"You're not reusing these stamps, are you?"

CAPTAINBLONDECHICK

Just after a bit of reassurance as this has been bugging me all day!

I was immediately asked this at the Post Office today when getting a proof of postage for a small packet I had put the correct value stamps on in advance. I certainly was not reusing used stamps but was in fact using one stamp of my own that had been removed from another item which I had accidentally over-stamped - it had most definitely not been previously used as postage and therefore had no postmarks.

Is it ok to have done this? This stamp was still my property and still had value - the security tabs were all still in place as I took it off my other item within a few seconds of realising what I had done. I stuck it down with a bit of Prit stick as a bit of brown paper had come off the other item making it less sticky.

The item in question was being sent in a plastic mailbag and I have found that stamps do not stick well at all to the plastic so have taken to attaching a white label or sheet of paper to the packet and then sticking my stamps onto that surface.

Now, I assume both these factors caused her to be suspicious but I did really feel she was accusing me of being dishonest - she was inspecting them like her life depended on it. She held them right up to her nose 3 or 4 times and kept rubbing her finger over them. I felt so very uneasy and couldn't wait to get out. Probably silly, I know! I even said to her if it was alright me sticking the stamps on in the manner in which I did and she just said "just as long as they haven't been used" and decided to have yet another look at them at nose length.

The packet was accepted in the end and I got my PoP but I've been really annoyed about it all day! I noticed as well she didn't put the packet straight into the postbag after she had postmarked the stamps - she kept it on the counter beside her. I faffed around a bit putting my receipt away and purse etc. just to hang about to see if she put it away, but didn't. She just called the next customer with it still sitting there.

Am I being silly to be worried about this?!!

Pierre_De_Grenoble

It's not unknown for a used but unfranked self adhesive stamp to have turps/white spirit dabbed on it with a bit of tissue paper.


I'm told that this softens up the adhesive and apparently lets the stamp be carefully peeled and apparently it can then be stuck onto a new envelope/whatever with no glue stick involved.


However how the post office / royal mail can tell if a stamp has been lifted from an incorrect surface to one that has been through the system is beyond me and I suspect them....

kiwi_fruit

You're absolutely within your right to pay for parcels with unused stamps, as long as the correct amount is put on- I do that all the time. We bought a massive amount of them before the substantial price hike a couple of years ago and they're still lasting us- and the value of them only increases:) Never had any trouble getting a proof of postage.

cattie

I sent a buyer a stamped label last week for an item she wanted to return. I did notice when package came back that they were different stamps to those I'd sent & she told me her post office had said she couldn't use the ones I'd sent "as they had been cut from card", when in fact they were just stamps I'd sent stuck to a self adhesive label for convenience, so buyer had used stamps of her own instead of mine.

I imagine the post office cashier in question was implying that the stamps were previously used ones, so refused to allow them to be used on the package, when in reality I received a large amount of unused postage stamps when my sister died that she had amassed for her business & I use these to send any items through the post that I sell on ebay.

My local post office is a main one & I've never had any problem with any of the staff in accepting my pre stamped packages & I always get proof of posting.