RM stamp swap out

Uther · 16 Oct 2022 at 09:34

Just a heads up, because I had no idea until I just caught it on the radio...
Some stamps with the Queens head on are no longer valid after 31 Jan 2023 (should have known really...) and they can be exchanged for new bar coded stamps here...

https://www.royalmail.com/sending/barcoded-stamps

Edit apparently nothing to do with the Queen but meh.

Feek · 16 Oct 2022 at 09:43

Not all “stamps with the Queens head”, it’s only definitive stamps. As an aside, this is nothing to do with the Queens death, it was already planned.

Adam_151 · 16 Oct 2022 at 09:45

Uther said:
Stamps with the Queens head on are no longer valid after 31 Jan 2023 (should have known really...)

Thats not true. Its stamps without a QR code that will no longer be valid, Stamps with Queen elizabeth II on are still valid as long as they have the QR code (introduced Feb 2022 I think)

darkgen · 16 Oct 2022 at 09:46

Is this due to counterfeiting? Otherwise why not simply let the old version be valid till used. Seems an unnecessary overhead for all concerned.

dave28 · 16 Oct 2022 at 10:00

darkgen said:
Is this due to counterfeiting? Otherwise why not simply let the old version be valid till used. Seems an unnecessary overhead for all concerned.

because there are fakes all over ebay these days and people reuse stamps that were not marked in the black ink, plus the barcode has some advantages i think

darkgen · 16 Oct 2022 at 10:02

dave28 said:
because there are fakes all over ebay these days and people reuse stamps that were not marked in the black ink, plus the barcode has some advantages i think

Fair enough; I seldom use RM or post anything in general but I suspect I have a few booklets of stamps in the drawer.

Freakbro · 16 Oct 2022 at 10:09

Thanks for the heads up, I've got a few packs in my wallet with no bar code

Uther · 16 Oct 2022 at 10:29

Freakbro said:
Thanks for the heads up, I've got a few packs in my wallet with no bar code

Yeah I hardly ever use stamps but have £10.60's worth with no barcode. Luckily my Christmas stamps are still valid.

Tony Edwards · 16 Oct 2022 at 13:07

Uther said:
Just a heads up, because I had no idea until I just caught it on the radio...
Some stamps with the Queens head on are no longer valid after 31 Jan 2023 (should have known really...) and they can be exchanged for new bar coded stamps here...

https://www.royalmail.com/sending/barcoded-stamps
Edit apparently nothing to do with the Queen but meh.

Dont forget all the money with the queens head is now defunct and can no longer be used. Send it all to me and I will recycle it for you.

V F · 16 Oct 2022 at 14:31

dave28 said:
because there are fakes all over ebay these days and people reuse stamps that were not marked in the black ink, plus the barcode has some advantages i think

Funny to think to a degree, there was a time I remember when ebay was relatively good. Which it seems to be so full of thieves/scammers/rogues. It never used to be as bad as what I see these days.

cheesefest · 16 Oct 2022 at 17:16

The special and commemorative stamps with butterflies, Bowie album covers, paintings of artists marking 300 years of their birth etc can be used after Jan 2023. It’s the little 1st and 2nd class stamps - red and blue.

cheesefest · 16 Oct 2022 at 17:18

dave28 said:
because there are fakes all over ebay these days and people reuse stamps that were not marked in the black ink, plus the barcode has some advantages i think

I have reused stamps if not franked. Now posties draw a line on them

Uther · 16 Oct 2022 at 18:37

cheesefest said:
I have reused stamps if not franked.

Monstrous. No wonder the country is in the state it's in.

cheesefest · 16 Oct 2022 at 18:57

Uther said:
Monstrous. No wonder the country is in the state it's in.

Only about a few a year

Feek · 16 Oct 2022 at 19:38

cheesefest said:
It’s the little 1st and 2nd class stamps - red and blue.

It’s all Definitive stamps. Not just first and second class.

Uther · 16 Oct 2022 at 19:54

cheesefest said:
Only about a few a year

Well, I think you should stop complaining about things other people do and get your own house in order first.

Diddums · 16 Oct 2022 at 19:57

My gran was great at that, she used to reuse tons of stamps. No franking mark, hold it above the kettle for a few seconds and it'd peel right off.

jpaul · 16 Oct 2022 at 19:59

post should get there more reliably(faster ? - this is one of those redundancy efficiencies discussed this week) once the address is initially read it's associated with bar code for subsequent sorting.

still bloody expensive to use the post .. or does genx send electronic cards.

cheesefest · 16 Oct 2022 at 20:59

jpaul said:
post should get there more reliably(faster ? - this is one of those redundancy efficiencies discussed this week) once the address is initially read it's associated with bar code for subsequent sorting.

still bloody expensive to use the post .. or does genx send electronic cards.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-63228658 picked up by a fellow womble of the group.

Our post is cheaper than many countries. Some countries’ cheapest post only allows 30g. Ours is 100g. 30g doesn’t cover some greetings cards. Also some countries (Germany) only allows you to send parcels with official postal service mail boxes. Here we can use any box lurking about at home

Uther · 16 Oct 2022 at 21:15

Diddums said:
My gran was great at that, she used to reuse tons of stamps. No franking mark, hold it above the kettle for a few seconds and it'd peel right off.

I just send letters with Christmas stamps on them all year round to hopefully wind the recipient up.