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

NBLondon

elsien said:

I’ve sent mine special delivery using some of the stamps that I already had. I may or may not get the postage cost reimbursed but I’ve got 400 quids worth of stamps so if I  lose £8 odd it’s still better than losing the whole lot.

If you used the over £200 Bulk Form which specifies to use a secure method then you should get the refund in extra stamps and worth complaining of you don't.

NBLondon

jrawle said:

With the extension, I'll be holding out for stamps with the King's portrait on them so that I won't be stuck with a whole load of stamps with the late Queen, given that I may well be using them for years to come.

That's an interesting thought....   I would have thought that there would be millions printed to account for the Swap Out so there will be no new stocks of Charles III printed until the QEII ones are close to being used up.  There's no word on how long the QEII stamps will remain valid but it could be 10 years plus based on previous cases.

jrawle

NBLondon said:

That's an interesting thought....   I would have thought that there would be millions printed to account for the Swap Out so there will be no new stocks of Charles III printed until the QEII ones are close to being used up.  There's no word on how long the QEII stamps will remain valid but it could be 10 years plus based on previous cases.

Yet the posts above imply that they have already run out of second class stamps and are sending first to similar value as substitutes.

It's not so much the validity of the old stamps I was thinking about, but rather the thought of using stamps featuring a deceased monarch many years after she died. Once few other people are using such stamps, it will seem at best odd, probably somehow cheapskate and maybe even macabre. I bought my current stamps in bulk in 2012 in anticipation of the huge price increase, and could well be using them for another 10 years.

Doc_N

NBLondon said:

jrawle said:

With the extension, I'll be holding out for stamps with the King's portrait on them so that I won't be stuck with a whole load of stamps with the late Queen, given that I may well be using them for years to come.

There's no word on how long the QEII stamps will remain valid but it could be 10 years plus based on previous cases.

There’s no logical reason why there should be any end date for validity at all. Any more than for outdated ‘event’ type stamps.

HonestJohn

Doc_N said:

NBLondon said:

jrawle said:

With the extension, I'll be holding out for stamps with the King's portrait on them so that I won't be stuck with a whole load of stamps with the late Queen, given that I may well be using them for years to come.

There's no word on how long the QEII stamps will remain valid but it could be 10 years plus based on previous cases.

There’s no logical reason why there should be any end date for validity at all. Any more than for outdated ‘event’ type stamps.

Agreed. Decimalisation invalidated a lot stamps but I don't think anyone would dare invalidate QEII stamps. RM would probably like to. Stamps though might become obsolete eventually.

martindow

jrawle said:

Yet the posts above imply that they have already run out of second class stamps and are sending first to similar value as substitutes.

It's not so much the validity of the old stamps I was thinking about, but rather the thought of using stamps featuring a deceased monarch many years after she died. Once few other people are using such stamps, it will seem at best odd, probably somehow cheapskate and maybe even macabre. I bought my current stamps in bulk in 2012 in anticipation of the huge price increase, and could well be using them for another 10 years.

We may be using stamps for some years, but queen's head coins will be around for decades I imagine.  Before decimalisation coins were in circulation with several monarchs going back as far as Victoria.

johnb2

Other people have complained of getting 2nd when they sent 1st. I assume the staff are just grabbing the nearest. With the ramping prices and collapsing demand I expect most organised people have a multi-year supply, so RM revenue from actual stamps is low at present. Unless they can get people to buy all the stamps they didn't swap properly....

Codger1947

I notice that according to the Royal Mail's website, the date after which the old stamps cease to be valid is still January 31st.

KeithP

Codger1947 said:

I notice that according to the Royal Mail's website, the date after which the old stamps cease to be valid is still January 31st.

It's been mentioned a few times, but my post of last Friday - 18 November at 2:21PM - comes to a different conclusion.

molerat

Codger1947 said:

I notice that according to the Royal Mail's website, the date after which the old stamps cease to be valid is still January 31st.

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

What happens if I use a non-barcoded stamp after 31 January 2023?

 
Mail posted with non-barcoded Definitive stamps after 31 January 2023, will for the first 6 months be delivered as normal, no surcharge will be raised. After this 6 month grace period, an item with a non-barcoded stamp would be treated as if there is insufficient postage. Any item that has insufficient postage is subject to a surcharge. Surcharge fees can be found on our website.