It’s easy enough to just ask for a stamp at the post office, “I would like to buy 1 stamp, please.” But, what if you have bigger needs for your post office visit? Here are some things you might say at the post office.
Can I have a book (roll) of stamps? In the past if you wanted to buy a lot of stamps, you could buy a roll. These are more outdated now that most stamps in the United States are stickers. Nowdays, if you want to buy a large amount of stamps you can buy a book of stamps.
Can I buy some ‘forever’ stamps? During the last few years the cost of a stamp has gone up every May, by a penny. The United States Post Office made some stamps that are forever the correct price of mailing an envelope in the United States. These are the types of stamps I would buy unless I wanted special stamps, like Christmas stamps or some with pretty flowers.
How much does it cost to mail this package? There are several different methods of shipping at the post office. You have Media Mail for mailing books. Then, there is parcel post, which is cheap, but slow. There are other options too, but the fastest is next-day which costs an arm and a leg (saying something costs an arm and a leg means it costs a lot).
Do you have prepaid boxes? Prepaid boxes – boxes you can buy that cost the same amount to ship no matter how much you pack into them – are quite handy. If you can fit it in, you can ship it for a set price. I often come out ahead when using these boxes.
Can I buy insurance for that? You can insure anything you mail as long as you pay for the insurance. It’s not really too expensive, and often worth the extra money.