Darn Unsoakable American Stamps!!

My specialty in the U.S. realm of collecting is airmail. I have a nice White Ace U.S. Air Mail Album. For my general U.S. collection I have a CWS U.S. Seal Album. It goes to 2000. After 2000, I just collect the stamps that interest me. I do all of this used.

My collections are very well organised and neat.

I like the stamps that the USPS keeps releasing, but changes the value to reflect the increased postal rates, but not the design. Stamps such as the Eid and Purple Heart come to mind. I was organising them this afternoon. The early issues are soaked off and the later issues must be clipped close and left on piece. When you put the series together with the old and the new... they look terrible!

I think the U.S.P.S. really blew it with not requiring the stamps to soak off.

David

David,

The USPS didn't blow it.
They don't mind one way or the other, just like other postal services of this world who have done the same, Britain for example.

No, the fault is with the public, collectors, dealers and clubs who did not make a stand at the very outset of this terrible act.
In the UK, they gave the excuse that too much money was being lost because ebay sellers were raking in the profits from unfranked postage.......and so they put the stops to this even though it was their fault in the first place !!

So the USPS didn't blow,,,,we did !

Londonbus1......My letters to Royal Mail fell on deaf ears.

Good point, Micheal!

Fortunately there is a number of collectors from the United States whom are collecting Canada. Canada Post maintains the soakable rule and it seems to be working well.

David

I don't want to start a riot here, but here is my humble opinion.

The USPS is doing it to save a few bucks because they are losing over a billion dollars a year.

The reason they are losing over a billion dollars a year:
1. Extremely poor management and business practices
2. Excessive bonuses and other compensation for management
3. Inflexible and demanding Unions and artificially high wages
4. An inability to evolve with the widespread use of the Internet and other electronic media.
5. A lack of collectors within the USPS and an obvious disdain for their needs

In other words, the USPS is being run just like every other U.S. government organization/bureaucracy.

But what are they saving? Not a lot.
Have the USPS also complained about ebay sellers making money on unfranked postage ?? This is their fault in the first place.

It will backfire on UK's Royal Mail as unfranked postage from the so-called unsoakables is alreday being sold.

I am a member of the Modern British Philatelic Circle and every two months I receive, in a brown envelope, the Bookmark magazine and a Deegams Update. In three years only once has the beautifully stamped packet been cancelled. Thats a lot of stamps doing nothing on my desk. What would Royal Mail have me do with them ??

There has been talk this week about 'Sand Dune' stamps on other groups. But most of the rubbish coming out of other Postal services, Britain included, can be classed as Sand dunes. Most of it will never see the light of day except in collectors cupboards ! About 80% of issues are for collectors only. No wonder parents will think twice about letting their kids collect stamps....or encouraging them.

Londonbus1....getting down of his high horse !

this has been a problem with the recent stamps released by USPS

hi all

i do get a bit upset when I try to remove the paper from my newer issue stamps.
i am not sure what I can soak. I get upset a bit too..

dan

Can someone explain why the Royal Mail would be upset with ebay sellers making a profit by selling unfranked postage? The fact that the postage stamps were never used is pure gravy for the postal service, since they never had to provide a service for the stamp purchase price.

Look at the profits generated by postal services selling never-to-be-used stamps to collectors. Sort of explains the flood of new issues.

Rohumpy:

Being the Canadian who lived in the U.S., I will now translate The Queen's English into American English. When LondonBus says a stamp is "not franked", he means it is "uncancelled". I hope I reduced the confusion.

Cheers!

David

And I have been sitting here for 3 hours trying to work out what Rohumpy meant in his post !

I could have washed the dishes after all !

Londonbus1....Frank has a lot to answer for

Sorry I wasn't clear. Yes I understand that unfranked means unused.

What I don't understand is the UK's Royal mail not liking the selling of unfranked stamps on ebay at a profit. Every dealer in the world sells unused (mint) stamps and tries to make a profit.

Is it the profit they object to or that the stamps being sold are unfranked. Are they ok with used stamps being sold.

stamp collecting just got a little more challenging
for new and used stamps keep the backing on until a way is perfected for removal
without damaging them...

I was going to ask how to soak off the recent US stamps, but I guess it is impossible. I think I will stop collecting these stamps, as I don't like the way they look when they are only close cropped, instead of off paper. I don't understand how selling uncancelled postage at a profit will be affected by used stamps not being able to come off the envelopes. That will just encourage more people to collect the mint stamps.

Unused is a confusing term sometimes.

Non-stamp collecting meaning:
Used = worn from regular use.
Unused = New, not worn at all.
Mint = Really superb, excellent.

Stamp collecting meaning:
Used = stamp has been cancelled showing that it has gone through the mails.
Unused = stamp has missed being cancelled while going through the mails.
Mint = stamp that has not gone through the mails, post office fresh, hopefully with original gum, ready to be licked.

Since it is sometimes difficult to determine whether a particular stamp has gone through the mails or not (it not being cancelled or otherwise 'used') some do soak them off the paper / envelopes and sell them on ebay or elsewhere to be used again.

In Canada (and probably elsewhere also) it is against the laws of the land to reuse once-used or damaged postage stamps. (I think in the US you actually have posters in your Post Offices warning against this. (We don't.)

Thus the brouhaha by Royal Mail (Great Britain), Canada Post, the United States Postal Service and many others. The Post Offices have already done the service paid for originally by the stamp(s) and now are doing double service when people are reusing used but uncancelled stamps.

The use of mint, gummed (hinged or not), undamaged, fresh stamps, however old, is considered OK and legal and not frowned upon at all.

I used to throw out uncancelled stamps when sorting through assortments as they were neither used nor new, to me. Now I keep them in case the stamp ends up having errors or varieties (colours, perfs, papers) that I didn't notice or didn't know about during the first sort through. Sometimes it's nice to have a copy of a stamp whether it is cancelled or not.

dear puzzler,

i dont have toot ell you there is no need tot hrow anythign I will adopt your whole collection. my take on this is if the post office screws up and they dont cancel the stamp then its their fault to begin with. some people will always take advantage of that

I've been told twice by two inside executive postal employees, who are also stamp collectors that it's not really illegal to use uncancelled stamps. It's only illegal to wash the cancel from them and or regum them.
I won't argue the point, or give names, but I do trust them both fully to know what they are talking about.

Also it's not at all illegal as far as any postal worker I know to use damaged stamps. Even when the employees take them apart at post off counters the perfs, at times are damaged and they will still sell them.