Are stamps legal tender?

From April 30th stamp prices will rise by almost 25%.

• The price of a first-class stamp for a standard letter will go up from 46p to 60p
• A second-class stamp for a standard letter will go up from 36p to 50p
• A first-class stamp for a large letter weighing up to 100g will rise from 75p to 90p
• A large letter sent second-class will cost 69p, rather than 58p
• Parcels, franked mail, and recorded post will also be going up in price

We have seen lots of Tweets from people who intend to bulk buy stamps now, and many  have suggested that stamps are legal tender. This is not the case.

Legal tender has a specific meaning that we have described in  a previous blog post. While you are free to accept stamps as payment for a service or goods, there is no legal obligation for you to accept them when offered and you have no legal recourse if payment in stamps is refused!

Whether you can buy stamps now and resell at below face value in a few weeks time is a different matter entirely and one we cannot comment on…but we’d love to hear what you think!