and on the internet all these tools are easy to find. Remember that these tools don't have to cost you an arm and a leg. To start your hobby you will need these stamp collecting supplies and just have fun while collecting.

Online Post Office Helps Small Businesses

When the internet came into popular usage many predicted that postal service would become under used as people relied less on paper documents and more on email.

What really happened is that businesses popped up all over the internet (Amazon, Toys'r'us) selling online - thereby increasing the load for home and business delivery. While couriers like UPS initially took over this area the United States Postal Service realized what small businesses would be looking for: convenience, cost efficiency and service.

Keeping up with marketing and mailing needs can easily swamp a home business. Stuffing envelopes, delivering packages and getting stamps and materials eat into time and profits.

Since UPS gobbled up the majority of residential delivery's in the first 'Online Shopping' Christmas season in 1999, USPS has been fighting fire with fire by providing online solutions for individuals and business owners alike.

What services are now available to help businesses like yours?

Ordering Postage and Packaging Supplies

Are you ready to send out the monthly invoices or have a rush shipment but no box to pack it in? Not only can you now order these items online so you never run out, but the packing supplies are FREE! Hard to beat that value.

Order your stamps and boxes ahead of time and you won't be rushing at the last minute to find what you need - or waste valuable time standing in line at the post office.

You can also check out services like stamps.com which allows you to print the postage (think: no stamps). Anything to make business faster and more efficient.

Arranging Pick Up

The competition with FedEx and UPS has instigated a positive change in the postal service's customer service. Just like the couriers USPS will pick up your mail instead of making you stand in another line up. You can even make the arrangement through their website.

Marketing Solutions

Postal services have upped the anti with the creation of mailing services for gift cards, business post cards, periodicals or even letters and flyers.

Business owners know how important it is to stay in contact with their clients, but who has the time to stay on top of the mailings? If you register to create and mail them from your computer there is no excuse. USPS will send one or one thousand - whatever you need, whenever you need it.

The internet has helped small businesses in numerous ways. Now you can get all of your mailing services with the touch of a button. Whether you need to create a mass mailing, get packing materials or pay for stamps you can get it done online - saving business owners time, money and stress.

NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)


About the Author
Nial Robbins owns the work at home directory website located at: http://www.NDR-HomeBiz.com Come by and visit us today!

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