For U.K. postcrossers, I hope this isn’t true

Please Note, the 31st January 2023 Deadline is only for Non-Barcoded Definitive & Christmas Stamps, this will not affect Special Pictorial Issue Stamps!

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According to the article there will be also an official swap out.

(non-barcoded stamps can be exchanged for the new barcoded version through Royal Mail’s ‘Swap Out’ scheme.

The ‘Swap Out’ scheme will open on 31 March 2022. Forms will be available via a variety of channels, including local Customer Service Points; the Royal Mail website and via our Customer Experience team. Customers will be able to use a Freepost address. Further details will be announced shortly.)

I would wait and see how this will be.

As pinched from the Royal Mail Stamps Web Shop…

Are you barcoding all stamps?

All Definitive stamps are being barcoded — including Christmas stamps. Definitive stamps are the regular ‘everyday’ stamps featuring the profile of HM The Queen created by the sculptor Arnold Machin. We aren’t barcoding special issue stamps — which are printed as a one off to commemorate a person/event and to celebrate the best of the UK’s contribution to the world.

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

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A post was merged into an existing topic: [Stamps] UK stamps, prices, Royal Mail & Post Office matters

Special issue, commemorative stamps will still be valid…It’s only definitive stamps since decimilisation without a bar code which will become invalid. Royal Mail have said these stamps can be swapped for the bar coded ones in due course if they haven’t been used by the deadline.

Have any UK postcrossers started using the new make-up value stamps?
I just sent a complaint to Royal Mail as the size of these stamps is ridiculous… They’re most than twice the size they were previously… Here’s an example of the back of a postcard, and that’s when you have the biggest values to make up… So if you run out of 0.05 and have to use 2x 0.02 and 1x 0.01 stamps, you are left with only the space for the address!!! But the alternative is to use bigger values that are above the required shipping costs…

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I guess RM expect you (and probably prefer) postcard writers to use a single stamp at the current domestic/airmail rate.

If I don’t use the £1.85 stamp, which I don’t like, I struggle to find the space to use more than one or two barcoded stamps.

There is a discussion in the British Isles section about the use of multiple barcode stamps.

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I dont use the barcoded stamps at all - only two first class stamps and they look fine on the postcard :slight_smile: I usually use these two first class stamps from these special edition collections.

As a newbie to postcrossing i am struggling! A couple of members in their profile say 'if posting from UK no stamps with full profile of the Queen or Kings head only commerative stamps! ’ is it being picky or what! We dont have much choice in our village post-office! The pretty stamps are huge and take up alot of space. I love the official postcrossing stamps can we get them in England?

Don’t feel obliged to use what people prefer - it is just a preference.
You paid good money to send the cards out, and nice stamps are a bonus, not a necessity

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Thanks so much!! Ver encouraging! Thats what my husband said but i like to oblige when i can but my choices are limited in our village.

Perhaps you can consider Philatelink. They carry old stamps with a variety that makes for a more interesting presentation

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And Philatelink sells his stamps at below face value so you’ll be saving money on the ever expensive £2.20 a time postcard!

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Nice to have you here. I agree about Philatelink - they’re a good and reliable company. But as the others have said, your only obligation is to send a postcard with enough postage on. You don’t have to provide anything else.

(Btw, have you found your way to the British Isles section of the forum yet?)

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I think that is definitely rude. As a matter of fact I find the term “Please use nice stamps” not so nice, passive-aggresive.

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Welcome to the forum and to Postcrossing.
A commemorative stamp is a bonus, not a requirement, so just send what you can get. My village postoffice has nothing except the standard barcoded ones.

I do find, though, that 2 x first class barcoded take a similar amount of space as 2 x first class commemorative, and generally don’t encroach too much beyond the address section of the card. So if you do catch the bug, you could look for the smaller, squarer, commemoratives on the Royal Mail website. I wouldn’t recommend the £2.20 ones though, as you could get stuck with them when the price goes up, and have to source the smaller values to add on.

Above all though, have fun with Postcrossing and enjoy yourself. The number of picky profiles is massively outweighed by the rest, and some of the picky appearing ones are probably the fault of translation apps.

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Actually I prefer receiving the queen’s head’s stamp because I am afraid that they will no longer exists
Probably we can have a swap or something
Sometimes it’s really difficult to fulfill all their requirements, it’s not necessary at all

Thank you to everybody who has commented and made good recommendations. You have all been very supportive. I have asked our postmistress to sort me some low value combination stamps. Some lucky person will get a card full one day! Happy postcrossing x

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Hi @GladysEm

I’m attaching a link to a thread in the British Isles section where we discuss stamps and what’s going on at the Post Office. I always learn something new there , and I thought you might find it helpful:

I’m just wondering; this this barcode, would it be possible for the sender of a letter (or postcard) to track the sent item?