I Just Realized It Added Up To Over 120 Bucks In 1 Year.

I save the stamps from my incoming mail and donate them to Veteran groups. In 2020 I notice I was getting a lot of uncanceled stamps on my incoming mail so in 2021 I decided keep tract of the uncanceled stamps I was receiving. For the entire year of 2021 I received over $122.00 in uncanceled postage on my mail. And over $20.00 in uncanceled Canadian stamps as well.

I don't try to reuse these stamps, I would prefer to donate them to the Veteran groups.

Uncancelled stamps are a major issue here in Ireland, but being almost entirely self-adhesive it would be very difficult to reuse them. But I have noticed that people just cut them out and stick them onto a new envelope, often with the paper different covers and An Post just deliver them which I find extraordinary. I wonder what the rules are? Can you reuse a stamp if it has not been cancelled even though it clearly has been attached previously? I would love to know as I could be sitting on a goldmine.

It's extremely easy just to use lighter fluid to loosen the glue which will then still adhere to a new envelope. I do it all the time

My understanding, at least generally, is that you are not legally to re-use a stamp once it has gone through the mail, regardless of whether it is postmarked or not. Obviously, this still occurs as I have seen some major re-sellers here in Canada who seek this stuff out and then re-sell in bulk quantities, complete with a glue stick in the box. I don't have any link to any documents on hand stating it is illegal but perhaps someone can dig that up, at least for their postal region.

You do have to wonder when a postal authority claims they are in the red, how much would be corrected if postal clerks and processes were ensuring everything was cancelled? Is the financial impact peanuts? Or is it substantial?

It has also raised an interesting question about First Day Covers. Although they are cancelled, they have not gone through the post. Can you still use them? I've heard mixed stories and most likely is 100% dependent on who's desk it crosses. What the actual ruling is …I've always been curious!

It is against the law in the USA to use uncancelled stamps that have gone through the mail. My attitude used to be that if they weren't going to go to the trouble of cancelling them, then re-using them would be their fault. I never got caught, but I stopped doing it about 15 years ago.

I SUPPOSE it is legal to remove stamps from used mail. I SUPPOSE it is legal to separate the canceled ones from the un-canceled ones. I SUUPOSE it is legal to sell ungummed uncanceled stamps. I SUPPOSE it is legal to use ungummed uncanceled stamps on your mail IF you don't know they were used previously. I also SUPPOSE my train of logic falls apart somewhere in there.

My stamps only get canceled here in California half the time. I have mixed feelings about it. I like some cancels but it's also easy to collect if they aren't.

The U.S.Post Office is not going to spend money on a Lawyer on their staff who makes $300.00 to $500.00 a hour to go after a grandmother who reuses a uncancel stamp for 58 cents .

The Post Office will go after commercial sellers who are making a business of selling uncanceled or washed stamps .

There are 500 million dollars to 1 billion dollars in older issues sitting out there and the Post Office is not going to be paying $30.00 a hour to check if someone is using or reusing a old stamp ,they just pass it thru .

This is a issue of how much time your staff spends checking envelopes to save a fraction of a dollar .

Perhaps it is also an ethical issue too. While Bill Weiss was dying of brain cancer, he listed some 'uncancelled' US postage on eBay. In another forum, he was crucified for being unethical because of this listing (ignoring any impact his brain cancer might be having on his behavior).
Don

A stamp is a stamp is a stamp. If you accidentally got too much change back at the store (let's say Walmart) and you only realized when you got in the car, would you go back in and say something? Would you throw it away? Or would you use it? I'd argue it's a similar sentiment with stamps. If it comes to me uncancelled, with the amount of money I spend on modern issues straight from the post office which I plan to store for collecting and will never use, heck yes I'm going to use that uncancelled stamp.

I have an issue in that I frequently get pre stamped envelopes (for invitations) that I don't reply to for what ever reason. And would love to reuse the stamps. But don't have a practical way of doing so. I have tried putting labels over the return address and write in the address I wish to send to. But post office rejects one out of ten of these!

These are some of the uncanceled stamps I've received on my incoming mail in the past week.

Are most of the canceling machines in the US and Canada broken?

Like the others, all incoming mail stamps will be donated to veterans groups.