Hi Maddie, Here in the UK I quite often put the total postage in figures alongside the stamps , that not only helps the counter clerk but also reminds me if the counter clerk wants to check the postage required having weighed a small packet for example. I also often write across the bottom please do not pen cancel. I usually ask the counter clerk to handstamp my post and usually they give me the stamp to do it myself, that’s important to avoid a sock eye in the middle and get a clean cancellation lightly across corners. Make sure its canceled on a perfectly level surface ( don’t use the weighing scales !)and that afterwards the item is left flat to dry on the clerks counter without being chucked with wet ink immediately in the sack. Some Post offices don’t like hand cancelling at all others are really helpful, find a helpful one locally, I find many postmasters are actually really interested to see anything apart from bog standard Machins and often ask where I get them ??? Some are also keen to start stocking commemorative issues when they have not stocked them in the past. I use The Handstamp Centres for specific issues but of course it adds time and cost as you will have to pay to send the covers / postcards to the Centre in the first place and wait while they get to your item, sometimes its better to wait a few days after an issue before forwarding it to them to avoid the advance dealer rush. There is no reason why an NVI cannot be used in part payment for International Post.
The use of pen cancels has been a huge issue for years, I try and chat to my local post folks but it still happens at the sorting office, they were all issued with a special handstamp years ago that has bold zig zags for odd shaped stuff that would not go through machines or like much post in the UK never sees anything resembling a cancellation device. It is also rather odd that Royal mail attempt to bother to market collectable stamps which they then enjoy promptly destroying with pen cancels. Countless folks have taken this up with Royal Mail and nothing is ever done. Persevere with your stamps and Good luck, Regards, Derek
Pen cancellations are pretty bad, RM could use roll postmarks:
or hammer postmarks:
to make it more easy to cancel non-machinable items.
Hi Derek,
Thank you for your reply, you must have a very good relationship with your post office for them to let you cancel your own mail.
I like to think I have good relationship with my local post office (I usually rotate between three local PO’s that usually stock special RM stamps) and have built a rapport with the counter teams.
I wouldn’t specifically ask them to handstamp my postcards, as it a usual ‘no, please put them in the post box outside’
However if I purchase stamps, or post an item out such an eBay order or a work document, they are usually more willing to handstamp the postcards as an afterthought.
Couple of the ladies at one PO usually now offer me special stamps when I request to purchase stamps, even if it is not for postcrossing.
Interesting tip, might wait a few days before submitting for sponsored postmark. The turnaround times can vary.
Thank you for you detailed reply
Mark
The reason they give me the handstamp to do it myself is because it takes an age to explain how to line it up properly to get a really good cancellation across 2 corners and to do a few trial runs on a blank sheet to make sure there is actually any ink in the canceller in the first place and that they have the correct date on the canceller which sometimes they don’t if its near opening time! Of course everyone behind me in the queue especially at Christmas really loves me as I arrive with a pile of stuff for places they’ve never heard of plastered in stamps they’ve never seen before and requiring perfection in cancelling and an extremely mathmatetical brain !! D
I think RM have tried the roller-stamp as an experiment at some mail centres in the North of England, not sure why it was discontinued?
I remember reading about it on one of the Postal blogs, the postmark looked very similar to those of Deutsche Post.
These where from letters used for an order stamps from a Stamp Dealer in Kent, most of my post that has been recieved by Croydon Mail Centre has been fortunate enough the have the handstamp, one of the big steel-wide rimmed handstamp.
Shame I cut the letters up, as these where some of the letters which had the postage prices written in the top left hand corner, which gave me the idea.
Yes, I known what you mean, it would be nice if I could cancel my own post, but I doubt if my locals would allow it.
Also trying to find the time (quiet time) to visit the PO.
I’ve started to know which PO clerks are good at cancelling stamps almost in the philatelic way, and the others who just plonk the cancel anywhere.
In Toronto in Ontario, Canada there is the First Post Office, a small museum / post office, they allowed me to hand cancel the stamps, they had several designs.
Germany introduced stamps with matrix-codes yesterday. Game changer. They use it for postage check, re-usage prevention and… tracking! Deutsche Post DHL runs a database with all scanned sender & receivers’ address and, in future, the unique stamps that were used.
@Ceres1849
I enjoy that your Post Office is so welcoming to you posting.
It reminds me of the time I asked for special stamps and the post office clerk had no idea how to tear the stamps along the periforation. I got teared stamps.
Can I ask, what is the location of your Post Office branch? Is it a village one or one inside a WH Smith?
Hello Joanna,
Thanks for the questions, yes my local Post Office is fine with assisting in my posting items, I’ve got to know them well over the last year. My village doesn’t have a Post Office so I tend to use the nearest which is in the next village, it’s a One-Stop, very small, they don’t sell any special stamps I source those elsewhere. This Post Office is willing to handstamp and they make a good job of it, ie cancellation at the bottom to tie One commemorative and One Machin ( Queens Head). I place the commemorative top right and the Machin next to it 1 mm away. That way they can tie the two stamps with one Postmark. I ask them to let the Postcard dry afterwards for 5 minutes before chucking in the sack to ensure they don’t ruin the stamps with the ink postmark if still wet.
I get the new commemorative stamps for my Postcards only if I like them and think others will, ie I didn’t bother with the military vehicles but did get a lot of the recent DC comics. So everyone for the next few weeks will get a DC comic stamp and a Machin. I don’t put 2 commemoratives on beauuse it doesn’t give me the space for everything I want to write neatly. I get commemorative from the nearest Main Post Office in the nearest town on day of issue for myself and also 1st class commemorative for the Postcrossing cards, they always have the new ones, its located in a McColls. Otherwise, you can get from Royal Mail online but will have to pay the standard delivery charge, think it’s £1-70 on top but that covers everything you want and isn’t number of items dependant. You can always ask your local Post Office to show you what booklets they have, these stamps are always self-adhesive, some Booklets are with Commemoratives and some not , ask to have a look and on the front right it will say what commemorative if any they enclose , eg my sub post office has the Queen issue currently in stock so you would get 2 Queen ( the Group ) self-adhesives and 4 Red Machins ( Queens Head) total 6 stamps. They’re good if you’re desperate for Commemoratives. Like now when DC Comics starts to run out in Post Offices and only fairly boring Rugby and Christmas issues to look forward to this year.
If they tear your stamps while separating them I would not accept them and ask them to do it again, it is easier to do if they crease along the line of stamps first , accidents do happen but rarely.
Hope this all makes sense and helps, any questions message me.
Best Wishes, Derek