Do you stick a stamp when posting letters?
@lordwarwizard (35747)
Singapore
June 3, 2008 5:56am CST
Do you or do you not?
I make it a point to always remember to put on a stamp when I am posting things. However, I do have unfortunate experience of being on the receiving end of those who don't use stamps. This means that I have to pay a fine to receive a letter I might not even want.
When posting to institutions like government offices and banks, I have a friend who insists on refraining from stamps. Her rationale is that those places will always want to accept all incoming letters and so, they will automatically pay any fine where applicable by default. She claims it has always worked well for her. I haven't got the guts to try it yet, have you?
So, do you stick a stamp when posting letters? Or do you usually forget? Or do you intentionally refrain? Or you haven't posted a letter in a thousand years? Or... ?
20 people like this
96 responses
@recycledgoth (9894)
•
3 Jun 08
I appreciate that I can often be a bit forgetful and can sometimes forget simple things. I decided that the best way to make sure that I remember to put a stamp on letters was to put stamps on some envelopes on my desk. That way I can write my letters, fold them, put them into the envelope and the stamp is already there. Of course, it does help if I remember the addresses 
@cortjo73 (6498)
• United States
3 Jun 08
Of course I use a stamp when sending letters or cards or any other mail item. That is rude not to. I can understand if you forget once but, to intentionally do it is inconsiderate of the person who sent it. So, if you get mail that hasn't been stamped, don't accept it. Just send it back and let them resend it with postage on it. If they want you to have it, they will do it right.
No matter who the letter is going to, I will not only put postage on it but, I will put the right amount of postage on it. Anyone who doesn't is inconsiderate and I would stop accepting their mail.
2 people like this
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
4 Jun 08
And it can be embarrassing if we keep forgetting. 
2 people like this
@maddysmommy (16230)
• United States
3 Jun 08
My mail comes back if I forget to put a stamp on it or else our mailman just puts it back in my mailbox.
2 people like this
@chrislotz (8137)
• Canada
5 Jun 08
I rarely ever send anything by mail these days. All my bills I pay over the phone through my bank account. Anyways, if I didn't put a stamp on something I was mailing it would be returned to me. They wouldn't mail it out to the address on the envelope. Maybe it is didfferent in Canada because I have never received a letter or anything in the mail, that didn't have a stamp on it. If it really worked the way you say, here in Canada, I wouldn't bother putting stamps on anything I mailed to the governement, let them pay for it. But it doesn't work that way.
2 people like this
@chinnu3579 (661)
• India
5 Jun 08
This is like a Shirt without Buttons and Trouser without Zip.A Postal envolope ,it may be official or not should be pasted stamp,and it may vary the cost,and ofcourse as you said that small difference can be borne bye the addressee,but not avoid completely.
2 people like this
@blinki (17)
• United States
5 Jun 08
I never thought about not putting a stamp on anything that I sent out. I would think that the lettters would just end up being sent back after time, or not get posted to accounts, or something. I guess I am just worried of the supposed consequences, that could possibly happen. I jsut do the right thing, and put my stamp on, if it seems really bulky or I know it is heavier than average, I will add an additional stamp.
2 people like this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
3 Jun 08
I have never sent a letter without a stamp before. I figured they would either not take it out of the box or return it to sender anyhow. I actually didn't know they would accept a letter without the proper postage. I don't want to take the chance of it not getting where I need it to go if I don't put the correct postage on the letter or package. If I don't have a stamp, I will always put the amount of chane in the mailbox to cover the cost of a stamp so the mailman will put it on or just leave me a stamp.
2 people like this
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
4 Jun 08
LOL, be careful of what you asked for.
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
3 Jun 08
I always add postage stamps to mail, irrespective of who the recipient is. I can see the logic that government offices will accept all mail, but it seems wrong that I should take advantage of such an opportunity. When you consider the small amount of money involved, it is rather petty to avoid paying.
2 people like this
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
4 Jun 08
Well yes, you can save it is petty. But if you are sending to e.g. banks, maybe you can see it as taking revenge for the exorbitant charges they slap on you. You do know the hideous profits most banks make, right?
@Ohara_1983 (4117)
• Kuwait
3 Jun 08
seen i remem,ber that im posting a letter im putting stamp on it, even just a local mail, i think those are the rules. stamp also will be a great remembrance to the people that you send a mail or to us. i really love to recive letter with the stamp i made them us a collection of stamp.
2 people like this
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
4 Jun 08
Yea... the stamp is the way we pay for the postal service.
1 person likes this
@fec139 (810)
• United States
3 Jun 08
I can't believe this is even a question! Of course I put a stamp on everything I mail. The fact that there are people who have the nerve to purposely put something in a mailbox without postage, is incredible to me! Do they also leave a store without paying for their purchases?
2 people like this
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
4 Jun 08
Lol, those are 2 vastly different things.
But there are many people who send things without putting on a stamp.
During the last time I went to collect my letter which did not have a stamp (they just left a notice at my door to collect the "tax letter"), I saw a few boxes that hold letters in this category and mine is just one of many!
Since they will supposedly return the letter to the sender if I do not collect it within 10 days, it seems to me that those boxes are "fresh supply". There are always letters posted without stamps affixed.
@jillmalitz (5131)
• United States
3 Jun 08
Oh yeah, I have to put that on right away. Our mailman will not even take mail without a stamp on the envelope. I always worry that one day I will send something without enough postage. I would rather put too much on than too little.
2 people like this
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
4 Jun 08
If I am sending something heavier than normal, I normally make a trip down to weigh it and find the right price for it that I need to pay.
1 person likes this
@mialei23 (2385)
• Philippines
3 Jun 08
Before I used stamping many times when I am mailing letters for my relatives in US. But now I don't do mails because I prefer sending e-mail instead 'coz it more accurate and fast than mailing. Mailing now is too expensive maybe because there are less people who use mailing.
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
4 Jun 08
Yea, emails can replace most letters we send.
1 person likes this
@lorilei39 (22)
• United States
3 Jun 08
You have to use a stamp or the mail carrier won't deliver it.
2 people like this
@patgalca (18366)
• Orangeville, Ontario
3 Jun 08
Here in Canada, if you don't have sufficient postage on your letters they will come back to you. They will not be forwarded to the addressed party. The only exception is the government. You can send a letter to government offices (I think only Federal) without putting postage on it.
In some instances I will receive mail where the stamp on the envelope has not been cancelled out by the sorting machine. Since stamps are self-adhesive in most cases we can pull them off and re-use them. You may need a little glue but the post office can't see the difference. Saves me some money.
2 people like this
@horsesrule (1957)
• United States
5 Jun 08
Any time that I've ever forgotten to put a stamp on a letter, it has always been returned to me for postage. So yes, I always put a stamp on the envelope before mailing.
2 people like this
@randomosity_prevails (1110)
•
3 Jun 08
I've never posted a letter without a stamp, mainly because it just wouldn't occur to me to do so. Putting stamps on letters is just part of the posting process to me. In the UK, if there is insufficient postage paid on a letter, you have to pay an additional £1 on top of the outstanding postage cost, in order to receive your letter.
@rx4life (1930)
• United States
3 Jun 08
I always put a stamp on my letters as many times the post office will just return it to the senders house without delivering it to the addressee and collecting from them. ( not that I would want them to collect from the addressee) Particularly government offices in the US will not accept any unstamped mail...Every once in awhile when I am doing mass mailing of say Christmas cards, I will overlook an envelope..and sure enough it will come back to me and then I have to start over!!!
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
4 Jun 08
Yup, I would be so embarrassed if I send a letter without stamp to a friend and he/she has to pay for it.
@kat_princess (1470)
• Philippines
6 Jun 08
I don't post letters anymore since there's e-mail now.The first and last time I did that was when I was 9.
2 people like this
@bellaofchaos (11538)
• United States
6 Jun 08
Wow where I live if we don't put postage on it we will recieve it right back to us with a stamp saying insufficient funds.I really would have never thought to have done that in a million years since when we don't put a stamp on it we recieve it back.
2 people like this
