These postage stamps can't be real

skyactiv

skyactiv

Joined
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A coil of 100 USA first class Forever Flag stamps for $34.00 delivered bought on Etsy.
The sad part is that the USPS probably delivers them.


This item is unavailable - Etsy

Find the perfect handmade gift, vintage & on-trend clothes, unique jewelry, and more… lots more.
www.etsy.com www.etsy.com
 
They look to be real. The USPS has several private contractors authorized to print stamps. That has APU on the label, for Ashton Potter USA. That listing has a bunch of different photos, including one coil that's made by BCA (Banknote Corporation of America).

ashtonpotter.com

Ashton Potter: Global Product Security for a Digital World

At Ashton Potter, we pair SaaS-based track and trace technology with high security printing to ensure product integrity and authenticity on a global scale.
ashtonpotter.com ashtonpotter.com

 
What's the fee structure for Etsy sellers? I bought my last roll of 100 off ebay for ~$40, the one before that was $37, never an issues of course that doesn't mean they were real.

I've read that rolls of stamps are a frequent secret shopper purchase item and the comp for the job is to keep the stamps and do with them as you please.
 
Thanks for the heads-up.
I was intriqued enough to order some.

I bought some off E-Bay in the past with no problem.

The Forever Stamps will have the 'year printed' on them.
 
The day after I placed my order, I contacted the Seller and wrote.
Dear Seller,
If the Forever Stamps you are sending me are counterfeits, I will be contacting the United States Postal Service with your contact information.
If they are counterfeits, I suggest you refund my credit card immediately.

The next day, I received this message.
Hello my friend
Because of your distrust of us,
I have already processed a refund for you.
I wish you a happy day.
 
MasterSolenoid said:
The day after I placed my order, I contacted the Seller and wrote.
Dear Seller,
If the Forever Stamps you are sending me are counterfeits, I will be contacting the United States Postal Service with your contact information.
If they are counterfeits, I suggest you refund my credit card immediately.

The next day, I received this message.
Hello my friend
Because of your distrust of us,
I have already processed a refund for you.
I wish you a happy day.
Click to expand...

The Secret Service would have been scarier, although the Postal Inspection Service is pretty badass too.
 
I did a lot of reading on detecting counterfeit postage stamps.
I'm referring to current Forever Stamps, not old collectables.

Counterfeiters are getting better all the time.
Real stamps are close to perfection, but if a stamp starts to look questionable, consider where you bought it.

What to look for is:
1) Micro printing showing USPS OR Forever (10x magnifying glass needed)
2) Ultra violet flashlight will show a greenish coating on real stamps / fakes would be bluish.
Put 'real' and fake stamps on a sheet of white paper - you will see the difference.
3) Sharp images (not a dot pattern)
4) Paper feel, texture and gloss
5) Sheets - Look where the four corners meet, should be neat and even
6) Spelling, colors and general appearance

If possible, compare with the same series stamp from Post Office.
 
MasterSolenoid said:
I did a lot of reading on detecting counterfeit postage stamps.
I'm referring to current Forever Stamps, not old collectables.

Counterfeiters are getting better all the time.
Real stamps are close to perfection, but if a stamp starts to look questionable, consider where you bought it.

What to look for is:
1) Micro printing showing USPS OR Forever (10x magnifying glass needed)
2) Ultra violet flashlight will show a greenish coating on real stamps / fakes would be bluish.
Put 'real' and fake stamps on a sheet of white paper - you will see the difference.
3) Sharp images (not a dot pattern)
4) Paper feel, texture and gloss
5) Sheets - Look where the four corners meet, should be neat and even
6) Spelling, colors and general appearance

If possible, compare with the same series stamp from Post Office.
Click to expand...
1) Micro printing showing USPS OR Forever (10x magnifying glass needed)
Sure enough-everything checks out but haven't got a UV light handy
 
Just yesterday I got an email "flyer" from Newegg offering coils of 100 forever stamps for $18.xx. It was being fullfilled by a third-party vendor BTW. I looked into it and the USPS claims there's a lot of counterfeiting going on. I also read that there are sellers that will ship both fake and authentic stamps for plausible deniability.

The other part of the deal is Newegg itself. There's been a number of recent reports of the doing slimy things (Gamers Nexus, for instance). I've bought from them for over 20 years but I'm beginning to have questions...
 
Newegg wants to be the next Amazon but I don't think they can pull it off.

Tried buying "two" tires from them a couple years back, got one, and had a pretty mediocre customer service experience. And I did the "right" thing by taking screenshots of every step of the process, LOL.
 
Zee09 said:
I remember being online in the early years of the net on computer forums. If you did not buy from newegg you were dirt....lol but true.
Click to expand...
I kinda remember when they came on the scene. I was buying from techdata back then and before that compaq and ibm (business accounts).
I was with tech data because I had just moved to Tampa and they were in Clearwater. Sadly my business died soon after (don't hire family :) ) and I went to work for Verizon in their unix area.
 
I know this is an older post, but remember that these "bargain" postage stamps don't have to be counterfeit to be hot. They also could be the booty from a post office burglary, robbery or even an internal theft. These can make it onto sites like eBay and Etsy too.
 
BeerCan said:
I kinda remember when they came on the scene. I was buying from techdata back then and before that compaq and ibm (business accounts).
I was with tech data because I had just moved to Tampa and they were in Clearwater. Sadly my business died soon after (don't hire family :) ) and I went to work for Verizon in their unix area.
Click to expand...
might be dating myself but I moved to newegg from www.WVSSCI.com (k6-200 processor build)
but I havent ordered from newegg in years.. maybe a backup powersupply 3-4 years ago

Only need some common sense here if its too good to be true.. you know the answer.
 
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