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The low cost forever stamps offered on eBay. are they real or counterfeits? anyone tried them yet?
Has anybody bought the coils of forever stamps that are being offered at low prices?
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Has anybody bought the coils of forever stamps that are being offered at low prices?
ozols
·2 years agohttps://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=stamps%20for%20sale%20forever
https://www.facebook.com/groups/958513852124755
Based on information available to me, these Facebook groups appear to be illegally selling forged postage.
According to this USPS document https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2023/1025-usps-inspection-service-continue-nationwide-effort-to-crack-down-on-postal-crime.pdf, any involvement with forged postage can incur a fine of up to $100K, but even if that doesn't happen, anything mailed with forged postage is subject to being destroyed. When I posted a link to official USPS documents on these pages, FB automatically removed them and warned me to stop spreading false information, or they would sanction me. Sweet deal for the criminals!
kh-laura
·2 years agoHi everyone,
Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.
Thank you for understanding.
sin-n-dex
·2 years agoPeople have, and found out they were counterfeit.
C.
jeanl2
·2 years agoI am a huge user of eBay--6000 transaction at last count. I have gotten those little glassine bags of assorted forever stamps--and they work fine. Should I stop getting these?
dbfolks166mt
·2 years agoI am a huge user of eBay--6000 transaction at last count. I have gotten those little glassine bags of assorted forever stamps--and they work fine. Should I stop getting these?
You do so at your own risk. Read up thread regarding what the post office does if they detect counterfeit stamps.
m60driver
·2 years agoI had listed some small sheets of older forever stamps we got from a home where someone had squirreled them away in a drawer. I had them listed somewhat below face value just to get rid of them. But then Ebay took a listing down as being counterfeit when they had all been purchased at a post office by, quite literally, a little old lady. So I decided to take down all the other stamp listings as there is no arguing with Ebay. I now have a lifetime supply of forever stamps.
dbfolks166mt
·2 years agoNope and would never consider it. There are way to many places counterfeiting these, a LOT of them in China. USPS tags their stamps with a die that can be detected under a black light. If they find a piece of mail with a counterfeit stamp with new changes to the Domestic Mail Manual, items mailed with counterfeit postage will be considered abandoned and are subject to being opened and disposed of at the Postal Service's discretion. Interestingly enough it's the sender that the USPS goes after not the producer of the stamps.
It would be interesting to know how many they actually detect. Some references.
https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/woman-arrested-for-counterfeit-postage-scheme-that-cost-usps-estimated-60-million/
https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2023/0215-usps-warns-the-public-about-surge-in-use-of-counterfeit-postage.htm
https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2023/1025-usps-inspection-service-continue-nationwide-effort-to-crack-down-on-postal-crime.pdf
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping/Help-Seized-by-Law-Enforcement-for-Counterfeit-Postage/td-p/32889822
femmefan1946
·2 years agoCounterfeit.
Certainly the ones in booklets.
If you see them as commemorative sheets (usually only available at the PO for a short time) they are likely real.
There are discounted US stamps available on eBay that are the real thing.
Most are sold by stamp dealers whose listings are mostly stamps for collectors.
Dealers buy estates to get their (our) stock, and every philatelic estate includes pounds of mint never used stamps, valid for postage, purchased on subscription from the PO . We just hope the widow never added up how much the late collector was spending on them. She has enough grief to deal with.
Stamps are a hobby, not an investment.
If the dealer is selling stamps with a face value as well as the Forever stamps, all are probably the real thing.
The face value of this stamp is three cents.
If you are concerned, go for packets of counted, mint stamps (never hinged so no one ever licked them) and look for the best deal.
The USA has not demonetized any stamps since the Civil War, so you could use a mint Jenny Invert if you wanted too.
kraftique
·2 years agoThere are plenty of places online selling stamps that look exactly like the forever stamps at half the price of the Post Offices stamps and they are fakes. My husband works for the USPS and showed the sites to his Postmaster and she was aware of them.