Royal Mail to introduce barcoded postage stamps

[dk1]

I don't know enough about it to know if it actually is, but the cynic in me says they've gotta keep their profits up somehow!

And the share price

 

[2192]

I sent my non-bar coded first class stamps back to Edinburgh as I had far too many to use up by Christmas, and received the replacements back quite promptly. (I had requested they replace them with second class as I use a lot more of them, but they ignored that.) I had a large surplus of first as I used to stock up just before a price increase, and overdid it one year.

 

[PG]

It annoyed me that when I went to buy some stamps before the recent price hike the local post offices were still handling the non bar coded stock - when I said I wanted ones with bar codes they only had a couple of books to spare. Why have the non coded stock not been withdrawn from sale? I bet plenty of unwary buyers are being sold stamps that they will need to swap, and no nothing of the planned change and swap out scheme etc.

I'm assuming that retailers pay for their stock soon after receipt so RM wished to avoid leaving retailers with devalued stock?

 

[DelayRepay]

I bought a book of stamps at the weekend. Although I have plenty at home (now swapped for barcoded ones!) I needed to post a birthday card and didn't have a stamp on me.

So I now have five non-barcoded stamps. I doubt I'll send another five letters this year so will need to do another swap.

 

[WesternLancer]

I'm assuming that retailers pay for their stock soon after receipt so RM wished to avoid leaving retailers with devalued stock?

Perhaps that is the reason. It's annoying from the customer point of view for reasons such as @DelayRepay mentions in post #94.

Though one can see Royal Mail's problems given someone thinking they are unlikely to post 5 letters in rest of the year, but I suspect that illustrates the case for many people these days. I assume the reason there is another Christmas to go before the non bar coded stamps cease validity is to give people a good chance to use them up when they send Christmas cards in December 2022.

But it would help if retailers (or at least post offices) were not still selling the non bar coded stamps in my view. I suspect general retailers like supermarkets/ corner shops etc still have stocks to sell too. I assume they could use the swap out scheme if they were diligent.

 

[PG]

But it would help if retailers (or at least post offices) were not still selling the non bar coded stamps in my view. I suspect general retailers like supermarkets/ corner shops etc still have stocks to sell too. I assume they could use the swap out scheme if they were diligent.

I concur with you. It seems like RM haven't (yet?) arranged to exchange retailers old stock with new bar code stamps though I'm sure pressure will mount for them to do so. life

It seems a sharp practice for independent retailers (both large and small) to be expected, by RM, to try and flog something which now has a finite life due to a business decision made by RM

 

[dk1]

The new stamps do look very smart. Have a few old ones left but might just keep them as a souvenir.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

It seems a sharp practice for independent retailers (both large and small) to be expected, by RM, to try and flog something which now has a finite life due to a business decision made by RM

Whilst it's a right faff, any "old type" stamps bought now, can, of course, still be used up to January 2023 and then be swapped out after then. So, poor, rather than sharp practice, IMHO, to still be selling the old type stock now.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Whilst it's a right faff, any "old type" stamps bought now, can, of course, still be used up to January 2023 and then be swapped out after then. So, poor, rather than sharp practice, IMHO, to still be selling the old type stock now.

Also bear in mind that many if not most people use a lot at Christmas.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Also bear in mind that many if not most people use a lot at Christmas.

Good point. Believe that any unused "old style" (post decimalisation) Christmas 1st and 2nd class stamps don't need to be swapped out. Is that understanding correct?

(Christmas 2021 stamps already have the 'barcodes' on them).

 

[Gloster]

Making the end of January the deadline does at least give people the chance to use them for Christmas cards and then to use the remainder to encourage their children (or themselves) to send Thank You Letters. (‘Thank You Letter’, a way of politely thanking people for presents: now only found in dictionaries of obsolete words.)

 

[jfollows]

The envelope I ordered online on 31 March for returning >£200-worth of stamps arrived today, 12 May! I used my own envelope for two tranches of <£200-worth and had the replacement stamps sent to me well before now.

 

[northwichcat]

Also bear in mind that many if not most people use a lot at Christmas.

Given what you've posted in other threads, I'm surprised you think a lot of Christmas cards still get posted. Even my mum, who doesn't do social media or ecards, doesn't post many these days or receive many by post.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Given what you've posted in other threads, I'm surprised you think a lot of Christmas cards still get posted. Even my mum, who doesn't do social media or ecards, doesn't post many these days or receive many by post.

Someone who doesn't post many cards is hardly going to have a massive stock of stamps! I do about 10, basically just family, the sort of people who may be put out if they don't receive one.

 

[northwichcat]

Someone who doesn't post many cards is hardly going to have a massive stock of stamps! I do about 10, basically just family, the sort of people who may be put out if they don't receive one.

I have quite a lot of stamps of various denominations including small value ones like 5p ones, allowing me to make up various total values. Buying them in advance can potentially save quite a lot on postage costs if you sell unwanted items on eBay. But with eBay offering discounts for InPost and an InPost locker appearing at my local station, I haven't been using many stamps recently. Based on the stamps that appear on what I receive when buying things online there are eBay and Amazon marketplace sellers who have done exactly the same thing.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I have quite a lot of stamps of various denominations including small value ones like 5p ones, allowing me to make up various total values. Buying them in advance can potentially save quite a lot on postage costs if you sell unwanted items on eBay. But with eBay offering discounts for InPost and an InPost locker appearing at my local station, I haven't been using many stamps recently. Based on the stamps that appear on what I receive when buying things online there are eBay and Amazon marketplace sellers who have done exactly the same thing.

You can print your own postage now in any denomination, so this doesn't really have much of a benefit anyway.

 

[northwichcat]

You can print your own postage now in any denomination, so this doesn't really have much of a benefit anyway.

Stamps marked as 1st or 2nd class increase in value as prices increase.

So a small parcel costs £3.35 to send second class. So you could put 3 first class stamps on (valued at 95p each), 2 x 20p stamps and 2 x 5p stamps.

However, if you purchased the 1st class stamps when the price was 60p, you've only actually paid £2.30 to post the package. A massive benefit of using 'print your own' postage.