Stamps are small, but they have a big effect on the Postal Service’s bottom line.
For more than 170 years, the organization has issued stamps that honor the nation’s history, heroes and heritage.
Stamps aren’t just miniature works of art, though. They’re also a unique product that generates revenue for the Postal Service.
Customers once had to pay for the postage on the letters they received, resulting in a lot of mail being returned because the recipient didn’t want to spend the money. Prepaid postage stamps, introduced in 1847, solved this problem.
Today, USPS releases dozens of stamps each year — which is good for business. Stamps also represent a unique connection between the Postal Service and its customers.
USPS receives more than 40,000 stamp suggestions from the public annually. These ideas are submitted to the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee, a panel that evaluates the proposals and makes recommendations to the Postmaster General, who makes the final decision.
In addition to providing the public with a way to learn more about art, music, sports and other topics, stamps help USPS demonstrate its social responsibility.
The organization also offers semipostal stamps that help raise money for causes in the public interest. This includes the Breast Cancer Research semipostal stamp, which has raised more the $89 million for breast cancer research since 1998.