Agents budget for photography, staging and listing fees. Postage tends to sit in an unexamined line called "office", which is where it quietly grows.
One mailing makes the size of it obvious: 500 open house invitations at 73 cents is $365. Add roughly $200 a month in contracts and closing documents and postage is a five-figure annual line for a single agent.
What a real discount looks like on that
A verified surplus dealer offering around 11% below face changes the same mailing from $365 to about $320 — a $45 saving on one send, repeated every time.
That is the honest shape of it. Not transformative on a single mailing, and material across a year of them. The discount is small because legitimate surplus comes from overstock and liquidation, and that supply cannot support more.
Best deals on Forever stamps
Comparing the channels honestly
| Channel | Discount | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official online store | None | Specific designs, any quantity | Face value, shipping wait |
| Post office counter | None | Small orders, immediate need | No bulk pricing |
| Large marketplaces | Varies | Smaller or specialty orders | Price and authenticity vary by seller |
| Verified surplus dealer | Around 10% | Bulk, repeat buying | Minimum quantities; vet the seller once |
For one-off purchases the official channel is simply correct — the discount is not worth any effort. The surplus route earns its place once you are buying in the hundreds and repeatedly.
Getting the rate history right
This is worth stating precisely, because it is frequently reported wrong.
Forever stamps went to 73 cents in July 2024. There was no increase in January 2025 — the USPS confirmed that explicitly. The next adjustment came in July 2025.
The practical point: adjustments have landed in mid-year windows, not in January. If you are timing a bulk purchase around an expected increase, that is the window to watch.
Why buying ahead works for this use case
Forever stamps do not expire and cover a one-ounce letter at whatever the current rate is. For someone with steady, predictable mailing volume — which describes most agents — buying a year's postage ahead of an adjustment fixes a known cost.
The limit is your own forecast. This works because the mail is definitely going out; it stops working the moment you are buying more postage than you will send.
Matching the stamp to the mailing
Different mail wants different postage, and it costs the same either way:
- Flag designs for contracts, disclosures and anything legal — they read as official and never look out of place.
- Floral and rose issues for thank-you notes and closing gifts, where the envelope should feel personal.
- Two-ounce stamps for brochure mailings and anything with inserts, which cross one ounce more often than people expect.
Where to buy
The USPS official store and post office counters for small orders and specific designs, or a verified surplus channel such as Forever Stamp Center for the bulk volume where a 10% difference compounds.
The short version
Price one real mailing and postage stops being invisible. Buy small quantities officially and bulk through a verified surplus dealer at around 10% off, watch the mid-year adjustment window rather than January, and buy to the volume you will actually send.
More on buying Forever stamps
- 👉 Buy Stamps Near Me: How to Buy Stamps Conveniently
- 👉 Your Postage Log Is a Leading Indicator
- 👉 Run the Total Cost of Delivery, Not the Price of the Stamp
Currently working at USPS in Chicago, he has more than 15 years of experience in bulk mailing and logistics. His columns focus on Forever Stamp trends, helping businesses and individuals make cost‑effective mailing decisions.
