I've been using a stock of old premium services barcoded labels for many years now, some go faster than the others. International Tracked is probably slowest of all!
My question is prompted by the latest image sent to me by our Canadian correspondent which has a different label.
All my stock has a solid colour border - green for International Tracked & Signed, orange for International Tracked, dark blue for International Signed For, etc.
The one on SS's cover has no coloured border, and the legend at the foot is all text and no graphics - but the barcode number is earlier alphabetically - RF 5821.... rather than my RN 20297 ....
At a guess I would say that this is an earlier one, rather than more recent and - because it was posted in the Southampton area and postmarked by the Mail Centre rather than a post office branch - I would say this might be from big dealer Rushstamps.
I've not seen one of these before - anyone else?
UPDATE 23 October Thanks to Tom (see comments) the source of these has been identified.
The label on the cover is identified on Royal Mail's Track & Trace webpages as a 'business label' - presumably supplied to business account customers on request. Here are some screenshots from that page. I still don't remember seeing any of these so I suspect not many businesses (or not many philatelic businesses) use them.
I believe it’s a business label: https://www.royalmail.com/business/content/more-finding-reference-numbers
ReplyDeleteThank you - I wasn't aware of that page. My rolls came from the PO, so would not have been the business versions.
DeleteNo worries, I work in a PO so am very used to the green bordered ones but have seen those business ones before, they seem to be getting scarce though not seen one in years!
DeleteI have an example of the purple one (Int. Signed) on a delivery from Tallents House a few years back but usually they used the PO version.
ReplyDeleteI once sent a special delivery 1 pm to China and it got replaced by HWDC with the same Track and Signed barcode.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that the Post office let that go through!
DeleteYes, it's amazing what gets processed sometimes; it ought not to be possible for the SD label to be processed on an item for China.
DeleteI have the tracked & signed right label. Back in the day you could get supplies from Swindon. Not possible now. You need to have a RoyalMail account. It doesn't work if you want to put real stamps on packages
ReplyDeleteSurely having a Royal Mail (business) account doesn't mean you can't use stamps. I think you have to have an account to get collections (or PO Box) and Rushstamps and some auction houses have collections and use stamps for their mail. Local POs couldn't possibly cope with their outputs.
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