Royal Mail has reiterated a straightforward rule that many people take for granted but which can have real financial consequences: where and how you apply a stamp matters. The postal operator says incorrect placement, damage or obstruction of stamps can prevent automated sorting machines from reading postage, potentially resulting in delays and fees charged to the recipient.
Why the position of a stamp matters
Royal Mail’s processing network relies heavily on automated scanners that look for stamps in a specific area. If a stamp is not placed in the correct position — or is folded, covered with handwriting, or otherwise obscured — the machinery may treat the item as unpaid and route it for manual handling. That can lead to delays, additional handling and charges passed on to the person receiving the item.
"The days of licking stamps are over. Just peel your stamp and stick it in the top right-hand corner of your letter. You’ll need your stamp to be clearly visible, not bent over an edge and on the same face of your parcel as the address. Many stamps contain barcodes to assist in tracking, so it’s important that the stamp is flat and easy to scan."
Royal Mail highlights a handful of practical points senders should follow to avoid problems:
- Place the stamp in the top right-hand corner on the front face of the envelope or parcel (the same side as the address).
- Keep the stamp flat and fully visible — do not fold it over an edge or crease it.
- Avoid writing over the stamp, as many modern stamps include barcodes that are used for tracking and digital postmarks.
Costs and what happens to mis-sorted items
If an item cannot be read as paid, the recipient may be asked to pay a fee that typically falls in a band between £1.50 and £7. Where recipients do not know who sent the item or choose not to accept it, Royal Mail says the item will be held for up to 18 days before it is either returned to sender or destroyed.
| Issue | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Stamp not in top right corner | Possible manual handling, delay |
| Stamp folded or creased | May be unreadable by scanner |
| Stamp covered by writing | Barcode unreadable; extra fee risk |
For households and small businesses in Bury who do not send mail regularly, the guidance is a timely reminder that a small oversight can create inconvenience and cost for friends, family or customers. The rule applies to letters, cards and parcels — the same principles of visibility and placement hold for any stamped item.
Royal Mail’s note also reflects wider changes in how postage is tracked and processed. The organisation now embeds machine-readable features in many stamps to support automated sorting and digital postmarks; obscuring those features undermines the systems designed to speed delivery.
Local residents who are unsure about whether an item has been posted correctly can ask staff at a Post Office counter for help, or consider using franked postage and labelled services which include tracking and avoid adhesive stamps altogether.
Keeping stamps flat, clear and in the correct corner is a small step with a real impact on delivery reliability. For everyday senders in Bury, following these simple rules will reduce the chance of delays and spare recipients the inconvenience of unexpected fees.
