Question About Using Stamps
Summary: The discussion revolves around sylviebee's question about using stamps. Various participants, including ricarmic and byto253, engaged in the conversation, contributing their input and seeking clarifications. sapphyres-designer-jewellery and hockey-kong also participated, each adding to the depth of the discussion, which continued with additional responses exploring related details.
I know that there are posters who know stamps so I have a question. I have a number of stamps which I put on addressed envelopes I meant to send but I never sent them. Can I cut those stamps from the envelopes and use them on other parcels? It would be obvious that they were cut from an envelopes because it would include the paper to which they are adhered. I know you can't re-use stamps that were used but never cancelled, but these were never used at all.
It's not a huge amount but perhaps $30 worth of stamps.
hockey-kong
·4 months agocan't speak for others but I can agree with some of the help posted below.
I often remove stamps from envelopes/packages that were meant to be shipped, more than once an order ready to ship gets cancelled. Simply cut out the paper and soak it in water for usually less than an hour. Warmer water seems to help. Then lay the stamp out to dry. Next day, when you are ready to ship something, grab your glue stick and go for it.
Never had a problem at the post office and don't expect to. You paid for the stamp, you have a legal right to use it as postage paid for any legal shipment.
It's not up to your postmaster, if the stamp has never been used, you can use it.
sapphyres-designer-jewellery
·4 months agoIf you soak them off, you can use a gluestick to affix them to another package (put the glue on the stamp, not all over the thing you're sticking them to).
I have some peel and sticks that are messed up and the backing won't come off properly or at all, I use a gluestick to affix them. It's not against the rules if the stamp hasn't been used, what you're not supposed to be doing is soaking uncancelled stamps off of things and reusing them again.
Also when I mail something, it's 1-2 stamps that are glued on, the rest are wet and adhered. I ask the post office to cancel my stamps with their date stamp, and so far no issues. I did tell the shop where I get my bundles of stamps to stop buying singles that are peel and stick as if they're useful, so far I haven't been able to use a single peel and stick if it's separated from the rest of the booklet. I prefer stamps you can wet and stick on things.
C.
lotzofuniquegoodies
·4 months ago@sylviebee
@ricarmic
I've had a variety of luck with these situations when it comes to moving stamps from one envelop to another. With the permanent stamps sometimes they will "detach" easy peasy. Next one no way, no how. With the stickem's I have had on many tries had them fall off after applying. To be able to use, needed to scotch tape to box to get them to stay. Waste not. I also have 2/3 of almost ancient pre-printed by CP dated back several years. I would get in small quantities when CP started going crazy with these erratic postage increases so I wouldn't deep to buy an assortment of stamps to meet a parcels requirement. Then I could just drop in the local red box and go. It seems like the postal depots aren't allowed to do that any longer or that is what I have been told.
ricarmic
·4 months ago@sapphyres-designer-jewellery a note on the "old" self adhesives, there are a couple issues that are really really bad, for not wanting to let go, and yes the DCTS (die cut to shape) stamps from the quarterly/annual packs those are the absolute worst.
For the not DCTS stamps I always start with a corner stamp and one has to pull the backing away from the stamp* instead of the reverse, sometimes one has to do that from more than one (usually the opposite) corner as the booklet backing sometimes will like to try to come off, ie stays on the stamp.
The DCTS are the worst/awful (I also try to avoid these as much as possible) and the who pulls from who is different, usually starting with separating a small portion usually stamp from the backing works best but not for all issues. As with the nonDCTS stamps once you have some separation started, separate the back from the stamp* not the reverse. Normally the best place to start for these is with the "fattest" "perf" on one of the corners, but at least for me, often it takes more than one corner attempt depending on the issue.
Note that if you glue stick a self adhesive DCTS onto the parcel, theoretically you have proof that it was never used because the original "glue" and backing is still there and nothing would indicate that it is glued on via the back instead of the contact cement. As you mentioned, put the gluestick glue on the stamp not on the parcel as the sheen from unused gluestick glue is very noticeable when it dries.
*stamp is held/kept as flat as possible and the backing pulled (curled) away, this also helps avoid curled stamps which normally causes corners to lift once the stamp is on the parcel and they'll get scraped off somewhere along the line.
byto253
·4 months agoYou could trying to go to a Canada Post outlet with envelopes and ask how you can use these since they were not sent/used but are on the envelope. Worse they can say is only in the envelope they are on and you leave with them on. I am lucky to have an outstanding manager at my Shopper's Canada Post outlet who would likely work with me on it.
ricarmic
·4 months agoTwo caveats I would add to byto's suggestion (not intending to diminish it), if you ask the same question at 4 different POs/outlets, you'll get 5 different answers. For the example I gave, the shipper's item was stopped at the London plant, the last stop before it comes to my post office, a long way away from the shipping city.
byto253
·4 months agoIt does help to have a great manager and a good rapport with them.
ricarmic
·4 months ago@byto253 Absolutely! I live in a wee village of 400 with a wee post office with one PM, I've had exceptionally good PMs all along, they appreciate the revenue I bring in for the location. I never have to worry about them, it's somewhere down the line that there's risk for me.
I have noted over the years that CPs communication process to the POs has issues sometimes. There's been a fair number of times that I've learned stuff from these boards that they haven't received word about yet.
For this example I would have no problem at all with my local PM, my worry would be downstream so to speak.
ricarmic
·4 months agoUnfortunately there's no way for Canada Post to know whether you did this or you soaked them off parcels sent to you* After edit, I hadn't noticed you mentioned they would be on paper, keep reading.....
Based on how many folks seem to be able to sell "uncancelled" stamps which are the same but different as we discussed above, some folks are getting away with it.
I did have a customer who went to send me a box of stamps, already had it stamped (stamps were on paper taped to the box) discovered it was too small, cut the stamps off the paper on box 1 and taped it along with other stamps on the new box. To be clear it was obvious that the cut out and reapplied stamps were "reused" because they were on paper on paper so to speak. In his case the PO seized the package and contacted him (or he conacted them it was an expedited box, my recollection is moreso that he had to call them about it), it was a difficult call, eventually he convinced them of his story and they let it come through, but it delayed the parcel a lot before it reached me. So there is risk, but I don't know how big.
Your scenario, if you leave them on the original paper is exactly the same as above. The folks selling the uncancelled stamps are selling them soaked off, all Canadian stamps soak, including the self adhesives.
Personally I'd never do it because I'm a business and I wouldn't want to risk the notoriety that would entail if I were caught. (It gets into the stamp papers etc)
Hopefully that helps!!!