Post & Go

Post & Go terminals allow customers to weigh their letters and packets, pay for and print postage labels and stamps without the need to visit the counter. The first Nixdorf Post & Go machine (after various developmental trials) went live in The Galleries Post Office® in Bristol on 8th October 2008.

As the number of terminals and locations increased, Royal Mail issued it's first set of 6 pictorial labels on the 17th September 2010 - Birds Series 1. The labels were available from Post & Go machines at Autumn Stampex, Royal Mail Bureau (Tallents House) and initially at 30 Post Offices around the country. (See the list here.)

The labels available from the Bureau are all of the same value - 1st Class up to 100g, whereas those available from other locations initially vended 5 different NVI value rates. The initial 5 different service indicators were: 1st class & 1st class Large up to 100gr, Europe up to 20gr, Worldwide up to 10gr and 20gr, singly or in strips of up to 5 of the same value or various values. Thus there were 30 different value/design combinations in total.

However, from the Birds Series 4 issue 6 different service indicators were available with the addition of Worldwide up to 40gr.

One of the unique features of the Post & Go stamps / labels is their I.D. number. In the bottom left corner of each Post & Go label is a code which is broken down into 4 sections as follows:

1st group of 6 characters = Branch location identification number / Bureau issued stamps = Year.

2nd group of up to 4 characters = Machine number

3rd group of up to 6 digits = Session (Customer Order) No.

4th group of up to 3 digits = Transaction number within the aforementioned session

Looking at the above Post & Go Label we can see that it was issued at location 002011, from machine 1, session No. 51840 and it was transaction 02 for that session.

As with many things in life, the original machines have been superseded by more advanced and capable upgrades and replacements - to find out more please click here.

Likewise so have the different labels evolved and machines have been moved to different locations due to Post Office branches closing or relocating.