increase on postage.

[anotheoldgit]

Between now and April are stamps now a good investment for the small shopkeeper?

i refer of course to the increase of 3p both on first and second class stamps come April.

If they buy them in now at today's price, they stand to make an additional �30 per thousand on them, after April.

[Ethel]

A �30 return on a �360 investment isn't bad - depends how quickly he sells them. They are easily stored and don't take up a lot of space.

[jno]

yes, I bought some rolls of 1st and 2nd class stamps years ago; I'm still working my way through them and they must have cost half what they do now. But I don't know about 'investment'. There's not really a secondary market in them (unless the shopkeeper actually sells them); better to see them as saving you money on postage later... assuming postage continues in its present form.

You have to get the ones with 1st and 2nd on them rather than ones with a price on them, the latter continue to be worth the figure on them only. (I vaguely recall some proposal to change the rules on this but I don't think it happened.)

[anotheoldgit]

jno

But I don't know about 'investment'. There's not really a secondary market in them (unless the shopkeeper actually sells them);

Read my question again jno, the answer is in there somewhere.

"Between now and April are stamps now a good investment for the small shopkeeper"?

[jno]

shopkeepers of varying sizes sell many things, aog, not necessarily stamps; on the other hand, they also mail things. So it was unclear whether you meant buying for resale or for posting things. My answer covered both possibilities.

[Caribeing]

Going to cost us more to post our crosswords! Prize money needs to be increased!!

[jno]

then buy your stamps in advance as aog suggests, MaryT!