Selling Advertising on Stamps

"Some say the U.S. should follow the lead of the many other countries that have privatized the post office. Short of that politically unlikely solution, about the only money-making strategy left is to follow Heinlein’s advice and sell the moon. Which is to say: It’s time for the Postal Service to monetize its most valuable tangible asset and offer advertising space on the 22 billion stamps it sells each year," writes Stephen L. Carter, a professor of law at Yale University, on the Bloomberg.com website.

Professor Carter says, "The idea isn’t entirely new. In 1981, the USPS proposed selling advertisements on the booklets holding stamps (not on the stamps themselves), an idea that went nowhere. Beginning in the late 19th century, several other nations, including Great Britain, began to allow advertising on the obverse side of stamps, as well as on what is known as the selvedge (the page edges that are left when you tear out the stamps)."

Now? Who knows? "A stamp bearing the Nike logo or images from 'Mad Men' might be a huge seller," suggests Carter. Maybe they could sell space on their vehicles as well?

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