PSA: Stamps!

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Public service announcement: did you know that all new stamps are now barcoded, and non-barcoded stamps won't be valid after 31st January 2023? This had passed me by, but fortunately the eagle eyes of Mr Gasp0de had spotted it. You can get old stamps replaced with barcoded stamps at no cost to you except an envelope. I've just sent ours off.

We had quite a few second class stamps hanging around. We rarely post anything any more, so it could be years since I bought them. Fortunately, Royal Mail don't want to know how much I originally paid, and will just give us new 2nd class stamps which will probably see us out.

All details here: www.royalmail.com/sending/barcoded-stamps#paragraph-11255 There's a link on that page to a 2 page PDF which you have to print off and fill in. If you don't have a printer you can ask for a form to be sent to you. You then send form and stamps back to Royal Mail in an envelope, but it's Freepost, so, ironically, no stamp needed to get it there.

It does say on the form, but the current price for a 1st class stamp is 95p and 2nd class is 68p.

I need to do this but haven't yet as I don't know anyone who has received any back. I'm worried they'll go 'missing' in the post.

Thanks for this. I had no idea.

Bump!

Excellent. Service to the nation

If it's Jan 31, I think I can probably use ours upon Christmas cards, but usefulto know!

I knew it was happening, but hadn't been sure of the deadline.

Do you have send them off, or can it be dome at a post office?

I bought a large sheet of stamps before the last price rise and still have oodles left.

Oh, I bought a new book of stamps recently and wondered why they looked different, I guess that will be why!

Thank you OP
my late father left loads of stamps and mum uses them so I will need to do this.

I had no idea. Thank you so much

the current price for a 1st class stamp is 95p and 2nd class is 68p.

I had no idea stamps had become so expensive!

We got a flier yesterday about the stamps changing. I had just the day before used up the last of a massive batch of stamps we bought at Costco several years ago, when a first class stamp cost less than 50p!

I wonder whether the barcoding will mean that stamps without a price on them will lose their value, so that first class stamps bought at 95p will no longer be valid when first class postage goes up to £1?

@PissedOffNeighbour22 mine came back within 3 days.

The picture stamps are still valid like the Christmas ones.

@DirtyBlonde you have to send them off to Royal Mail. It's nothing to do with the Post Office.

@Dilbertian the value of the stamps doesn't matter. I had stamps that were 10 years old that I exchanged for new first class ones.

It's only the plain boring first and second class stamps (and large letter etc).
If you have any Christmas stamps or commemorative type ones then they will remain valid.

They can only be sent off, you can't exchange at a post office.

How are they that much (I still remember them etc 21p and 19p in my head.)

Just looked up the chart. I think I'm muddling years in my head -

But a second class stamp was 19p in 1993 and 2002. How did it go up SO much in the next 20 years!?

Yes, but will the next lot with the same way?

Wwe always bought books of 'class' stamps, rather than 'value' stamps, as first class stamps bought at one price were still valid even when the price went up. Will this still be the case for barcoded stamps?

We still have a number of 2nd class from last Christmas, so they’ll be fine for this year - I post cards early.
Must say I don’t care for the new barcode jobs. I want ‘proper’ stamps!

Another bump!