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STAMPS NOW
STAMP FULFILLMENT SERVICES CONTRIBUTES TO BOTTOM LINE
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| The underground entrance to Stamp Fulfillment Services in Kansas City, MO. |
It began in the 1960s as a small office at headquarters, fulfilling stamp orders for collectors.
Philatelists still are a market for Stamp Fulfillment Services (SFS). But the organization’s marketing and sales horizons have dramatically expanded. Today, SFS is a major and still-growing enterprise, with a global customer base of 3.6 million customers — including many Postmasters.
SFS maintains an inventory of 4,500 stamps and philatelic products worth $400 million to $700 million. The entire inventory is stored in the “Subtropolis,” a 326,000-square-foot facility housed in a limestone cave beneath Kansas City, MO.
Why the cave? It’s secure and offers excellent climate control features.
During the 28 years SFS has been headquartered in Kansas City, it has become a significant sales channel for the Postal Service. SFS Manager Khalid Hussain says revenue from his operation is growing each year. “Projected income for the current fiscal year is $495 million, more than double the revenue of six years ago,” he says.
SFS deals directly with a growing and increasingly diverse public. Eight years ago, the organization sold its products to nine customer categories. Today, SFS sells to 26 distinct customer categories, ranging from government agencies to non-postal national and international resellers, eBay buyers and every customer who purchases stamps on usps.com.
Through the years, SFS has relied on technology and excellent customer care to meet growing demand. More about that in a futureLink story.
