If you opened your mailbox (the physical one) recently, you might see a “flyer” in a plastic wrapping.

Please don’t casually throw it away as you might normally do — because it contains complimentary stamps from SingPost.

Even if you don’t use stamps, please be reminded that the set of 10 stamps is worth S$5.10.

Stamp giveaway to help with price hike

The stamp giveaway to every household in Singapore was previously announced by SingPost on Sep. 19, 2023, together with a price hike of local regular postage from S$0.31 to S$0.51.

Local media highlighted in their coverage that it was an "almost 65 per cent increase".

SingPost explained in their announcement that the cost increase reflects "escalating costs of maintaining the postal service" and said they would issue a 1st Local stamp booklet of 10 stamps to each household "to help manage the postage increase".

Criticism from readers

A reader recently wrote to Lianhe Zaobao’s forum on Nov. 16, 2023, questioning SingPost's choice of packaging for the complimentary stamps.

She said the package looks too similar to advertisements, such as those sent by insurance companies.

She added it looked worse when the receiver was listed as merely "The Resident".

She didn't throw away the stamp package because her colleagues reminded her not to beforehand.

She also claimed that when she passed the message along to some of her friends and neighbours, some told her they had already thrown the package away.

She criticised the potential wastage of resources.

"If SingPost can handle resources more efficiently, maybe there would be no need for a price hike. A 65 per cent increase is really too unreasonable."

A Mothership reader who alerted Mothership to the forum letter said she received the package on the week of Nov. 14, 2023, and didn’t realise the package contained stamps.

She only knew about it after seeing the forum letter and Facebook comments.

“Luckily, I found them unopened with other mail.”

While she said she's grateful for the "freebie", she thought it might not be environmentally friendly to use plastic packaging.

A The Straits Times reader, Choo Sing Fu, who wrote to ST's forum, had the foresight that "free stamps may not help much or reach the correct audience".

He said that while he understands "the need for SingPost to raise postage rates to cope with its operational expenses", he pointed out that Singaporeans are "directly feeling the pinch".

Choo had urged SingPost to give the free stamps over the counter "to those who really want and need to mail postcards or letters".

Top image via Mothership Reader