Act II: US Forever Stamp Listings/Sales that Appear to be Counterfeit. Is it an Issue on eBay?

[bobdenneu]

My previous thread dealing with Counterfeit US Forever Stamps was shut down.  I am not ready to throw in the towel with this subject.  I will start by repeating one of my last posts that may be of interest. 

Ebay is now Using A.I. to Determine what Violates their Stamp Policy.

Recently eBay started providing acknowledgment to reports of suspicious listings and sales by sending messages saying.

"Thanks for reporting the content you found to be problematic on our site.  We’re looking into it now. We’ll let you know once we’ve reviewed it and provide you with details of any decision that we make."  

After a period of time, they would or would not inform via message if the item reported violated eBay Policy.  At first their reviews said "We looked into the matter and decided ".   Their decisions were basically yes or no with little explanation.

Then a subtle difference in their response

"We looked into your report and didn’t find the listing to be in violation of our policy. This determination was made using automation or artificial intelligence."  

All the items in question were US Forever Stamps in Rolls and Booklets listed in Collectables & Art> Art> Other Art Category and mostly sold by China and Hong Kong.  Coil Rolls of 100 Forever Stamps for the years 2017-2023 were selling for as little as $14.  The majority of the Booklets were selling at an average price of $15 for 5 Booklets of 20 stamps each.  Some Booklet names included Rudolph Reindeer, Gingerbread Houses, Winter Scenes, Jack o Lanterns, Frozen Treats, Snowy Beauty, Garden Flowers, and all Booklets from 2021-2023.

By using Non-Stamp Categories, Seller' s appear to be greenlighted and allowed to sell Suspected Counterfeit Forever Stamps with impunity.  It shows that the fight against selling Counterfeit Stamps is ongoing, and eBay is not up to the task of curtailing it.

I will follow up with additional posts disclosing what I see happening to US Forever Stamp Collecting.

[lacemaker3]

I don't understand what is the point of this thread. Everyone on this board is already aware that Forever stamps are being counterfeited. I don't see any benefit from maintaining a thread about this. What good is being accomplished?

Buyers are never going to see this so it doesn't help to warn potential buyers. The USPS is already aware of the counterfeits. Nobody here would think that counterfeits are permitted, obviously.

How does this help?

[oggilby]

Lots of unawares out there trying to save moolah. As long as theses imitations don’t find there way into my collections, I don’t really care. I wonder if collections of current stuff gets vetted by companies like Mystic for resell and what they are finding. When purchasers find that their bills aren’t being paid by using these illegals, maybe the bogus stamps industry will dry out. Serious collectors won’t fall for this crap. Just getting the word out to collectors not to fall for this crap is our main goal.

[oggilby]

BTW…Happy Holidays to all the Philatelic Knuckleheads out there…I love you all and enjoy the chatter.  We should have another mass sign in of the members real soon to see who is still around. Nothing like the “old days” , before the beat crackdown on chatting…I miss that deeply!

[bobdenneu]

Given the number of posts you've made over the years on various threads.  You freely state your opinions on numerous subjects.  Why not allow me to do the same?   If you aren't interested in the subject, ignore the posts.

[oggilby]

Why pick on me? Everybody else here has an opinion! Mine is just as valid as others.

[bobdenneu]

My reply was to Lacemaker3.

[bobdenneu]

Interesting week with Forever Stamps.  Lots of different Sellers from around the world.  I am seeing Sellers from Kenya, Turkey, the UK, China, Philippines, Hong Kong, and Chile.  All selling multiple sets of Booklets and Sheets, usually 5 or more per listing and with more than 10 available.  Of course, there still are many listings of rolls of Forever Stamps.

Among the newest suspected listings seen for the first time in the last few weeks - the 2023 Endangered Species, 5 Sheets selling in the $40 range.  The once rare 2011 Garden of Love has 5 Sheets showing up in the $40's.  Also, the rare 2010 Holiday Evergreen Booklet is starting to appear in the mid teens, down from the $30-40 range it legitimately was priced. 

Ebay still hasn't gotten right its A.I. and Automation review system for online reporting of Stamp Policy violations.  It has yet to recognize any reported violators with a "We looked into your report and didn’t find the listing to be in violation of our policy."

It doesn't appear that any solutions are at hand for the coming year.  

[kh-taylarie]

As this subject has been completely discussed, not once but now twice, it is being locked.