If a postage stamp indicates 0.00, what action should be taken?

When a postage stamp indicates 0.00, it signifies that there is no postage paid on the item being sent. Postal regulations dictate that all mail must carry the appropriate postage for delivery; without it, the item cannot be processed for delivery.

In practical terms, if a stamp shows 0.00, the mail carrier recognizes that the sender has not paid for the service required to deliver the item. Delivery of such mail would not comply with postal policies since it essentially amounts to sending mail without proper payment. Therefore, the correct action is to treat it as undeliverable due to the lack of prepaid postage, which aligns with postal guidelines to ensure that all mail is paid for before it can be delivered.

Choosing to process it as standard mail, deliver it anyway, or request additional postage from the sender are not aligned with these protocols, as they either ignore the unpaid status or place the burden of payment improperly on the carrier or recipient.