How combination stamps work
Combination stamps are genuine Royal Mail stamps that add up to the postage you need, supplied on a single peel-off label. One £1.80 1st Class letter, one label, one application — at 25% below what you'd pay at the Post Office.
What you actually receive
You receive sheets of ready-made postage labels. Each label carries genuine Royal Mail stamps totalling the postage value you ordered — £1.80 for a 1st Class letter, for example.
You peel off one complete label and apply it to your envelope in a single action. There is no sticking stamps on one at a time, and no working out which stamps add up to the right value. That is done before it reaches you.
For anyone running a mailing of fifty or two hundred letters, this is the same amount of handling as a single stamp, at three quarters of the price.
Why combination stamps cost less
Royal Mail has issued thousands of stamp denominations over the decades — 1p, 2p, 5p, 20p, definitives, commemoratives, older issues that were bought and never used.
Older stamps must still be valid under Royal Mail's current rules. Regular non-barcoded definitive stamps are no longer valid for postage; non-barcoded pictorial Special Stamps and Christmas stamps remain valid. An older 20p stamp can therefore count as postage only if it is still valid. But almost nobody posts an item requiring exactly 20p any more, so they sit unused in drawers, estates and dealer stock.
That creates a genuine supply of valid postage trading below face value. We buy it, combine it into the denominations people actually need, mount it on labels, and pass most of the discount on to you.
Nothing is reprinted. Nothing is altered. Nothing is reused. The stamps are exactly as Royal Mail issued them.
Are combination stamps valid postage?
Yes. Royal Mail accepts combinations of genuine, unused, currently valid stamps that totals the correct postage for the item being sent.
Three conditions make postage valid:
- The stamps are genuine Royal Mail issue and currently valid for postage
- They are unused — never previously posted, franked or cancelled
- The total covers the correct postage for the item's size and weight
All three apply to everything we supply. A letter carrying £1.80 of genuine unused, currently valid stamps travels exactly as a letter carrying a single £1.80 stamp.
This is not a loophole or a workaround. Making up postage from several stamps is ordinary postal practice and always has been.
Special Delivery combination postage
The same model works for Special Delivery Guaranteed.
Rather than a single Royal Mail label, the postage is made up from genuine stamps totalling the Special Delivery rate for your item, supplied on one peel-off label.
You get the identical service — signed for on delivery, tracked end to end, covered by Royal Mail's delivery guarantee — at 25% below the counter price.
On a £10.35 Special Delivery item that is £2.59 saved every time. Anyone sending valuables, documents or high-value stock regularly will feel that quickly.
How much you save
| What you post | Post Office | Our price | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| One 1st Class letter | £1.80 | £1.35 | 45p |
| Pack of 10 | £18.00 | £13.50 | £4.50 |
| Pack of 25 | £45.00 | £33.75 | £11.25 |
| Pack of 50 | £90.00 | £67.50 | £22.50 |
At fifty letters a month that is £270 a year. At two hundred a month it is over £1,000 — money that currently comes straight off your margin on every order you ship.
Who uses combination stamps
Anyone posting in volume where cost matters more than the appearance of the envelope.
Online sellers. eBay, Etsy, Vinted and Amazon sellers shipping letters and large letters, where postage is one of the few costs genuinely within their control.
Small businesses. Invoices, statements, contracts and documents going out week after week.
Anyone with a regular mailing. Clubs, societies, newsletters, reminder letters.
A word on counterfeit stamps
Royal Mail has run a public campaign against counterfeit stamps, and buyers are right to be cautious. A fake stamp means the recipient gets surcharged, which is the fastest way to lose a customer.
Everything we supply is genuine Royal Mail stock. We would rather be judged on what our customers say than on anything we claim about ourselves — our reviews are on Trustpilot.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to stick the stamps on one by one? No. The stamps come pre-applied to a single peel-off label. You peel off one label and apply it to the envelope in one action.
Are combination stamps legal? Yes. They are genuine, unused, currently valid Royal Mail stamps totalling the correct postage. Royal Mail accepts postage made up this way.
Will my letter get surcharged? Not if the postage value covers your item. Check the weight and size against Royal Mail's current rates — the same as you would with any stamp.
Do combination stamps expire? Valid barcoded stamps and non-barcoded pictorial Special Stamps and Christmas stamps have no expiry date. Regular non-barcoded definitive stamps are no longer valid for postage. Check Royal Mail's current stamp validity guidance if you are unsure about an older stamp.
What does the envelope look like? It carries one label with several stamps on it rather than a single stamp. For business post this is rarely a consideration. If you're sending something where appearance matters, our standard 1st Class stamps may suit better.
Can I use them for Large Letter or Special Delivery? Special Delivery combination postage is available now. Large Letter combination postage is something we're looking at — message us on WhatsApp if you need it.
How quickly do they arrive? Orders are dispatched from the UK, with free next-day delivery on orders over £250.
Try a pack of 10 first
Most customers order the smallest pack, use them, and come back for the 50s. Start wherever you're comfortable.