Royal Mail are reinventing stamps

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24th June 2022, 12:47
PickleB

Royal Mail are reinventing stamps

I haven't seen anything about this before today (link). Here are some extracts:

Royal Mail stamps are changing, so what should you do with your old stamps?

We’re adding barcodes to all our regular ‘everyday’ stamps.

We’re giving you plenty of notice about this change and any non-barcoded stamps you have will still be valid until 31 January 2023.

Using them up

You can carry on using any non-barcoded stamps you have until 31 January 2023. For most people that will mean they have time to use up any of the old stamps they have before that date and you don’t need to swap anything out.

If you have too many stamps to use them up before this date you can exchange them for new barcoded ones through Royal Mail’s ‘Swap Out’ scheme.

Swapping them out

Your non-barcoded stamps can be exchanged for the new barcoded version through the Stamp Swap Out scheme.

What happens if a customer uses a non-barcoded stamp after 31 January 2023?

Mail posted with non-barcoded Definitive stamps after 31 January 2023, will be treated in the same way as if there is insufficient postage on an item. After 31 January 2023, customers should apply the correct value of barcoded stamps required to send their item. Any item that has insufficient postage is subject to a surcharge. Surcharge fees can be found on our website.
24th June 2022, 13:00
Kingstepper

Been on the cards for ages, one in the post this morning: -

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...c3797bcfe6.jpg

Believe special issues (including Christmas, which is when I buy most of mine) will not expire.
24th June 2022, 14:07
PickleB

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kingstepper

Been on the cards for ages, one in the post this morning: -

...image...

Believe special issues (including Christmas, which is when I buy most of mine) will not expire.

I think I've seen a couple...but didn't know about the time limit to use up my elderly NVI first class stamps etc. I still have a small supply of gold 1st class stamps from a Christmas quite a few years ago (my habit of buying smaller stamps rather than Christmas specials dates from when they were not self-adhesive). It's nice to know that I can swap them out for new ones and avoid the surcharge.
24th June 2022, 14:43
xellos99

To stop fraud ? there are huge amounts of fake or re-used stamps about
25th June 2022, 20:55
markrlondon

Quote:

Originally Posted by xellos99

To stop fraud ? there are huge amounts of fake or re-used stamps about

Yes, I believe.

If they record the unique serial number in the 2D 'bar' code then it will kill stamp re-use (which seemed to me to really take off after self-adhesive stamps were introduced).
26th June 2022, 15:43
IAmATeaf

Royal Mail are reinventing stamps

The new system is not yet in place is it? I’m sure that is what I read a while back and they weren’t too sure when it would be as they don’t have the infrastructure in place yet.

Reminds me of a story years ago, I used to work for a small software house and one of the salesman was American with his family being back home. He used to regularly send and receive parcels to and from the USA using the same stamps. They paid either way the once but the stamps had sellotape on them so either end would cut them off and include them in the package they were sending out.

I’ve got loads of the old format stamps, what a PITA having to swap them all out. The swap out process is not also that clear, if I for example send £250 worth of stamps to the free post address what happens should they not get there or get back?

I’m going to be sending mine in soon but I think I’ll get a cert of posting by posting at my local PO.
26th June 2022, 16:02
markrlondon

Quote:

Originally Posted by IAmATeaf

The new system is not yet in place is it? I’m sure that is what I read a while back and they weren’t too sure when it would be as they don’t have the infrastructure in place yet.

The new stamps are being sold and can be used but there is as yet no requirement to use them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by IAmATeaf

Reminds me of a story years ago, I used to work for a small software house and one of the salesman was American with his family being back home. He used to regularly send and receive parcels to and from the USA using the same stamps. They paid either way the once but the stamps had sellotape on them so either end would cut them off and include them in the package they were sending out.

Yup, I reckon that this sort of thing is a big part of why they are going to individually trackable stamps.
26th June 2022, 16:18
markrlondon

Quote:

Originally Posted by IAmATeaf

I’m going to be sending mine in soon but I think I’ll get a cert of posting by posting at my local PO.

I was just doing some reading about this and it seems that certificates of posting won't be available for this service (I don't know why). And, more importantly, it occurs to me that even if you got a certificate of posting it wouldn't help you reclaim the lost value of lost stamps anyway.

Instead you should send in via RMSD for 'bulk' values such as yours. Amazingly, RM will refund the RMSD cost via new barcoded stamps.

Source: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/ne...thing-you-nee/
26th June 2022, 16:39
IAmATeaf

Thanks, I’m going to send mine in smaller amounts, so booklets first then individual stamps as the process is slightly different.

Have just used the MSE link to order a form.
26th June 2022, 16:48
markrlondon

Quote:

Originally Posted by IAmATeaf

Thanks, I’m going to send mine in smaller amounts, so booklets first then individual stamps as the process is slightly different.

Ah, good thinking. :-)
26th June 2022, 17:13
Kingstepper

Send one stamp at a time to be safe.
26th June 2022, 17:21
Kingstepper

Quote:

Originally Posted by markrlondon

I was just doing some reading about this and it seems that certificates of posting won't be available for this service (I don't know why). And, more importantly, it occurs to me that even if you got a certificate of posting it wouldn't help you reclaim the lost value of lost stamps anyway.

Instead you should send in via RMSD for 'bulk' values such as yours. Amazingly, RM will refund the RMSD cost via new barcoded stamps.

Source: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/ne...thing-you-nee/

Think proof of posting is difficult because Freepost address does not have a barcode, though there are work-arounds
26th June 2022, 17:27
markrlondon

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kingstepper

Think proof of posting is difficult because Freepost address does not have a barcode, though there are work-arounds

In my experience, if you ask for a proof of posting on an arbitrary item at a PO then they just type in the address manually and print off a (non-financial) receipt.

It has to be said that a proof of posting for a bunch of stamps being sent to the swap out scheme would not prove anything useful from a claim for loss perspective anyway. The fact that they will refund RMSD for bulk orders is pretty cool in my opinion.
26th June 2022, 17:33
Templogin

Quote:

What does Royal Mail say?

Nick Landon, Royal Mail chief commercial officer, said: "As we move to this exciting new era of barcoded stamps, please check your kitchen drawers, wallets and purses for older non-barcoded stamps and make sure you use them up by 31 January 2023."

I suspect that Nick Landon doesn't get out much.
26th June 2022, 17:47
markrlondon

Quote:

Originally Posted by Templogin

I suspect that Nick Landon doesn't get out much.

Hehehe
26th June 2022, 20:57
Kingstepper

Quote:

Originally Posted by markrlondon

In my experience, if you ask for a proof of posting on an arbitrary item at a PO then they just type in the address manually and print off a (non-financial) receipt.

It has to be said that a proof of posting for a bunch of stamps being sent to the swap out scheme would not prove anything useful from a claim for loss perspective anyway. The fact that they will refund RMSD for bulk orders is pretty cool in my opinion.

Sorry, meant to type post code not barcode!
26th June 2022, 21:09
markrlondon

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kingstepper

Sorry, meant to type post code not barcode!

Ah! :-)
27th June 2022, 18:24
Filterlab

Quote:

Originally Posted by Templogin

I suspect that Nick Landon doesn't get out much.

Yes, I get the impression he spends a lot of time in front of a computer with a box of Kleenex to hand.
23rd November 2022, 10:52
IAmATeaf

Posted my stamps off in 2 separate batches waiting for the return before posting the next and all my stamps have been swapped over, also got £1 extra worth with the 2nd swap.

All in all really simple but I did take photos and get a COP just in case. Not that that would prove much but it’s the only thing I could think of should there be a problem.
23rd November 2022, 16:34
markrlondon

^^^ Yup, I did it with my £1.38 of left over small value stamps and all went well.

I've been sending a lot recently but almost all via Click & Drop or eBay's postage system. I have a lot less need of stamps now than I used to.
23rd November 2022, 19:26
IAmATeaf

The deadline for using and swapping out has now also been extended to 31st July 2023 so no need to panic Mr Manwaring [emoji3]