Keep in mind that since shipping costs never expire, it may be a good idea for you to keep and use them in the future. However, if you don`t expect to use them for postage, or if you need cash, selling it may be your best option. The Free Press followed up with a phone call and email for clarification, and inspectors responded with a lengthy but vague email: “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is actively working to identify shipments of counterfeit stamps in the United States and online sales of suspected counterfeit stamps.” Bigalke, who has previously delivered mail in his native Wisconsin, says several U.S. flag stamps have been forged over the years, along with numerous commemorative writings, including “Love Skywriting” (2017), “Hot Wheels” (2018), Cactus Flowers (2019) and Winter Scenes (2020). He suspects that this year`s Christmas stamps — called “St. Nick`s Visit” — are also fake, since he`s seen them on websites that sell fakes. Typos and other curiosities. AARP, which reported fake stamps, sent an email to a suspicious website.
The answer came from the “qijiuzhongfu support team”, a red flag. eBay tells AARP that it monitors listings to prevent counterfeit stamps from being offered, and that Forever stamps can only be sold by sellers who follow its guidelines and have a history of high customer satisfaction. Please note that items purchased on eBay, including stamps, are covered by a money-back guarantee. If you`re a person looking to resell your Forever stamps, you probably won`t find a buyer who pays their face value, as they can buy them at the post office for the same price. “Unfortunately, over the past year, the number of new counterfeit United States Forever stamps sold online at a significant discount has skyrocketed.” Avery, a sworn enforcement officer at the USPIS, says the Postal Service itself never sells stamps at prices below face value. However, legitimate retailers sometimes offer “very small discounts” on stamps as part of agreements with USPS, she adds. The reverse is also true: some traders charge more than face value. American stamps once produced by the Bureau of Printing and Engraving are now printed by a select group of private companies.
Making real stamps requires state-of-the-art technology because the safety features are not visible to the naked eye, Martin and Bigalke say. All the shipping costs we offer are like new, with chewing gum and legally usable to send letters, boxes, packages or anything you send via the USPS courier system! Almost all stamps are collector`s quality, but we sell them in postage! In August, Bigalke warned that counterfeiters copying U.S. commemorative stamps would be offered online at steep discounts. The problem “exploded. As soon as one seller is arrested, another appears,” he wrote at the time. “They even send mass mailings saying they`re a USPS authorized discounter and so on,” he says. Our reduced shipping costs are easy to use! All stamps are sorted by denomination and wrapped in glass for 100 or 200. Be careful! Other merchants may send you a mixed bag of mixed postage that you must sort and count before using it! (Lots of brochures and sheets may be packaged differently, but are sorted and counted by denomination for your convenience.) Low face value stamps (1 to 4¢) are sometimes available, but they are generally not collector`s grade. Origins: Postal customers today have various ways to purchase stamps: they can purchase stamps not only at post offices, but also at private mailbox chains and many grocery stores, warehouses and convenience stores; they can order stamps by phone, mail or Internet; and they can even print stamps themselves through programs provided by authorized U.S. Postal Service Providers (USPS).
However, not so long ago, many customers had few (if any) alternatives to getting stamps except on the way to the local post office. It may have been memories of that time – when the U.S. Postal Service was, strictly speaking, a government agency (i.e., before the founding of the USPS in 1970) and its offices were the only outlet for stamps for many people – that fostered the misconception that it is illegal to resell U.S. stamps for more than face value. Perhaps people saw stamps as a kind of government service, and so they thought that the profit from reselling stamps was a form of illegal profit. The new stamps use ink that glows under UV light. Fakes don`t. Here`s a testimonial from a recent mail sale: And while emails are replacing postal mail, scammers sell fake stamps — especially during the holidays — because many people still send greeting cards. The post office processed and estimated 1.3 billion of them. Martin says eBay “almost always offers fake stamps for sale.” However, Bigalke says he`s noticed that eBay, which hosts third-party providers, “monitors this stuff” and removes shady ads. Postal officials warn that heavily discounted stamps could be a scam. The post office does not reduce stamps, but some retailers do.
“Counterfeits are not tolerated on eBay, including the sale of fake stamps,” said eBay spokeswoman Parmita Choudhury, noting that artificial intelligence, image recognition and other technologies are used to “prevent sophisticated bad actors from circumventing our rules.” If you have other unused stamps purchased from an authorized dealer or post office, you can resell them to the public without having to seek permission from the USPS. You do not have to sell your stamps at face value. You can legally sell your stamps at any price. For example, if you bought a large quantity of Forever stamps in 2005, you can resell them at the current postal rate and potentially make a profit. It is perfectly legal for them to do so. All they need is a dealer`s license, which is pretty easy to get. There are also no laws limiting the amount of their price increase. Machines commonly found in grocery stores issue individual stamps (instead of brochures) and are notorious for not offering full value – depositing a penny in such a machine would normally earn the customer something like a five-cent stamp and two one-cent stamps, or a quarter could buy three six-cent stamps and a three-cent stamp.
Even today, private mailboxes that have sprung up across the country often charge extra on the price of the stamps they offer to their customers for convenience. (Moreover, if the sale of stamps at a price higher than face value were truly prohibited by law, any philatelic sale of uncancelled stamps would be illegal.) If you`re not a business, you can legally sell Forever stamps. You do not need any special permits or licenses. The best place to sell your stamps is through postage buying service such as Sell Forever Stamps. “It`s basically garbage – it`s fake stamps.” Fake stamps are often sold in bulk, with discounts ranging from 20% to 50% of their face value, and one popular postage to imitate is the top-notch Forever stamp — most commonly the flag stamp — for a 1-ounce card or letter that costs 58 cents. Most counterfeit U.S. stamps are printed in China, says Ken Martin of the American Philatelic Society, the world`s largest nonprofit for stamp collectors based in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. Martin, 57, is their head of expertise, which allows him to examine the authenticity of the stamps.