Used postage stamps

[heritage]

This does not really come under home and garden, but no other category fits.
I have recently started working for a charity for the elderly and frail and on clearing out cupboards etc., I have found envelopes full of used postage stamps. ( Our visitors say that we can make money on these but can't tell me how - so my question is how does a charity make money on these.

[pingping]

It's do do with recycling the paper I think. we collect used stamps in work, and when there is 1 kilo's worth we send them of to the nominated charity (we swap every few months). I think they get paid for the amount of paper they are effectively recycling.

[Buenchico]

Used stamps are sold to stamp collectors as 'kiloware'. The reason why stamp collectors buy kiloware is explained in my post here:
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/How-it-Works/Qu estion270632.html

Chris

[Jenga]

I used to work somewhere and all stamps were sent to a horse retirement place. Cannot quite remember what it was called. Something like Bramsby Rest Home for Horses.

[polyanna18]

It was only the other day I had a conversation with a woman about this. She seemed quite upset that I collected stamps as a hobby and that I should instead give all my stamps to the animal charity for which she collected used stamps. I said if it wasn't was for me and other collectors collecting stamps her charity would not benefit. She was quite surprised by this. I don't think she knew what happened to the stamps she collected for the charity and was quite taken aback by this.

[markja]

jenga,
the horses have just got a brand new franking machine so don't need stamps any more. they said it's so much better now they don't have to lick all those fiddly little stamps!!!
they also asked me to say thanks to every one who collected for them.

[oxfamrocks]

Oxfam shops collect used stamps and sort them and resell them in their shops. It's a brilliant way to recycle. I'm in Oxfordshire and you can take stamps to any Oxfam shop, and buy them in Oxford, Banbury and Wallingford.