Counterfeit Forever Stamps

Does ebay remove it or does the seller remove it?

@StampSlacker: I deliberately left the seller's name out because I wanted this discussion to focus on how ebay handles suspected counterfeit stamps and feedback, rather than turn it into a public accusation against a specific seller. If you'd like to know which seller it was, feel free to send me a private message.

@eyeonwall: Fair questions, and you caught an error in how I described the timeline. I did not discover the problem and then go back for seconds.

Purchase #1 was a block of four for under $10. Only a few hours later, before receiving or inspecting it, I placed Purchase #2 for three booklets. For the larger purchase, I had actually intended to buy sealed booklets from a different seller so I could be confident they were genuine, but I mistakenly ordered from the same seller again.

I received and inspected Purchase #1 afterward, found the problems, and later found similar problems when Purchase #2 arrived. I've corrected the timeline in my original post.

As for needing more stamps, I build multiple topical collections, so I often need more than one example of the same stamp. For stamps I didn't already have, I also compared against canceled examples shown on USPS cancellation pages.

@revcollector: ebay removes it. The seller cannot directly remove feedback. The seller can request removal from ebay, and ebay decides whether to remove it. In my case, ebay Customer Service told me the feedback could be removed because the seller had worked with me and refunded the transactions.

Here is ebay official policy regarding counterfeit postage stamps (worth a read):

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/...licy?id=4276

Is ebay following its own policy?



John

Clearly the policy is directed at items such as counterfeit clothes and handbags, etc. as always, stamps are such a small part of their business that they really don't care very much.

sochummy - that makes more sense now

Yet, stamps are mentioned at least twice on the page that I quoted above. In a "perfect" world (according to ebay policy), a seller would be suspended or kicked off ebay if, after investigation, it is determined that they are selling counterfeit stamps repeatedly. Their policy states as much ...

John

The policy vs. the reality is that they really don't care a whole lot about something that they have no knowledge of how to prove. If they haven't done anything by now, the odds are very slim that anything will change. Especially from collector complaints, since we are not likely to ever be large buyers.

There are miles of difference between suspected counterfeit and actual proven counterfeit.

ebay's policy is for actual counterfeits not suspected counterfeits.

If one wants to try to take ebay to task for the sellers activity, I would full support ebay stopping all sales if mint postage stamp of all countries and eras. As as been pointed out, mint stamps are no a big part of ebay's profit and wit the level of counterfeits it would be a wise decision to ban the sale of mint (unused) postage. If the US is not policing small sellers ebay is not responsible for doing the same.

Again the drivers of the counterfeit stamp trade are the end buyers who "are trying to get a deal." Until, for US material, our country as the political will to go against China the problem will continue unabated.

By your logic, they should also shut down ALL sales of coins, trading cards, antiques, women's handbags and anything else that is faked.