Royal Mail barcoding stamps - existing stamps valid only until 31 Jan 2023

TheBanker

This is quite a mess. 

I bought a lot of stamps yesterday to beat the price rises. The Post Office only had non-barcoded ones. The supply I bought will last beyond this year so this morning I am sending them all off to get them changed. I am surprised that they're still selling the old ones.

The best of it is the clerk warned me about the price rise, in an effort to sell even more stamps! But did not warn me that I had less than 12 months to use them all up!

gt94sss2

If anyone wants to buy the new style stamps at the old price today (Sunday) they are available at https://shop.royalmail.com/postage-and-packaging/first-and-second-class-stamps

custardy

TheBanker said:

This is quite a mess. 

I bought a lot of stamps yesterday to beat the price rises. The Post Office only had non-barcoded ones. The supply I bought will last beyond this year so this morning I am sending them all off to get them changed. I am surprised that they're still selling the old ones.

The best of it is the clerk warned me about the price rise, in an effort to sell even more stamps! But did not warn me that I had less than 12 months to use them all up!

Post Offices job is to make sales/profit (well survive)
RM are changing the stamps

kalsha

Can someone clarify 2 things for me please.
I have a few of these presentation packs with regional stamps (see photo).

1)    Will I be able to use these if posting in England?   If they are not worth much, I am thinking of breaking up the presentation packs and use up the stamps - at least I will be able to recoup the face value.  Do I have to use them before January 2023?

2)     Can they  be swapped for the new stamps?

soolin

kalsha said:

Can someone clarify 2 things for me please.
I have a few of these presentation packs with regional stamps (see photo).

1)    Will I be able to use these if posting in England?   If they are not worth much, I am thinking of breaking up the presentation packs and use up the stamps - at least I will be able to recoup the face value.  Do I have to use them before January 2023?

2)     Can they  be swapped for the new stamps?

Yes they can be used in England and yes they can be swapped for new stamps. I’m using up all sorts of weird and wonderful things!

molerat

soolin said:

kalsha said:

Can someone clarify 2 things for me please.
I have a few of these presentation packs with regional stamps (see photo).

1)    Will I be able to use these if posting in England?   If they are not worth much, I am thinking of breaking up the presentation packs and use up the stamps - at least I will be able to recoup the face value.  Do I have to use them before January 2023?

2)     Can they  be swapped for the new stamps?

Yes they can be used in England and yes they can be swapped for new stamps. I’m using up all sorts of weird and wonderful things!

And yes they will expire in January

custardy

Not really worth a separate thread but I certainly wouldn't wait till the 11th hour to swap out stamps.
RM has brought in plans to massively slash manager numbers and the pay/structure UK wide with some higher level changes already been brought in.
Managers union CMA is expected to be balloting for strike action.
Postie union the CWU has made early noises on their own pay and conditions agreement negotiations.
Things could get interesting in the next few months

NBLondon

kalsha said:

Can someone clarify 2 things for me please.
I have a few of these presentation packs with regional stamps (see photo).

1)    Will I be able to use these if posting in England?   If they are not worth much, I am thinking of breaking up the presentation packs and use up the stamps - at least I will be able to recoup the face value.  Do I have to use them before January 2023?

2)     Can they  be swapped for the new stamps?

1) Yes.  May be better to have a look at whether those packs are selling on eBay at the moment and judge the price you might get.  If you do break them, the problem is that you will be putting 2 or 3 of them together to make up the current values and you will end up overpaying or with a stamp or two leftover.  Plus everything will probably be treated as second class even if you make the values up to 95p.   They will be invalidated in Jan 23 as with the others.

2) Yes.  The total value will be totalled up and you'll get it back in 2nd class.

Up until this weekend there was no news on whether the current versions of these were going to get a barcoded version but the website changed to suggest that they will.  No news on whether there will be new designs; or will they use the current ones (https://shop.royalmail.com/special-stamp-issues/definitives/country-definitives) and what values.  (Presumably the £1.70 will be replaced by a £1.85)

Rantband

NBLondon said:

kalsha said:

Can someone clarify 2 things for me please.
I have a few of these presentation packs with regional stamps (see photo).

1)    Will I be able to use these if posting in England?   If they are not worth much, I am thinking of breaking up the presentation packs and use up the stamps - at least I will be able to recoup the face value.  Do I have to use them before January 2023?

2)     Can they  be swapped for the new stamps?

1) Yes.  May be better to have a look at whether those packs are selling on eBay at the moment and judge the price you might get.  If you do break them, the problem is that you will be putting 2 or 3 of them together to make up the current values and you will end up overpaying or with a stamp or two leftover.  Plus everything will probably be treated as second class even if you make the values up to 95p.   They will be invalidated in Jan 23 as with the others.

2) Yes.  The total value will be totalled up and you'll get it back in 2nd class.

Up until this weekend there was no news on whether the current versions of these were going to get a barcoded version but the website changed to suggest that they will.  No news on whether there will be new designs; or will they use the current ones (https://shop.royalmail.com/special-stamp-issues/definitives/country-definitives) and what values.  (Presumably the £1.70 will be replaced by a £1.85)

The link does not work.

BooJewels

Only because of the bracket at the end - just edit it out and it works fine.