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For broadcast on CBS Radio Network stations May 7-8, 2005:

Selling Out

The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries. 

Get 'em while they're hot. That's been true of some recent stamp issues. The Vatican's 
Sede Vacante stamps, issued between popes, were all gone after only a few days. Last 
fall's U-S Cloudscapes stamps are sold out at the main distribution center, although you 
can still find them here and there. The Charles and Camilla Royal Wedding stamps broke 
sales records, although they're still available -- for now.

There are a number of reasons why new stamps sell out sooner than planned: Obviously, 
one is demand. But postal agencies, like any other retailer, have to guess how popular 
an issue is going to be, and how many to print. And like any other retailer, it's not a 
precise science.

Selling out of an issue is GOOD for postal agencies....and good for stamp collecting. It 
creates demand, sometimes rewards collectors, and, for non-collectors, it makes them more 
interesting.

But fear not -- you'll still be able to buy most of these stamps from a dealer ... for a 
price.

And that's Stamp Collecting this week. 

I'm Lloyd de Vries, CBS News. 

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