As far as postal services are concerned, there is a question that needs answering: how much is a roll of stamps? A roll has 100 stamps and currently costs between $1 and $50, depending on the stamps’ individual price and their destination as USPS implemented a one-cent price increase in January 2018. This article details the pricing of stamp rolls in 2018.
How Much is a Roll of Stamps in 2018?
On October 6th, 2017, USPS announced they will increase the prices of their postal services which took effect on January 21st, 2018. Here are all the proposed price changes for all types of stamps:
- 49¢ -> 50¢ per ounce for weighed letters (Forever stamps)
- 46¢ -> 47¢ for metered letters
- 34¢ -> 35¢ for domestic postcards
Therefore, a roll of 100 Forever stamps now costs $50 while a roll of stamps for metered letters goes up to $47 per 100 stamps; domestic postcard stamps are sold in rolls of 100 summing up to $35.
Pricing of a Roll of Stamps
How much a roll of stamps costs depends on the regulations of the USPS. The USPS, or U.S. Postal Service, is the regulatory institution that decides how much a roll of stamps costs based on political and economic factor, as well as their expenses throughout a quarter. Therefore, stamps pricing adjustments aim to compensate for cost inflation regarding gas, wages, heating, cooling, lighting, and so on.
In 2007, USPS introduced their Forever 49 stamps – non-denominated postage that does not have any monetary value printed on it and retains its value for the initial postage after the rate has been modified. Nevertheless, the practice dates back to the Christmas of ’75 when holiday stamps were released without denomination to avoid reprinting them after a rate increase.
Another initiative to cut down reprinting stamps involved letter denominations for certain postal rates; nevertheless, this method as improved by simply listing the postage rate on the stamp. If you want to find out more about the pricing of stamps, we also recommend reading our article on the postage stamp costs and our guide to first class postage stamps.
Conclusion
As stated above, several factors directly impact how much is a roll of stamps. Competition and macroeconomic factors affect the way the USPS adjusts the prices, therefore changing the amount of money you take out from your pocket.