No. The Post Office does not buy back stamps and does not give cash refunds for them. Once stamps are bought, USPS treats the sale as final. What it will sometimes do is exchange unused stamps for other stamps, under fairly narrow conditions set out below.
If what you actually need is money rather than different stamps, a postage buying service is the route. That is what we do: we buy unused postage from the public and pay cash. You can see what we pay before you send anything.
What USPS offers instead of buying stamps back
USPS runs two different processes, and they are often confused with each other. Which one applies depends on where you bought the stamps.
Stamps ordered online from the Postal Store
For orders placed through the USPS online Postal Store, an exchange claim must be submitted within 30 days of receiving your order. You complete the Merchandise Exchange Form from your packing slip and mail the stamps to Stamp Fulfillment Services in Kansas City. It is a mail-in process, not something handled at your local counter.
The condition rules are strict. USPS will generally only exchange:
- Intact, full panes of stamps
- Coils of stamps in their original sealed wrappers
- Full boxes of stamped envelopes
- Original sealed packs of stamped cards
Stamps bought at a Post Office counter
Buying in person is different. There is no published nationwide refund policy, and what you are offered comes down to the branch. Some will exchange unused stamps in resalable condition for a different design of the same value, and may ask for photo identification or an exchange form. None of them will hand you cash.
A common reason people ask is leftover seasonal postage. If you bought $100 of holiday stamps and have $20 left in January, a branch may swap them for a standard design so you can keep using them.
Discretion matters here. An exchange is permitted rather than guaranteed, and practice varies between offices. No customer should travel a significant distance in the expectation that an exchange will be granted.
What cannot be exchanged at all
- Stamps that have already been used or cancelled
- Stamps cut from envelopes, postcards or stamped cards
- Mutilated or defaced stamps
- Loose stamps from opened books or partial coils, in most cases
Stamps must be unused to have any exchange or resale value. Once postage has gone through the mail it cannot be reused, exchanged or sold.
Other retailers will not take stamps back either
Stamps bought from Walmart, Costco, a supermarket, a pharmacy or a gas station are subject to the same reality. Most retailers exclude postage from their normal returns policy, and those that do accept a return will usually offer store credit rather than cash. Postage is treated as a cash equivalent, so it sits outside standard return rules almost everywhere.
Unused postage does not expire
Forever stamps remain valid at the current First-Class rate no matter when the Forever stamps were purchased. A Forever stamp bought at a lower rate covers a one-ounce First-Class letter at the present rate without additional postage.
Denominated stamps retain the value printed on the stamp indefinitely. A stamp printed with a denomination below the current First-Class rate remains usable, and the shortfall is made up by adding further postage to the same envelope. Nothing in a stamp expires, becomes void, or loses its printed value through the passage of time.
This matters because the highest-value option for unused postage is to use the postage. Using the postage recovers the full face value, and no sale recovers the full face value.
What the realistic options are
| Option | Returns cash | What it recovers | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use the postage | No | 100 percent of face value | Anyone who mails enough to consume the stock |
| USPS exchange | No | Equivalent postage, at the office’s discretion | Damaged or misprinted stamps only |
| Sell to a postage buyer | Yes | A published percentage of face value | Anyone holding more postage than they will use |
| Auction or marketplace listing | Sometimes | Variable, less fees, only if it sells | Small quantities of unusual material |
| Stamp dealer | Sometimes | Philatelic value, which modern postage does not have | Genuinely scarce collections |
How to turn unused stamps into cash
A postage buying service purchases unused postage from the public and pays a percentage of face value. Unlike a retailer, we do not ask for a receipt or proof of purchase, and it does not matter where the stamps came from or how long you have had them.
The process is straightforward:
- Check our current rates so you know roughly what to expect
- Print and fill out the packing slip
- Mail your stamps to us with the slip enclosed
- We review what arrives and send you a Purchase Offer
- Accept it and payment follows within 3 business days. Decline it and we return your stamps
You are never obliged to accept. If the offer is not what you hoped for, say no and the postage comes back to you. See what customers say about how the process actually runs.
What your stamps are worth
Two things decide the number: face value and condition.
Face value
Face value is the total postage your stamps represent, which is what they would cover if you used them for mailing. A Forever stamp is worth the current First-Class letter rate of $0.82, so a full book of 20 carries $16.40 of face value and a roll of 100 carries $82.00. Older stamps with a printed denomination are worth whatever is printed on them.
Condition
Condition moves the offer more than people expect. Complete, unopened books and full rolls are worth more than partial ones. Stamps that are folded, torn, stuck together, water damaged or missing perforations are worth less, and stamps stuck to paper or already cancelled are worth nothing at all.
How the percentage is determined
Stamp type sets the base rate, and Forever stamps attract the highest percentage because Forever stamps are the easiest postage to resell. The denomination relative to the current First-Class rate adjusts that base, so stamps printed above the current rate attract a higher percentage than stamps printed below it. Stamps printed below the current rate require additional postage before use, and the additional handling is reflected in the lower percentage.
Forever stamps earn 50% of face value. Non-Forever stamps above the current First-Class rate earn 40%, and non-Forever stamps below it earn 30%. The rates are published, so you know what you are getting before you send anything.
Which stamps we buy
We buy unused United States postage in any quantity: Forever stamps, older denominated stamps, postcard stamps, additional-ounce stamps, Global Forever stamps, and full sheets or partial books left over from a mailing. We do not buy foreign postage, used or cancelled stamps, or stamps that are too damaged to be mailed with.
Several categories are excluded regardless of condition, because none of the categories may be applied to ordinary First-Class mail by a member of the public. Presort-rate stamps are excluded. Bulk-rate and nonprofit-rate stamps are excluded. Postage-due stamps, official stamps and foreign postage are excluded on the same grounds.
Age is not a barrier. Unused vintage stamps issued after 1930 are accepted, and the denomination printed on the stamp determines the percentage rather than the year of issue.
Authenticity is verified on every submission. Counterfeit Forever stamps circulate in large numbers through social media marketplaces and unofficial sellers, and counterfeit postage carries no value and cannot be refunded. Mail bearing counterfeit postage is treated by the Postal Service as abandoned and may be disposed of without notice to the sender.
Return My Stamps has operated since 2016 and has refunded over $4.3 million to more than 1,800 customers.
Quick answers
Does the Post Office buy back stamps? No. USPS does not buy stamps back and does not give cash refunds.
Can you return stamps to the Post Office? Not for money. USPS may exchange unused stamps for other postage in narrow circumstances, and that is an exchange rather than a refund.
Will the Post Office buy back stamps if I have a receipt? No. A receipt may help with an exchange, but it does not make a cash refund possible.
Can you sell stamps back to the Post Office? No. Sales are final. A postage buying service is the alternative.
Can you return postage stamps? Not to USPS for cash. You can return them to a postage buying service and be paid for them.
Can you return unused stamps? Yes, to a buying service like ours. Unused is the key word: used stamps have no value.
Do unused stamps expire? No. Forever stamps stay valid at the current rate, and denominated stamps keep the value printed on them indefinitely.
Can you exchange stamps at the Post Office? Sometimes. Online Postal Store orders have a 30-day mail-in exchange process. At a counter it is at the branch’s discretion, and it is an exchange for other stamps, never cash.
Can postage stamps be returned to a store? Usually not. Most retailers exclude postage from returns, and store credit is the best case.
How do I return stamps for cash? Check our rates, print the packing slip, mail your stamps in, and accept the Purchase Offer. Payment follows within 3 business days.
Related: see the full refund rates, or start your stamp return.
