Can you use stamps to cover a recorded sign/for item purchase at the post office

megw

As title. Have a LOT of stamps. No longer want to send my items without recorded signed for due to all the missing/delayed items these past weeks. Would it be possible to use the stamps to cover recorded & signed for purchases at the post office i.e. I just pop the correct amount of stamps on and ask the PO for a tracking number? I've googled it, and know you used to be able to do this back in 2008ish, but not sure if it's still a thing. If anyone has done it recently let me know. 

olgadapolga

Yes, you can. I always put stamps to the value of postage + signed for fee on any parcels I take to the post office. 

custardy

megw said:

As title. Have a LOT of stamps. No longer want to send my items without recorded signed for due to all the missing/delayed items these past weeks. Would it be possible to use the stamps to cover recorded & signed for purchases at the post office i.e. I just pop the correct amount of stamps on and ask the PO for a tracking number? I've googled it, and know you used to be able to do this back in 2008ish, but not sure if it's still a thing. If anyone has done it recently let me know. 

Just to add food for thought.
Do you think adding Signed For would stop the 'delayed' items?
All it means is you have a tracking number not updating.
If you want to cut delay then Special Delivery and Tracked are the only two services to use.
However for you,you cant pay for Tracked with the stamps

soolin

custardy said:

megw said:

As title. Have a LOT of stamps. No longer want to send my items without recorded signed for due to all the missing/delayed items these past weeks. Would it be possible to use the stamps to cover recorded & signed for purchases at the post office i.e. I just pop the correct amount of stamps on and ask the PO for a tracking number? I've googled it, and know you used to be able to do this back in 2008ish, but not sure if it's still a thing. If anyone has done it recently let me know. 

Just to add food for thought.
Do you think adding Signed For would stop the 'delayed' items?
All it means is you have a tracking number not updating.
If you want to cut delay then Special Delivery and Tracked are the only two services to use.
However for you,you cant pay for Tracked with the stamps

Also of course the special delivery guarantee has been removed/changed as well. 

As per custardy’s post, signed for isn’t a faster service as it travels with the standard mail. 

Spoonie_Turtle

Standard parcels have a reference number anyway - like the Signed For number it only gives delivery confirmation and neither of them are actually tracked (that the public can see, anyway).

soolin

megw said:

custardy said:

megw said:

As title. Have a LOT of stamps. No longer want to send my items without recorded signed for due to all the missing/delayed items these past weeks. Would it be possible to use the stamps to cover recorded & signed for purchases at the post office i.e. I just pop the correct amount of stamps on and ask the PO for a tracking number? I've googled it, and know you used to be able to do this back in 2008ish, but not sure if it's still a thing. If anyone has done it recently let me know. 

Just to add food for thought.
Do you think adding Signed For would stop the 'delayed' items?
All it means is you have a tracking number not updating.
If you want to cut delay then Special Delivery and Tracked are the only two services to use.
However for you,you cant pay for Tracked with the stamps

It will not, but it means if an eBay buyer opens a case for 'item not received' the tracking number buys me time. Recently refunded some orders via cases due to pressure to close the case before it was escalated to eBay, only for them to arrive later on. 

edit - do you mean by the last sentence you can't use stamps for tracked? Getting conflicting answers in this thread.

Signed for doesn’t give you extra time though , once a case is open you have 8 days to refund unless you prove delivery, it doesn’t matter what service you use.

tracked/special is the (usually) guaranteed next day delivery service. Signed for isn’t tracked , it only gives a delivery confirmation. 

https://www.royalmail.com/sending/uk/signed-for-1st-class

custardy

megw said:

soolin said:

megw said:

custardy said:

megw said:

As title. Have a LOT of stamps. No longer want to send my items without recorded signed for due to all the missing/delayed items these past weeks. Would it be possible to use the stamps to cover recorded & signed for purchases at the post office i.e. I just pop the correct amount of stamps on and ask the PO for a tracking number? I've googled it, and know you used to be able to do this back in 2008ish, but not sure if it's still a thing. If anyone has done it recently let me know. 

Just to add food for thought.
Do you think adding Signed For would stop the 'delayed' items?
All it means is you have a tracking number not updating.
If you want to cut delay then Special Delivery and Tracked are the only two services to use.
However for you,you cant pay for Tracked with the stamps

It will not, but it means if an eBay buyer opens a case for 'item not received' the tracking number buys me time. Recently refunded some orders via cases due to pressure to close the case before it was escalated to eBay, only for them to arrive later on. 

edit - do you mean by the last sentence you can't use stamps for tracked? Getting conflicting answers in this thread.

Signed for doesn’t give you extra time though , once a case is open you have 8 days to refund unless you prove delivery, it doesn’t matter what service you use.

tracked/special is the (usually) guaranteed next day delivery service. Signed for isn’t tracked , it only gives a delivery confirmation. 

https://www.royalmail.com/sending/uk/signed-for-1st-class

Hi, I have had cases on signed-for items extended when providing the tracking/barcode number in the case last month. This happened during COVID and it was my first time ever with issues, so maybe they just made an exception. 

You would get the same 'tracking' with a standard parcel barcode.

LM2020

megw said:

@custardy When you said "However for you,you cant pay for Tracked with the stamps" - sorry but can you clarify - you mean you definitely cannot use stamps on items to pay for tracked or signed for items at the Post Office? I can only use these stamps for regular mail, and nothing else? 

You can use stamps to pay for signed for or special delivery (tracked and signed and guaranteed for next day though this is now by 9pm rather than the usual 1pm due to the pandemic). The post office will attach the relevant barcode and give you a proof of postage. You can't use stamps for 'Tracked 24' or 'Tracked 48' as these services can't be bought at post offices only online directly from Royal Mail. However, at the moment they aren't taking actual signatures so as already mentioned if your items are under £20 and you don't need the extra compensation from 'signed for' you can use the barcode number from a standard parcel to get delivery confirmation. You should be able to add this to an item not received case.

custardy

LM2020 said:

megw said:

@custardy When you said "However for you,you cant pay for Tracked with the stamps" - sorry but can you clarify - you mean you definitely cannot use stamps on items to pay for tracked or signed for items at the Post Office? I can only use these stamps for regular mail, and nothing else? 

You can use stamps to pay for signed for or special delivery (tracked and signed and guaranteed for next day though this is now by 9pm rather than the usual 1pm due to the pandemic). The post office will attach the relevant barcode and give you a proof of postage. You can't use stamps for 'Tracked 24' or 'Tracked 48' as these services can't be bought at post offices only online directly from Royal Mail. However, at the moment they aren't taking actual signatures so as already mentioned if your items are under £20 and you don't need the extra compensation from 'signed for' you can use the barcode number from a standard parcel to get delivery confirmation. You should be able to add this to an item not received case.

You say you can use stamps to buy Tracked and then go on to say you cant use stamps to buy Tracked?
Please use clear terms as it just adds to confusion.
I assume you mean Signed for and Special delivery.

custardy

megw said:

@custardy When you said "However for you,you cant pay for Tracked with the stamps" - sorry but can you clarify - you mean you definitely cannot use stamps on items to pay for tracked or signed for items at the Post Office? I can only use these stamps for regular mail, and nothing else? 

There is no such service as tracked and signed.
Tracked is a service on its own not sold via Post Office

olgadapolga

custardy said:

LM2020 said:

megw said:

@custardy When you said "However for you,you cant pay for Tracked with the stamps" - sorry but can you clarify - you mean you definitely cannot use stamps on items to pay for tracked or signed for items at the Post Office? I can only use these stamps for regular mail, and nothing else? 

You can use stamps to pay for signed for or special delivery (tracked and signed and guaranteed for next day though this is now by 9pm rather than the usual 1pm due to the pandemic). The post office will attach the relevant barcode and give you a proof of postage. You can't use stamps for 'Tracked 24' or 'Tracked 48' as these services can't be bought at post offices only online directly from Royal Mail. However, at the moment they aren't taking actual signatures so as already mentioned if your items are under £20 and you don't need the extra compensation from 'signed for' you can use the barcode number from a standard parcel to get delivery confirmation. You should be able to add this to an item not received case.

You say you can use stamps to buy Tracked and then go on to say you cant use stamps to buy Tracked?
Please use clear terms as it just adds to confusion.
I assume you mean Signed for and Special delivery.

You can use stamps for the "Signed For" and "Special Delivery" services.