Perils of using a "recycled stamp"

No! She must have been mortified

No, don’t tell your friend. It will embarrass her. She remembered your birthday and sent you a card. That’s all that matters.

We often receive mail where the stamps haven't been franked at the sorting office. Even if the postie doesn't put a scribble across the stamp by hand, as they often do, I don't think it would be possible to remove the stamps and reuse as the self adhesive ones probably wouldn't be able to be steamed off.

And, no, I wouldn't tell the friend either, she might be really upset.

You used to be able to buy packets of "used" stamps (current) on Ebay. I dont know if this is still the case.

Anyone can print their own postage from the Royal Mail site using a debit/credit card or Paypal. You dont have to be a business.

Yes

I first thought “Really? Someone tried to reuse an already used and marked stamp?” Cheap… and trying to cheat the system?

I don’t know, that wouldn’t be allowed here.
(Used stamps on eBay are sold for collectors). Of course, tell your friend - she may be doing it with others too.
Shameful.
USA Gundy

It’s not “recycling a stamp” it’s attempting to cheat the system, getting something for nothing.
You don’t reuse stamps!

Yes there are packets of (no longer in circulation) stamps sold on Ebay but the ones I referred to were still valid. So I dont think they were intended for "collectors". I will never cease to be surprised at what you can buy on Ebay - especially the US site.

She might not have been cheating the system…maybe she stuck it on something which she then didn’t post? But then again if it was a barcoded one….she’s been caught out! Lucky they didn’t prosecute!

I think the new barcoded stamps are scanned when used to prevent them being re-used. She may not have been aware of this but just noticed that there was no franking mark. Which there now may not be.
I used to sell the old style used unfranked stamps on eBay!!!!’

The stamp may have been removed from an unsent letter and reused, not necessarily trying to scam the RM

A couple of years ago i bought several books of first and second class stamps in advance of their price going up. The following Christmas, I went to the post office to ask how much in stamps I would need to add to allow mw to send Christmas cards to friends in France and Germany

They sold me the appropriate stamps which I used on the envelopes together with a first class stamp

I was most annoyed when only one of the 36 cards posted arrived.... yes they all had the requtred airmail stickers too

After making enquiries of a different member of staff at the same post office I was told scornfully that of course there was no point in sending mail in such a way to Europe.... 1st and 2nd class stamps were only for inland use

I feel cheated too

From the Post office web site:

Posting abroad
Stamps can also be used to post letters and cards abroad or as make up values and are available at all Post Offices in denominations from 1p to £5.

In Denmark it is a felony to re-use our postage stamps, so I would certainly have warned her not to do so again!

However, I remember when we lived in Britain we did re-use stamps if they had not been cancelled by the post office, but I have honestly no idea if it is legal to do so or not, in the UK.

Here you can be sent to prison for doing so, as it is regarded as fraud.

There was a big piece on Radio 4 about this.
A business owner is taking Amazon to court. He was buying a lot of stationery on Amazon and thought he would by some stamps.
They were printed in China. Therefore illegal.

As I understand it, the new barcode on the stamps is unique to each stamp. The stamps do not need to be franked as the new PO system will know if a stamp has previously been used. Until reading this thread I was not sure how true this was. Now I know!
I would try & find a way to tell your friend even if you mention it as something you had read. I'm not sure how often she posts items but it could save her further embarrassment.

Just hope your friend isn't regularly re-using stamps. She'll have no friends left in a while.

Crikey ….post office will be a thing of the past soon …no wonder from middle aged down , people don’t send cards anymore.
My kids and grandkids text …..my great grandkids??? Well who know how they will communicate. At a £1 a stamp no wonder people are deserting it in droves.

I remember being horrified by hearing that a person I knew re-used stamps. They own a business, and any stamps not 'cancelled' were carefully peeled and reused.

I couldn't believe people stoop this low. That's theft, not recycling.

I have often put the wrong stamp on a letter/card (especially at Christmas with people all over the world) and picked it off. It feels awkward sticking it on the right one after but I think I've bought the right to a service so would do it again.
The good news is these new stamps would "know" they were unused as they travelled through the system.

I have just sent £12 + of stamps for exchange that were on a parcel I was going to send to my daughter but which she collected. I hope they refund them rather than decide they are used

mrsgreenfingers56

My birthday recently and friend who doesn't live near always sends birthday card but didn't receive one. About a week later I received a post card from
Royal Mail to say they had an item and not enough postage on and to pay £2.50 which I did. A week or so later my birthday card turned up and it was from the friend and couldn't understand why extra postage to pay. On close examination she had reused a stamp as the corner was turning up and brown backing on the stamp! Oh dear I had to send email to her saying thanks for card which arrived today but felt embarrassed to explain the delay!
So at your peril to recycle a stamp! It was one of the bar coded ones and I think must be scanned or something to show been used before. Would you have told your friend?

Perhaps, say gently, I don’t suppose you must have realised but the stamp had been used before . Or perhaps you could say, we can’t reuse stamps nowadays because of the unique bar code on each stamp 🤔🤔wish you luck.

No don't tell your friend. A previous friend of mine accused me of sending her a birthday card with insufficient postage and said that she had to pay 1.00 postage on it. She said she paid it because she hoped I would have included a letter in it. She went on to criticize the card which she described as having a dog on it with plastic eyes. It was actually a beautiful card hand-drawn by a local artist, subtle and tasteful and not with plastic eyes. I love dogs and only send dog cards to close family members or very special friends. I have never in my life sent an unstamped card and had not to my knowledge ever sent one with insufficient postage. I was very hurt and quietly simmering with anger. The friendship cooled somewhat after that. She died a few years ago but I never felt the same about her after her after 'Card-gate'.

You do need to tell your friend as otherwise she will not realise that she cannot do this in the future. Not making a point that it was your birthday card, but just the general one, that these stamps CANNOT be reused under any circumstances, and doing so means he recipient is actually charged twice the value.