Royal Mail has reiterated a straightforward but often overlooked rule for anyone posting letters, cards or parcels: where you place the stamp matters. Incorrect placement or a damaged stamp can cause automated sorting equipment to miss postage, potentially leading to delays or a charge to the recipient of between £1.50 and £7.
Why the position matters
Mail processing at modern sorting centres is highly automated. Machines are programmed to read postage from a specific area on the front of an item. If a stamp is tucked under an edge, placed on the wrong face of a parcel, or written over, scanners may fail to detect that postage has been paid.
Royal Mail advises that stamps should be stuck in the top right-hand corner of the front of the item, completely flat and clearly visible with the monarch's head the right way up. The area surrounding the stamp needs to remain free because it is used for tracking codes and digital postmarks; writing on the stamp can obscure these features.
"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."
Practical points for Slough senders
- Always put stamps on the same face as the recipient address and in the top-right corner.
- Ensure stamps are flat, not folded over edges, and not obscured by handwriting or sticky tape.
- If a machine cannot read postage, the recipient may be asked to pay a fee; unclaimed items are held for 18 days before return or disposal.
For those who only post items occasionally, these rules are quick to follow and avoid inconvenience for the recipient. If an item is marked as unpaid, recipients can visit the local sorting office to inspect it, but they may decline to pay the charge, in which case the item will be retained for 18 days before being returned or destroyed.
| Issue | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Stamp placed outside top-right corner | Possible delay; scanner may miss postage |
| Stamp bent or folded over edge | Difficulty scanning barcode; treated as unpaid |
| Writing over stamp | Tracking code obscured; scanning failure |
| Item marked unpaid | Recipient liable for fee of £1.50–£7 or item held |
Following these simple steps should prevent most problems. For regular senders, self-adhesive stamps applied cleanly and clearly are the easiest way to ensure items pass smoothly through sorting. For further clarification or uncommon posting situations, customers should consult Royal Mail's guidance or ask at a local post office in Slough.
