I’m fairly new to postcrossing and so I don’t have a collection of fancy stamps. All I have is a massive page of normal plane old 1st class U.K. stamps because all the websites I look at to buy bulk of mixed value stamps with different pictures and patterns are sold out because of COVID they’ve not been able to get hold of any from auctions etc. I know a lot of people like interesting stamps, and obviously I would comply if I could but is it wrong just to use normal stamps, would people think I’m not making an effort because I’m not using interesting stamps?
Please use stamps that you have available and don’t feel bad. A request for a nice stamp is just a request. In the future when you can get your hands on special stamps, you can use these for Postcrossers who collect stamps. But it is not obligatory to use a fancy stamp.
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No, it is not wrong! The only thing you need to take care of is to use the correct postage, be it the common or more fancier type of stamps… There isn’t any rules of which kind of stamps you should use. Many members mentions that they like prettier stamps and wishes more special ones, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter and you should just use whatever you have. If somebody gets all upset about “wrong” stamps, then it is their problem, not yours.
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Yeah, don’t sweat the stamps & remember some of us don’t have huge choices either. There’s quite a range of availability when you look at different countries postal systems & the stamps they issue.
The other thing people need to remember is that using more stamps or bigger/fancier ones often takes up more room on the postcard and I’m more interested in writing & receiving messages than I am about receiving special stamps.
I appreciate & admire many stamps I get or see on PC, but I’m not willing to have them take up too much space either.
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Oh don’t worry, nice stamps are just the sprinkles on the cherry on the ice cream! They are great, but this is about sending a card, not about sending fancy stamps. Some of us just spend a bit too much time obsessing about tiny details (including me 
).
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Similarly to the postcard preference discussion; when it comes down to it, all you do is send an appropriately stamped postcard with its ID, anything on top is a bonus.
I’m new too and decided to buy stamps in bulk, so I’m currently ‘stuck’ with definitives for a while, especially because I don’t feel sentimental over stamps (yet) and joined for the postcard aspect. I’m open to develop a stamp collection but until then I just see it as a form of payment to get my card across the world and show my effort through the card choice and message.
I always believe the reason why people feature wishlists and requests on their profile is just in case the sender has it. Use what you have and don’t feel too pressured, especially when you have so little choice already!
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Thank you all for your nice words and comments. Has made me feel a lot better about it. Also if any of you guys are from the U.K. too then you know how little new stamps get brought out 
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I, for one, enjoy seeing the Queen’s profile every time! 
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As a stamp collector any stamp is a treasure, even the regular UK “Machins” (Queens head) I just spent the holidays sorting a few 1000 of those and there are still some I don’t have 
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As everyone above has said, don’t worry too much about it. As long as you’ve got the correct amount of postage, you’re good to go. Besides, there will always be someone out there who will enjoy those stamps!
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Put an appropriate amount of postage on a postcard and send it to the correct address, and you’ve done everything right!
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Nope, it is definitely not wrong, so don’t fret too much about it. I’m a stamp collector, so obviously I would love to see new stamps, but it doesn’t make any postcard less meaningful or valuable if a definitive is used. I appreciate the card all the same.
Likewise, I realise there are more and more denominations that I don’t have! I wonder how many there are in total. 
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@whitefroststreetboi There is a good site for seeing all the different ones. Though I’m not sure it’s helpful knowing how many variations there are of each one!
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I was also worried about this at first. It’s okay, now I also sometimes use ordinary stamps. A common brand to you, looks very interesting to many postcrossers from other countries.
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At the beginning of each year I usually ask for a calendar of special stamp issues from the post office. (Sometimes takes a while for them to get them in!). It’s also online.
14th January is National Parks, beautiful stamps.
So I plan my stamp buying for the year, and make up difficiencies with small denomination Machins.
This year, two 1st class stamps will make up the required amount - although only until the next price rise!
Or buy lots of different Machins and have fun seeing all the different ways of reaching the required amount!
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In some cases of private swap,people may request to avoid of using definitive stamps.As I know, some countries in Europe(Like France), the online market sell the those old none-Euro value commemorative stamps are much cheaper than definitive stamps.They can still use,It may save a lot of money.
It’s absolutely okay to use whatever stamps are available to you, I personally think definitives (stamps issued over a large period of time, typically small) can be interesting too, especially if they’re from a country different than my own.
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No, but, as the recipient, it is wrong to complain about the stamp that was used by the sender.
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I thought the same, when I first joined,
The postcard and ID (and something nice to write about ofcourse) is all that is needed,
Anything ontop will be a benefit.
I personally started out with the Queens (Machin Definitive) stamps, found it quite fun using different rates/coloured ones to obtain the correct rate,
I personally like using Royal Mail’s Country Definitive stamps (ones with national emblems for each country of the UK),
I’ve even used those (sometimes Ugly) Post & Go stamp labels from the post office self-service machines, never had any complaints.
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