How To Donate Used Stamps To Raise Money For Charity

Don’t bin your old stamps. Instead, recycle them. Here’s how to donate your used stamps to help raise funds for the charity of your choice.

Few households have been spared the impacts of the ongoing cost of living crisis. And as a knock-on effect of this, charities have been hit hard. Over a third of people in the UK are looking to cut back on their giving to good causes over the next three months, with the third sector estimating that charities could be down £580m in donations.

If you aren’t able to donate cash to the charities closest to your heart, then there are still ways to help. Donating goods you don’t need – making sure to Gift Aid your donations so that charities can claim an extra 25p for every £1 they raise on the sale of your items is one way. As is shopping in charity shops for the things you need.

But there’s another, often forgotten way, to help out your favourite charities. That is donating your old stamps.

Many charities accept any used stamps. These stamps are then sold by weight, and most charities earn around £20 per kilogramme of stamps. This makes it an easy way for charities to raise money from something that would otherwise go straight into the recycling bin.

Table of Contents

• What Stamps Do Charities Accept As Donations?
• How To Donate Used Stamps For Charity
• The Charities Collecting Stamps
• What Happens To Donated Stamps?

What Stamps Do Charities Accept As Donations?

The run-up to Christmas is the ideal time to start collecting used stamps for charity. Many of us will receive Christmas cards from friends and family, which are more likely to have stamps on them, compared to bills.

Charities that collect stamps want any type of postage stamp. Whether they are new or used, first or second class, or smaller denominations. Charities also want stamps from foreign countries, commemorative stamps, first-day covers, presentation packs or albums. Basically, any kind of stamp is accepted.

In 2018, UK charities were advised by the Fundraising Regulator to stop collecting used stamps as donations. Concerns had been raised around the fraudulent use of postage stamps. However, it seems that the recent introduction of barcodes on stamps will help combat fraudulent stamp use. Charities now seem able to collect used stamps as donations in confidence.

How To Donate Used Stamps For Charity

To collect stamps for charity, start collecting stamps as they come through your post box at home or at your work. Alternatively, you could set up a collection point in your local community.

Pre-paid or pre-printed stamps aren’t accepted by charities. It is only physical stamps accepted.

There’s no need to remove the stamp from the envelope, as attempting to peel the stamp off could rip the stamp. Instead, it’s best to cut around the stamp, leaving roughly a centimetre of envelope or packaging around each stamp. The rest of the envelope can then be recycled.

When it comes to sending off your stamps, don’t worry, stamps don’t need to be thoroughly sorted. Some charities say that it helps if you can separate them into British and foreign stamps (note that stamps from both the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man count as foreign stamps). Others do not require you to sort them. Check with the charity you wish to support before posting them for what they prefer.

Finally, when you send your stamps to your charity, make sure you pay the correct postage on your parcel. If postage is underpaid, the charity has to pay a surcharge, which can sometimes be more than the value of your stamps.

The Charities Collecting Stamps

Here are just some of the charities collecting stamps to raise money to support their vital work:

1. RNIB

The Royal National Institute For The Blind collects used stamps to support its charity work. Here’s how you can donate your stamps to help blind and partially sighted people live the life they want.

The charity offers practical and emotional support to blind and partially sighted people, their families and carers. It also raises awareness of the experiences of blind and partially sighted people and campaigns for change to make society more accessible for all. 

2. Canine Partners

Canine Partners is a UK charity transforming the lives of people living with disabilities by training assistance dogs. You can support its important charity work by donating your used stamps. Here are the full details on where to donate them.

3. Age UK

Age UK collects stamps to fund its work supporting older people to lead rich and full lives. Here is all the information on donating your stamps.

4. Against Breast Cancer

Against Breast Cancer turn your old postage stamps into funds to support breast cancer research. Here’s where to send your stamps to support its charity work.

5. The Greyhound Trust

The Greyhound Trust was founded in 1975, and since then have found over 100,000 loving homes for retired racing greyhounds. Each year, the charity rehomes approximately 3,500 retired racing greyhounds and helps hundreds more. Here is where to send your stamps to support this work.

6. Ehlers-Danlos Support UK

Ehlers-Danlos Support UK is the only UK charity to support anybody touched by the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes. The charity collects stamps to support its work – here’s where to donate them.

7. Kidney Care UK

Kidney Care UK is the leading kidney patient support charity providing advice, support and financial assistance to thousands every year. Here’s how to donate your stamps to Kidney Care UK.

8. Cats Protection

Cats Protection also collect used stamps to support its work rescuing and rehoming stray, unwanted or homeless cats and educating people about cats and cat welfare. Here’s where you can send your used stamps to support this charity.

9. The Lullaby Trust

The Lullaby Trust has so far raised thousands of pounds from its supporters collecting used stamps to support its work in reducing the number of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) deaths and supporting bereaved families affected by SIDS. Here’s where to send your stamps.

10. Amnesty International UK

Amnesty International UK collects used stamps to support its charity work supporting human rights around the world. Here are the full details on where to send your stamps.

11. Reaching The Unreached

Reaching The Unreached (RTU) is a UK-based charity that works to empower the most marginalised and disadvantaged people, especially children and their families, in rural South India. Here’s where to send your stamps to RTU.

12. Omega

Omega is a registered UK charity dedicated to reducing social isolation and loneliness, by offering telephone and penpal befriending schemes. Here’s where to send your stamps to Omega.

What Happens To Donated Stamps?

I’ve had a few questions in the comments about what happens to the stamps once they are sent to a charity, so I thought I’d update this post with an insight into what happens next.

When charities receive your old stamps, they then wait until they have a big enough batch, before selling the large batches of used postage stamps to stamp dealers. Stamp dealers then divide these into smaller quantities to sell stamp collectors – typically packaging them into 1kg unsorted lots, such as at SD Collectables.

These unsorted bundles are attractive to stamp collectors because each bundle could contain collectable commemorative stamps, foreign stamps, and old stamps from people cleaning out cupboards or drawers.

Even common stamps with imperfections – including 1st and 2nd class stamps – are exciting to stamp collectors. This is because any fault on even a common stamp such as a 1st class or 2nd class stamp such as too many or too few perforations, or printing errors can make that stamp rare, and worth more.

The stamp collectors then get the joy of sorting through the bundle (much like how metal detectorists spend hours searching through a field!), with the thrill of potentially finding rare stamps for their collection.

Other dealers sort and grade the stamps they buy from charities, selling any unusual or valuable ones in very good condition to collectors – either individually or in lots based on a theme. These could be foreign stamps or commemorative stamps. They often sell the rest of the used stamps specifically for crafting purposes.

The Bottom Line

Donating your old stamps is an easy way to support your favourite charities. Each charity can raise around £20 per kilogramme of stamps they receive, so it really is money for almost nothing.

So let’s start collecting, and support your favourite charity. Philately will get you everywhere, after all!

Looking for more ways to support your favourite charities? Did you know you can recycle printer cartridges for charity? Check out the link for all you need to know.