Proof That eBay Has No Desire to Prevent Fraud

[allthings-collectible]

Just signed out of my eBay account and look what comes up for paid advertising.... 

Counterfeit Forever Stamps!!

Apparently, eBay will gladly look the other way if they're paid. Shame on you!

 

[dirk12955]

These same ads run all over the net.    Not just on ebay.   I see those for sale on all 3 of the news sites that I 

read everyday.

And as someone above me said.    Just cause they're cheap does not mean that they are fake.

We've had this discussion before.    

[dbfolks166mt]

@dbfolks166mt wrote:

And exactly how do you know they are counterfeit. After all, they are 2017 stamps. What was the Forever rate in 2017?

     That is the big problem. Most post offices are not setup to test stamps to see if they are counterfeit but most of the major sorting facility hubs will catch them in one of multiple scans. The forever stamp was $.49 in 2017 so a roll of 100 from the post office would have been $49.00. Hard to say what the original origin of the stamps was but it's a pretty safe bet that for $29.99 they are counterfeit. If not they are a heck of a buy given the cost of a current roll of 100 forever stamps is around $63 soon to be $66. 

EXCEPT from a post office news release concerning the 2017 rates. "the price of a Forever stamp before the Postal Service was forced to reduce prices by the PRC as part of the exigent surcharge removal."

So your opinion seems to be that ANYONE who sells something for less than market value means that the item MUST be fake. Maybe they are just broke and desperately in need of money to pay the rent having just been served an eviction notice.

     I didn't say they "must" be counterfeit what I said is that there is a high probability that they are. A lot of things sell for less than market value but when something seems to good to be true it probably is. If I could pickup a 1893-S AU Morgan Silver dollar for $100 I would probably do so. The odds of that being genuine are slim to none. 

     If the seller is in need of quick cash eBay is probably one of the worst sources for that. There are lots of local venues and other alternatives better suited for quick cash turn around. 

I am leery of ANYONE (the OP for instance) who makes a definitive statement without any evidence.

     I am not real big on definitive statements that lack proof but there seem to be plenty of eBay postings taken down for claimed counterfeit issues. I tried once to order a roll of these from another poster since I am in the Washington D.C. area and it's an easy trip to the downtown bureau of engraving and printing, where they can validate authenticity, but the the seller was shutdown before my transaction went through. 

[myestate-treasures4u]

"These same ads run all over the net.    Not just on ebay.   I see those for sale on all 3 of the news sites that I 

read everyday.

And as someone above me said.    Just cause they're cheap does not mean that they are fake.

We've had this discussion before."

While I appreciate that some on here feel that it's their solemn duty to dismiss other comments with their mass wisdom and experience, let me attempt to educate you with the facts below. Additionally, keep in mind that counterfeit Forever Stamp losses to the USPS have reached into the billions. Just a few weeks ago, one Chinese woman in CA was arrested for costing USPS $60 million in just 6-months. This should concern ALL online sellers because we are paying the increases to postage. So, when I see it happening in a place where honest livelihoods are at stake, you better believe I will say something!

https://www.uspis.gov/news/scam-article/counterfeit-stamps

https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2023/0215-usps-warns-the-public-about-surge-in-use...

https://docusend.biz/blog/warning-counterfeit-stamps-online.php

https://www.wusa9.com/article/life/beware-of-forever-stamps-scam-this-2022-holiday-season/65-4ba49b3...

https://www.foxnews.com/tech/scammers-selling-counterfeit-stamps-facebook-ads

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/04/11/2023-07566/counterfeit-postage

https://faq.usps.com/s/article/What-is-an-Approved-Postal-Provider

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/cbp-intercepts-counterfeit-stamps

[allthings-collectible]

I'm shocked that more people aren't aware of this very real and growing problem. 

[simba6]

If the postal system had not switched to a printing process  little better than a baseball card it would be much harder to do.  Still you don't know if they are indeed fakes.

[richard1rst]

Actually,  this is much ado about nothing. Considering how much the government steals from us turn about is fair play.

Just a few weeks ago, one Chinese woman in CA was arrested for costing USPS $60 million in just 6-months.

I find it hard to believe that she made $60mill $29.99 at a time.  Clearly there was much more to that story.

This should concern ALL online sellers because we are paying the increases to postage.

I have never paid the post office anything for postage. I pay all my personal bills on line. No stamps required. And I have never paid so much as a penny to ship anything I have sold here. So I don't care what the rates are.

From my prospective I have just been opining about unfounded "everybody knows" statements.

The earth is flat

Man will never fly

Man can not run a mile in less than 4 minutes

Man will never walk on the moon

We are entering a new ice age (1960's)

The earth will end in 5 years (Greta Thunberg - 2018)

Get the idea?

[theteamsetguy]

Huh?

[allthings-collectible]

Ahh, well that explains your view on this matter. 

[dbfolks166mt]

Just a few weeks ago, one Chinese woman in CA was arrested for costing USPS $60 million in just 6-months.

I find it hard to believe that she made $60mill $29.99 at a time.  Clearly there was much more to that story.

     A lot more. This actually had nothing to do with stamps but a fraudulent mailing service. Now you know how China can send stuff to the US so cheaply. 

https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/woman-arrested-for-60-million-usps-counterfeit-postage-sc... 

[inhawaii]

Proof That eBay Has No Desire to Prevent Fraud

You did not "prove"  that ebay has no desire to prevent fraud any more than you "proved" that those stamps are counterfeit.

[coolections]

---

@richard1rst wrote:  So your opinion seems to be that ANYONE who sells something for less than market value means that the item MUST be fake. Maybe they are just broke and desperately in need of money to pay the rent having just been served an eviction notice.

---

I just sold a $35 shirt for $21. After the rip off ebay fees I got $16.18    Maybe it was a counterfeit shirt ?

[deltilogical]

Are these Ebay listings or the google ad feed that comes up at different annoying places?  "TeraW"?

[downunder-61]

The earth is flat

Man will never fly

Man can not run a mile in less than 4 minutes

Man will never walk on the moon

We are entering a new ice age (1960's)

The earth will end in 5 years (Greta Thunberg - 2018)

I'll give you all but 2 of these:

"Man" still can't fly 😎

2023 ain't over yet 😋

[richard1rst]

---

@downunder-61 wrote:

The earth is flat

Man will never fly

Man can not run a mile in less than 4 minutes

Man will never walk on the moon

We are entering a new ice age (1960's)

The earth will end in 5 years (Greta Thunberg - 2018)

I'll give you all but 2 of these:

"Man" still can't fly 😎

2023 ain't over yet 😋

---

Funny, I never pictured you as being overly picky. So I assume the comments were made in jest. Just as my response is.

"Man will never fly" was always a shorthand version of "man will never fly a heavier than air machine".  Because at that point man was already flying hot air balloons. In addition to the obvious airplanes, there are parasails, jet packs, and Iron Man.

Greta made the comment on June 21 2018. It has in fact been 5 years since that date. It was never meant to be the end of 2023.

Pardon the kneejerk.

[reallynicestamps]

Just a few weeks ago, one Chinese woman in CA was arrested for costing USPS $60 million in just 6-months.

I'm a little surprised that the USPS does that much business in stamp sales.