Can Ads on Stamps Reduce Post Office Debt?
Posted in: UncategorizedBack in 1986, an outfit in Houston called American Discount Stamps figured out a legal way to connect advertising to U.S. postage stamps. Or at least its founder thought he did.
The company bought first-class stamps directly from the Postal Service for the going rate of 22 each. It then placed the stamps on the upper right corner of 2-by-3-inch adhesive-backed labels, leaving the rest of the space open for advertising, according to a story in The New York Times over 25 years ago.
American Discount Stamps sold the label to consumers in packages of 10 for $1.70 — or a nickel discount from what the USPS sold them for. Consumers attached the entire label, containing both the stamp and the ad message, on an envelope, which was delivered just like any other mailing, the Times reported.
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