Cheap Forever Stamps: Are Online Discounts Too Good to Be True?

A 100-pack of Forever stamps for just $14 instead of $73? That's only 14 cents per stamp, compared to the usual 73 cents—a deal that sounds like the bargain of a lifetime. But when your wedding invitations never arrive, you discover you've fallen victim to one of the internet's fastest-growing scams. While extreme deals like 14 cents per stamp are typically fraudulent, the internet has made it easier than ever to find both legitimate and illegitimate places to buy postage stamps.

The promise of cheap forever stamps is everywhere online, flooding social media feeds with ads that seem too good to pass up. Many people searching for affordable stamps online are hoping to save money on postage, but these deals often come with significant risks, including counterfeit products.

However, not all online stamp discounts are dangerous – legitimate stamp dealers also offer authentic savings through transparent business practices. The key is understanding how to find genuine discounted stamps while avoiding the scams that flood online marketplaces.

 

The Counterfeit Crisis Exploding Online

The numbers tell a frightening story. In February 2025 alone, Customs and Border Protection agents in Chicago seized nearly 162,000 counterfeit Forever stamps shipped from China – worth over $118,000 if they were genuine. This represents just one city's seizures in a single week. The high volume of counterfeit USPS Forever stamps entering the country highlights the scale of the problem and the risks associated with fake postage operations.

The United States Postal Inspection Service has been sounding the alarm since 2021, warning that counterfeit stamps flood online marketplaces, often sold in bulk quantities at steep discounts. Scammers frequently target platforms like eBay and social media to sell fake USPS Forever stamps in bulk, preying on customers seeking discounted stamps. The postal service emphasizes that these counterfeits aren't just a financial loss – they're a federal crime with serious consequences.

The Hidden Cost of Fake Stamps

When you buy counterfeit postage stamps, the real cost goes far beyond the money you lose—you may also have to pay again for legitimate postage if your mail is rejected. The postal service now treats any mail bearing counterfeit first-class postage as "abandoned" and destroys it without delivery. Your wedding invitations, business correspondence, or important documents simply disappear.

For businesses, undelivered mail means lost customers and damaged relationships. For stamp collectors and individuals, it can mean wedding invitations that never reach guests, or holiday cards ending up in a postal facility's trash bin instead of bringing joy to family and friends.

What Makes Discounts Legitimate vs. Dangerous

The Authenticity Factor

The key difference between legitimate stamp dealers and scam operations isn't the discount percentage – it's authenticity and transparency. Legitimate retailers sell genuine USPS Forever stamps through transparent business practices, while counterfeiters manufacture fake stamps to deceive customers.

• Authentic vs. Counterfeit Sources: Reputable stamp dealers like postages.co sell genuine USPS Forever stamps that were originally produced by official sources, even if acquired through secondary markets like business liquidations. Counterfeiters manufacture fake postage stamps overseas that will never be accepted by postal systems.
• Quality and Authenticity: Real USPS Forever stamps undergo rigorous quality control during original production by the postal service. Even when acquired through secondary sources like business closures, these stamps remain genuine and functional. Counterfeits are manufactured overseas without oversight, using inferior materials that postal sorting machines can detect.
• Legal Protection: When you buy from legitimate businesses with transparent practices and customer service, you're protected by normal business regulations and consumer rights. When you buy counterfeits from anonymous sellers, you have no recourse when problems arise.

Some legitimate stamp dealers also offer subscription services for regular delivery of authentic stamps at reduced prices, providing ongoing access and convenience for stamp collectors.

Warning Signs That Signal Danger

While we'll be publishing a comprehensive guide on identifying counterfeit stamps next week, here are immediate red flags when shopping for discounted stamps:

• Suspicious Sellers: Social media marketplaces, unknown websites, and sellers who can't provide proper business documentation or customer references. Be especially cautious of sellers offering discounted stamps through anonymous accounts without buyer protection.
• Too-Perfect Deals: If a deal seems impossibly good (like 14 cents per stamp), research the seller thoroughly. Before making a purchase, search for reviews and information about the seller. Be especially cautious of any sale that seems too good to be true, as scammers often use unrealistic pricing to lure buyers. Legitimate stamp dealers can offer great prices, but they'll have transparent business practices and customer service.
• Payment Red Flags: Cash-only transactions, cryptocurrency payments, or sellers who avoid normal payment processing systems when selling stamp products.

 

How Legitimate Retailers Offer Great Prices

Our Unique Sourcing Story

At Postages.co, our competitive pricing comes from an unexpected but legitimate source that also helps the environment:

Business Liquidation Sourcing: Every day, thousands of small businesses and companies close their doors, often discarding office supplies including unused USPS Forever stamps. Rather than letting these authentic first class stamps end up in landfills, we purchase them at liquidation prices. This cost effective approach allows us to acquire genuine stamps at lower costs, which we then pass on to our customers.

Take our popular US Flag stamp collections, for example – these authentic USPS Forever stamps from various years (2017, 2018, 2019, 2022-2024) were rescued from business closures and are now available at $29.99 instead of face value. This represents substantial savings while ensuring complete authenticity. The same goes for our Love series stamps and specialty collections like Betty White Forever stamps.

Quality Assurance Process: Our trusted team carefully inspects every stamp to ensure they're intact, unaltered, and 100% genuine before offering them to customers. This rigorous authentication process guarantees you receive authentic postage stamps that will be accepted by postal systems.

Environmental Impact: By rescuing these USPS Forever stamps from business closures, we're not only providing affordable postage but also preventing waste and reducing environmental impact. It's a cost effective solution that benefits both customers and the planet.

Why This Model Works

• Liquidation vs. Counterfeiting: While scammers manufacture fake stamps overseas, we rescue authentic USPS Forever stamps from business liquidations. This fundamental difference explains why we can offer genuine stamp collections like our 2024 US Flag stamps or Wedding Rose stamps at significant savings – they're real stamps with postal value, just acquired through secondary markets rather than direct retail. This creates truly cost-effective postage solutions compared to buying directly from the post office.
• Established Trust: Starting on platforms like Etsy and Amazon, we built our reputation through thousands of satisfied customers before launching our own site. Our business model has been tested and proven over the years of operation among both regular customers and stamp collectors. Our pricing reflects ongoing value, not temporary promotions.
• Full Guarantee: Unlike counterfeit sellers who disappear after payment, we stand behind every stamp with our 7-day money-back guarantee because we know our products are authentic and will work perfectly for your mail.

 

Making the Smart Choice

The secret to finding cheap forever stamps isn't avoiding all discounts – it's knowing which offers come from legitimate sources. Real savings exist through transparent stamp dealers who can offer competitive pricing through business liquidations, estate sales, and other secondary markets where authentic USPS Forever stamps become available.

At Postages.co, we prove that you don't have to choose between great prices and authentic stamps. Our $29.99 collections demonstrate that significant savings are possible when you source genuine USPS Forever stamps through legitimate business practices rather than manufacturing counterfeits. We've become trusted stamp dealers by focusing on authenticity and transparency.

Ready to shop for authentic Forever stamps at competitive prices? Browse our verified collection of rescued stamps, from classic US Flag series to specialty designs like our Celebration Blooms and Garden Delights collections.