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

NBLondon

soolin said:

HonestJohn said:

That would ruin the aesthetics. The barcodes are to stop forgery. I don't think anybody copies the commemoratives.

Who knows what the forgers will do next. Perhaps if they can’t forge the new barcoded ones they may well have to forge commemoratives. There’s also the possibility that now RM have the technology to bar code stamps they might just start adding barcodes onto commemoratives at some point in the future and retire the old ones. We will have to wait and see. 

There have been attempts to forge Christmas stamps in the last few years -which may be why barcodes appeared on them in 2021.

I don't see barcodes being added to commemoratives in the near future because a) it would ruin the aesthetics for many collectors b) many are never used so become pure profit  and c) the Swap Out would be even more costly if people decided to cash in on collections that they inherited but were currently valued at less than face value because of low demand.

soolin said:

I will continue using up commemoratives to make up costs , I don’t collect stamps so have no reason to keep them and using them and restocking only with new barcoded ones will be easier for me going forward. 

Perfectly sensible approach.

custardy

HonestJohn said:

soolin said:

kalsha said:

soolin said:

molerat said:

Letter received yesterday

68p second class

Yep, that's what mine look like although I have some denominations mixed in as that's what I need to use urgently , although I am now getting down to the last few smaller ones now and sometimes have to use a new barcoded one to make up the last few pence. 

But there is not need to use the commemorative stamps urgently - is there?

No, but they are often in smaller amounts and are brilliant for making up odd figures. I also suspect they will be the next to go, perhaps not soon but eventually, so might as well use them now. For instance I send a lot of £1.05 2nd class large letters , I either use a 95p 1st denomination and make the 10p up with oddments or a 68p denomination and again use odds to make up the balance. I had several hundred 5p and 20p denominations on sheets so have been using those as well. 

Why would RM get rid of commemorative stamps. They have made a lot of money from stamps that will never be used.

Made. Past tense

RM now isnt RM past. I wouldnt rule out anything with RM.

They have culled managers jobs with unagreed changes and still have a potential managerial strike ballot coming.
I heard of managers this month who got their wage slips and have had a 13% pay cut vs promises of no wage drops from the changes
Posties are being balloted this week for strike action and having seen RMs proposed changes its no surprise.

allison445

Forgive me if this has already been asked and answered I am just getting round to swapping my hundreds of stamps over can anyone tell me do the barcode stamps need to be used by a certain date ? I don't want to find myself in a few years time having the same issue by thinking they will be valid forever.

Olinda99

RM have not given an expiry date for barcoded stamps, or even said there will be one, although I can pretty much guarantee they will not be valid 'forever'.

GaleSF63

jeffuk said:

There's a lot of it about

I thought I was doing well sending letters with 10 stamps on. I'm obviously outclassed!

soolin

GaleSF63 said:

jeffuk said:

There's a lot of it about

I thought I was doing well sending letters with 10 stamps on. I'm obviously outclassed!

My excuse is that I don’t use stamps on parcels due to the extra 50p it costs, so I only use them on large letters which limits me a bit creativity wise. However on a higher weight LL recently I did manage 7 stamps , there was virtually no envelope still showing! 

NBLondon

allison445 said:

Forgive me if this has already been asked and answered I am just getting round to swapping my hundreds of stamps over can anyone tell me do the barcode stamps need to be used by a certain date ? I don't want to find myself in a few years time having the same issue by thinking they will be valid forever.

Olinda99 said:

RM have not given an expiry date for barcoded stamps, or even said there will be one, although I can pretty much guarantee they will not be valid 'forever'.

They are a direct replacement so they should be valid until further notice in the same way that a 1971 post-decimalisation stamp is still valid today (until next Jan).  The only reason to invalidate them might be if the monarch changes.  Last time that happened there was an 18 year wait. So I think you're safe for now...

amandapeart

Hi, I'm completely new to this & the question may have been asked and answered before ... 
I have lots of "machin" stamps which have an amount of money on not 1st or 2nd - are they "definitive" & therefore need swapping or will they still be valid - typically they are for £2.60 or 10p or £1.17?

gt94sss2

You will need to swap them

amandapeart

gt94sss2 said:

You will need to swap them

But all they send me is multiple 2nd class barcoded stamps - and will there no longer be any mechanism to "make up" values, which 5p, 10p, 50p, etc. stamps have always done? RM are still advertising them for sale, as "useful".