Should barcoded stamps be cancelled at the sorting office like the old stamps were?
I've received a few letters over the last two weeks and only one stamp was cancelled - the stamp had a line drawn through it with a pen (presumably done by the postie prior to putting it through my letterbox).
It made me wonder why he did this if there's no need for cancellation due to the new barcode system. Perhaps old habits die hard?
According to the Royal Mail every stamp has a unique barcode, and sorting equipment can detect if the stamp has already gone through the postal system, thus eliminating re-use of stamps that have not been cancelled.
I'm surprised but I've just looked at mine and they do all seem different. They're not real barcodes, more like QR codes, which allow for lots more variation.
TBH I don't know the difference between QR and barcode, jno, but the RM call them barcodes.
It would be interesting to know how it works as my OH is sceptical, he's likened it to the old tv detector vans - apparently they couldn't detect your tv (so I'm told) but back in the day we didn't know any better.
It's not just folk re-using the occasional stamp that's come through their door. There's a technique called 'washing' stamps, where folk 'wash' the franking mark off the stamps, then sell them on. This happens on eBay and other outlets.
The barcode is supposed to stop the possibility of this.
The bar codes replace the need for all that franking and ink. Reading the bar codes is quicker and cleaner hence their introduction.
I miss the old franks though that tell you where and when it was posted!