Post Office Stamps Expiring!!! Read if you have any

[Le4nne]

I just found out today that the Post Office are expiring stamps that do not have barcodes. Was supposed to be end of this month but has been extended to July. If you have any you intend to use after this time make sure you exchange them. I think it’s an absolute scam, especially since I don’t feel they’ve made it well know to people, hence this post

I did think it was a case of pot luck when I sent mine in, did wonder if they'd fall into the wrong hands.
Especially given the address to send them to you could hardly hide the fact of what was enclosed.

Royal Mail webpage: www.royalmail.com/sending/barcoded-stamps?iid=HP_M2_3_BARCODEDSTAMPS

It says the deadline for swapping stamps is still 31 January 2023. You'll be able to use un-barcoded stamps for postage until July 2023, after which any post with un-barcoded stamps will be treated as insufficient postage and a charge applied to have it delivered.

Haha, I know full well what the word scam means, I must put a quick post out there using the word as I personally feel they have not done enough to let people know. For example myself and none of my friends in London have received a flyer in the post. Therefore something they could have done is sent out 2/3 in the last year which would mean more chances for us to receive one.

Also, I often have the tv on and have seen no adverts. Has anyone else? If so I would love to see it, please send a link. I did know about their service to pick up post as I have seen an advert on tv, which you can also find online. Funny that a TV advert was made and shown repeatedly for something that will make them a profit but not for something that will mean many people will lose out and will enable them to keep some money in their pockets.

I didn’t know that Royal Mail and the Post Office were separate companies. The fact is though that they clearly have a tight working relationship so therefore could have arranged for people to be able to swap the stamps at the Post Office.

well i never knew about this, i rarely post letters and when i do i normally go to the post office

I think YABU about this. It's hardly a secret. I've been aware of it for ages, and one of my adult dc mentioned it recently, and they are of an age where they rarely post anything, so information is out there.

What I do think is ridiculous is that the Post Office - which may be a separate entity from the Royal Mail, but is the place that sells stamps - isn't able to just swap them for people, in the same way you can swap a discontinued bank note in a bank. Having to fill in a form and send them off is a ludicrous waste of everyone's time and indeed money with all the unnecessary waste of paper, envelopes and labour. High Street banks are different entities from the place that prints new bank notes, but they manage to work it out every time we get a new note. Post Offices and Royal Mail should have done the same.

The scammers that send the fake delivery texts don't know the difference between RM and PO either. I often get scam texts saying the Post Office cannot deliver your parcel without a fee when it is the Royal Mail that delivers parcels.

the stamp thing hasn't been that well advertised, I got a form in the post about six months ago and used it earlier in the month, fortunately I only had 6 second class to swap as I wouldn't like to send loads to that free post address as it is obvious what they are

@Athenen0ctua sadly I don't think this include the Christmas one. Only the commemorative ones such as these ones of the Ashes, which I was using up reluctantly & the Post Master I didn't need to rush.

I had no flier. Not heard it on the news or read about it, I only knew as a friend told me.

No flyer received at my address.

I've asked a few friends; they didn't get the flyer either.

That's not true, I did lots for work, we had all sorts of random single stamps.

I'm in London, we had the flyer through our door and I sent it off a few weeks ago.

I've also seen adverts on buses and the tube and street advertising.

@BatshitCrazyWoman Maybe different rules for businesses? The leaflet said only those in a book or sheet were eligible.
Anyway with the extension I will naturally use the single ones I have.

Having looked at the Royal Mail website, as advised went to the Post Office where I expected to find some forms. None visible. Queued up to ask. Well, what a waste of time in a plethora of excuses that turned out to be.

I was variously told by two staff that they don't have them; I should go to the website; that they had had them but had given them away to customers; that they had ordered them but didn't get them; that I could use the stamps until June; that I should go to the Mail distribution place in the next town.

Thanks for the reminder

I sent a load off a few weeks ago and haven't received anything back yet. Hadn't seen anything about it being extended - wouldn't have sent them in if I'd known.

@Athenen0ctua @1stWorldProblems

From Royal Mail’s website:

Christmas Stamps: Although we are adding barcodes to Christmas stamps, non-barcoded Christmas stamps will remain valid as postage after 31 January 2023 so Christmas stamps should not be sent in for swap out.

Thanks, it's just the second class Christmas ones I have. I only use them at Christmas for sending cards to my elderly relatives and didn't manage to use them up last year.

I had over £200 worth for work that I changed right away last year as I barely use them anymore.
Quite easy to change them, send off with a form to a freepost address. I did worry is that they'd go astray once sent but I got the new stamps within a week.

I used the same form that personal customers use 🤷‍♀️

Here's the url just in case anything changes:
www.royalmail.com/sending/barcoded-stamps

If you Google stamp swap out form you can download and print the PDF. The form states you can stick individual stamps to the form, which is what I did.

I hadn't heard anything about this! No flier here either. Thanks for flagging OP 🙂

Probably not delivered, remember the strikes?

I did know about it and sent more Christmas cards than usual to use them up, but now they've extended the period to use them anyway. I have about 4 left I think.

I’ve known for ages that the old stamps were expiring so I posted half a dozen Christmas cards to use up the 1st class stamps which had been in my purse for probably the past couple of years.🙄