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No, not for cash. USPS does not buy back unused stamps in good condition, no matter how many you have. What it will do is exchange damaged or defective stamps for fresh ones at full face value. Stamped cards and envelopes are the one partial exception: turn them in unused and you get back 85% of the postage value. Canada Post also exchanges damaged stamps rather than refunding them.
| What you have | USPS policy | Canada Post policy |
|---|---|---|
| Unused stamps, good condition | No buyback; they never expire, so just use them | No buyback; they remain valid postage |
| Damaged or defective stamps | Exchange at face value at the counter | Exchange for new stamps at face value |
| Unused stamped envelopes or cards | Turn in for 85% of face value | Exchange, not refund |
| Very old or obsolete denominations | Still valid; combine to make current rates | Still valid if uncanceled |
Stamps are postage, not a deposit. Once sold, the post office treats them like currency for its own service: spendable at face value, forever, but not redeemable for cash. This is also why rate increases never strand your old stamps. A stamp from years ago still pays exactly its printed denomination today, and Forever stamps hold their value through every price change.
If a stamp is torn, misprinted, or stuck to something it should not be stuck to, bring it to a USPS counter. The clerk examines it and swaps it for fresh stamps at the same face value. The key requirement is that the damage was not caused by an attempt to use the stamp: a stamp that went through the cancellation machine is spent, and no exchange applies.
Pre-stamped envelopes and stamped postcards (called stamped stationery) are treated differently from loose stamps. If you turn them in unused, USPS credits you 85% of the printed postage value, keeping 15% as a service charge. The envelopes must be in usable condition. This is the only USPS stamp product with any buyback mechanism at all, and it is a partial one.
Use them up: old denominations combine freely to make current rates, and Forever stamps are always worth the current one-ounce price. Give them away: schools, charities, and overseas volunteer programs that mail newsletters often accept stamp donations. Sell them: stamp collectors and dealers buy unused postage, typically below face value, and business mailers on auction sites regularly bid on bulk lots. You will not get full value, but it beats a drawer of dead paper.
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