Kenmore Stamp Company Joins Mystic

The other day I received a Mystic email ad for 'hidden image' on stamps issued by USPS. These were added to the stamps as a trial security measure and as a marketing tool for their Item #011002, STAMP DECODER a $4.95 item from there Stamp Fulfillment Center. Mystic was offering this for $19.95+P&H. (A small search on WWW shows high pricing with some inclusive of target stamps to use with.)

Based on past experience, if you DO decide to buy a stamp from them, CALL FIRST to be sure it is in stock before placing your order and paying for it. Mystic has often advertised stuff they physically did not have. I have cancelled more than one order after calling to find out why they had not shipped, only to be told that they were either waiting for a consignee to ship it to them, or that they had not been successful so far in finding one. I refuse to wait. Don't advertise for sale that which you do not possess and thus cannot ship.

Due to the lack of young people and new collectors, they must have some sort of strategy in order to keep in business, since a simple search, like I did, shows their prices to be way too high for the market.
The reason I am asking all of this is that I plan to start collecting USA stamps. I finished my Canadian collection (virtually complete both used and mint, including mint provinces) and would like to work on USA. I am a completionism so I plan to work with my Davo Volume 1 album and work downwards, like I did with my Canadian (and more recently, my GB collection). Just looking around for the best places online to do so. Mystic jumped up and they are pretty slick but I imagine there are a lot better places to purchase from.

I have a spare decoder and gladly sell it for $18.00.




The number of buyers at that price point may be small but they must be finding them. The question is if can they continue.

It reminds of the ebay sellers offering common stamps for very high prices, It takes just one.