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

Money_Grabber13579

Doc_N said:

elsien said:

They are sending out second class as well as first - I got mine changed before Christmas. 

Were they Charles or Elizabeth?

I would suspect they are Elizabeth. As far as I’m aware, Charles III stamps still haven’t been released. Royal Mail seem to print large volumes of stamps well in advance - commemorative stamps which were first released 2 weeks ago still have the Queen’s head on them, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it is still several more months before we see Charles stamps. 

I’m waiting until they are released before I swap any more because the amount of Elizabeth stamps I’ve got will probably still see me using them in 20 years time!

soolin

I don't think there are any King Charles III stamps at all yet, I certainly haven't seen any mentioned on official sites. The RM shop still only shows the late Queen
1st and 2nd Class Stamps | Royal Mail Shop

Doc_N

Money_Grabber13579 said:

Doc_N said:

elsien said:

They are sending out second class as well as first - I got mine changed before Christmas. 

Were they Charles or Elizabeth?

I would suspect they are Elizabeth. As far as I’m aware, Charles III stamps still haven’t been released. Royal Mail seem to print large volumes of stamps well in advance - commemorative stamps which were first released 2 weeks ago still have the Queen’s head on them, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it is still several more months before we see Charles stamps. 

I’m waiting until they are released before I swap any more because the amount of Elizabeth stamps I’ve got will probably still see me using them in 20 years time!

Likewise!  I bought a load when we were still sending a fair number of letters. It’s a very rare event now. I’ll have to mention them in my will!

elsien

Doc_N said:

elsien said:

They are sending out second class as well as first - I got mine changed before Christmas. 

Were they Charles or Elizabeth?

Elizabeth. .

NBLondon

soolin said:

I don't think there are any King Charles III stamps at all yet, 

No Charles III definitive yet.  The Channel Islands and some overseas territories are issuing commemoratives with the CR3 cypher in place of the Queen's head so possibly that will appear on some of the GB issues in 2023.

At a guess - definitives might be released around the time of the Coronation so RM can sell double sets to the souvenir market.

There must have been millions of the barcoded stamps printed ready for the Swap Out scheme so I'd expect them to be used up before any Charles III are sent out.

GadgetGuru

Check all your stamps!
I sent 4 1st class stamps and received 4 1p stamps back in return! Unfortunately I don't see what I can do as I have no evidence as to what I sent, but I would advise taking an image of what you are sending in beforehand and inspecting what you receive back!

Doc_N

IftiBashir said:

Check all your stamps!
I sent 4 1st class stamps and received 4 1p stamps back in return! Unfortunately I don't see what I can do as I have no evidence as to what I sent, but I would advise taking an image of what you are sending in beforehand and inspecting what you receive back!

I’d hazard a guess that as the amount’s small they’d just send you 4 first class stamps if you contacted them.

Odd that there seem to be no reports of people getting more than expected.

Not much you can do to protect against this. You could video yourself enveloping the stamps, which would provide some evidence, but even that wouldn’t be conclusive proof.

soolin

Doc_N said:

IftiBashir said:

Check all your stamps!
I sent 4 1st class stamps and received 4 1p stamps back in return! Unfortunately I don't see what I can do as I have no evidence as to what I sent, but I would advise taking an image of what you are sending in beforehand and inspecting what you receive back!

I’d hazard a guess that as the amount’s small they’d just send you 4 first class stamps if you contacted them.

Odd that there seem to be no reports of people getting more than expected.

Not much you can do to protect against this. You could video yourself enveloping the stamps, which would provide some evidence, but even that wouldn’t be conclusive proof.

Somewhere on one of the many threads here on MSE I reported that I got extra stamps back- from memory it was only 3 or 4 1st class ones in an swap of over £500. 

elsien

I didn't check. There were about £400 I sent in, it looked about right when they came back so for the sake of a few missing or not I decided life was too short. 

NBLondon

NBLondon said:

 There's a very good question over on the Small Biz thread:

MobileSaver said:

I'm guessing this means that after 31 Jan you can still use non-barcoded stamps on letters and small parcels that you post yourself but I wonder if Post Office staff will still accept such items over the counter? (E.g. if you require a proof of posting certificate/receipt or as part-payment if your parcel postage costs more than the stamps you've already stuck to it?)

If the stamps are invalid after 31 Jan - then I would expect the PO to point this out and not accept them as pre-payment.  Whether the PO has updated processes and informed all staff is another question.

Perhaps the News Team could find out from Post Office Counters Ltd and update the article...

I read on a stamp collector thread (that I trust) that PO have been instructed to accept non-barcoded during the grace period.  However, as before - I wouldn't assume that all sub-PO will have the same instructions as Crown PO or indeed all clerks will.