Royal Mail And Gluestick Postage.

Towards the latter part of 2008, Royal mail announced that they would be issuing stamps with Security features which collectors and ebay sellers [supposedly]could not soak off from the envelope.
This was mainly due to the fact that auction sellers [mainly on ebay] were selling 'Mint stamps without gum' causing the Postal services loss of revenue.

After the initial anger had died down from collectors, it was then assumed that 'gluestick' postage would be harder to find. It was not.
Even gluestick postage which included some of the so-called security stamps could be found. I think some even made a point of advertsiing as such to anger Royal Mail. We will never know. What we do know is that gluestick postage [in the UK at least], is as popular as ever.

But I often wonder if Royal Mail have ever really looked into the reasons why these type of auction sales exist; or if they ever listen to collectors or those who write to them to complain or offer advice ? Or are they too stubborn ? Or out of touch?

I have received 29 items of mail from the UK since December 10th. 16 of those envelopes did not get a cancel ! I have over £14 worth of gluestick postage waiting to sell on ebay. Should I do it, even though it is not nice but also illegal ?? [Illegal in the loose sense...no one will ever consider it a crime..least of all Royal Mail]. I can send it to my Mother so she can have some Free postage. Or I can take them with me to the UK when I next visit and ask for them to be cancelled. The latter is quite extreme I have to admit !!

But what can I do? I wanted those stamps cancelled but Royal Mail could not do it. Over 50% not cancelled. So just think of how many gluestick postage lots are out there waiting to be snapped up ??

So what would Royal Mail have me do ? Can they answer my question or advise me? I have written a few times the same question but never had an answer. I have written again now.

We shall wait and see.

Does anyone have similar problems with incoming mail ? Have you complained to your Postal Authority ? I'd be interested to know what you would do.
Please let us know here.

Thanks
Londonbus1.....gluestick postage anyone?

Michael...... why not send them to your mother and have her get them cancelled for you!?!

I have been finding a lot of items recently that haven't been cancelled, most originating from within Canada, but also quite a few that originated in the US.

Complain? What and kill my supply of free postage? Not on your life.

I guess I'll steal from London himself to reply:

Towards the latter part of 2008, the USPS announced that they would be issuing stamps with Security features which collectors and ebay sellers [supposedly]could not soak off from the envelope.
This was mainly due to the fact that auction sellers [mainly on ebay] were selling 'Mint stamps without gum' causing the Postal services loss of revenue.

After the initial anger had died down from collectors, it was then assumed that 'gluestick' postage would be harder to find. It was not.
Even gluestick postage which included some of the so-called security stamps could be found. I think some even made a point of advertsiing as such to anger USPS. We will never know. What we do know is that gluestick postage [in the US at least], is as popular as ever.

But I often wonder if the USPS have ever really looked into the reasons why these type of auction sales exist; or if they ever listen to collectors or those who write to them to complain or offer advice ? Or are they too stubborn ? Or out of touch?

Perhaps Scott and other catalog producers will have to include a column for Mint, Used, and Unused now as there are so many of them. How to price them? Hmmmm. . .used x 1.5?

Perhaps we should know why there are so many stamps that come through the mails uncancelled? Do the Post Offices have an explanation for wasting our money? Well? (foot tapping . . .) What, we are wasting their money? What?!


It's a new way to collect stamps. Not terribly obliterated (so you can't see the picture) by a postmark like used stamps but a lot cheaper than mint stamps.

Naaah, won't catch on. (?)

Another thought. I have calculated (don't ask how) that printing a sheet of paper on a personal printer costs me:

$0.10 black ink ($0.23 coloured ink)
$0.01 paper
$0.01 labour (?)
$0.01 taxes

$0.13 TOTAL

. . . the biggest cost being the ink. Perhaps the postal administrations have figured this out also and are sorting the mail but refraining from cancelling it to save a major cost involved.

But it is back firing on them with the glue stick postage issue.

In 2009, I used over $67.00 face in gluestick postage!

Good on ya, Glen.

If the RCMP come to my door, I'll tell them Phil B. made me do it. He got me started.

David

I thought Bobgggg was the primary user of glue sticks in the US!

its the post office's fault in the first place

I Personally like to save them and use them anytime I have to send anything to any Gov't agency or office.

Thanks for your thoughts and opinions.

I just wanted to add that ,in my opinion, 16 out of 29 letters turn up without cancels shows a complete lack of authority over what's going on within Royal Mail [and other] postal services.

I cannot believe that in this day and age [2010], half of the mail misses the cancelling operation !! It is almost beyond belief.

But the sad thing is, they don't care. I have written to them many times about this without reply. And I do not expect a reply this time either.

Londonbus1.....Mounted mint !

Michael... Your secret Santa package, with all those lovely Israeli
stamps affixed to the cover, all came untouched by the cancel machine.

I received a package from Harry, AKA Nuggethill, with around 12.00
worth of Australian Postage on the cover, untouched.

My guess, the postal workers are just too lazy to use the hand canceller, when the package cant go thru
the cancel machines.

I thought he was the king of the Postage Meter.

Dianne

i collect mint stamps o I am not going to complain. no gum doesbother me. perhaps the royal mail can use something new where gum is not an issue so I will have a mnh ?

David is too modest, actually we have a mutual assistance pact..he may be a bit ahead as I send him back the stamps that Canada Post fails to cancel...but he also sends me uncancelled U.S. postage..i like to be fair..on a letter to Canada I will use a fresh 44 cent stamp and supplement it with gluesticks..i have my own moral code of right and wrong !!

Hi guys
A few years ago I had a parcel weighed, then I sat in the mall outside of the post office, putting stamps onto a parcel that I was sending to England at Christmas time. I had a roller bottle of clear glue. It just looked like water. I glued on 64 stamps for a total of $34.00 in postage, and then walked in and mailed the parcel. No one batted an eye as they hand canceled the parcel. They were so used to me using a lot of stamps because most of the people I sent things to, were also collectors.
I buy a half to a pound of Canadian kiloware every few months. I usually get $12.00 to $20.00 worth of glue stick postage from each bag. That pays for about 1/3 the cost of the bag. So I'm not going to complain.