Counterfeit Forever Stamps

stampsplanet has an ebay 14-day return policy. High volume seller with good feedback, but the mint bundles could still have counterfeits. I also don't know how may fakes USPS catches so buyers could be shipping w/o any indication they are using CF. It is pretty clear from feedback the buyers aren't opening their packages and immediately recognizing them as fake....an ....they probably just assume good and either use them (seems most popular use case) or keep some.

It seems anyone buying would need to do some tests (have comfort they were USPS sourced) and assume the worst on any forever stamp purchase.

Quanah-Is Stampsplanet also known as
China-USA-Classics Stamps? If it is then I would be very suspicious. I have watched that seller for quite a while. They offer all these $200 face lots for $99.99 with free priority shipping. Their lots all look like they use genuine older denominated stamps and then pad the lots with Forever or modern high denomination stamps. I assume those are counterfeits that they use to actually make money when they sell one of these postage lots. I would contact the seller and tell them you think were sold counterfeit stamps and get your money back. They'll probably deny knowing anything about how counterfeit stamps could have gotten into their postage lots but will probably be more than willing to refund your money in exchange for not getting a negative review or getting ebay involved.

Thanks StampSlacker,

Well said. It is the same seller. I pulled up my ebay purchase and hit return and AI captured my pics, statement and gave me a shipping label. I chose the option for ebay gift card which will be activated upon drop off at POST OFFICE. This was pretty simple.

I returned everything as instructed. Done and move on.... not going to assume any bad intent but learn to take less risk.

I tried to learn how to do the detection. Perhaps these non-forever stamps are real (Dog Shelter & Birds) vs the bright blue borders of forever from prior pics and Pets Booklet which has white stamps that don't glow yellow/green like the others.

Doesn't matter now. All are returned...even the ones that are real.

Return in process and I have packed for drop off Monday....

Quanah,

That seller has been around a long time, and I figured they wouldn't fight too much about offering a refund. They don't want negative reviews or trouble from ebay for likely selling counterfeit goods
.
I would also check what kind of stamps they used to mail your package to you. If they are offering free priority mail shipping I'm guessing they are also using some counterfeit stamps to mail out their packages. Fake priority mail stamps are also common these days and I know they include those kinds of stamps in some of their postage lots. It wouldn't surprise me that besides selling them they are also using them to cut down their mailing costs.

I took a look at this seller's current and sold listings. My gut feeling is that they may not realize some of their lots contain counterfeit stamps. However, I wouldn't rule out the possibility that they suspect or even know about the counterfeits but choose to overlook the issue. Either way, I'm not convinced they're deliberately running a counterfeit stamp operation.

The mix of Forever stamps and older denominated stamps is somewhat suspicious, especially since the questionable stamps seem to be mostly modern Forever stamps. I also noticed that they've listed or sold several lots containing high-value stamp blocks in sealed USPS packaging, with the entire lots priced well below face value. What puzzles me is why the high-value blocks are in sealed USPS packaging, while the regular sheets aren't.

This makes me wonder whether they're simply a reseller sourcing stamps from different suppliers without carefully verifying their authenticity, or whether they're aware that some of their inventory is questionable.

Of course, this is just my impression based on their listings.

Sochummy-This seller seems very sketchy to me. They have been selling these same kinds of lots for several years. Also do the math: Selling Forever and high denomination stamps for 50% of face value while offering free priority mail shipping seems highly unlikely it's going to generate a profit, if what they are selling is all genuine. Plus, they also have seller's fees taking out even more of their profits. On the other hand, sell cheap Chinese fakes mixed in with genuine discount postage and their business model starts to make sense.

As for those high value blocks that are sealed in USPS packaging, if the Chinese can make almost perfect copies of USPS stamps how hard would be to slip a fake high value block in some plastic and add a piece of cardboard that imitates USPS packaging? The profit margins on those fake Priority Mail stamps are incredible so they could spend a few cents more and package them up to make them look even more authentic. It would actually be the smart thing to do.

I know some people on this forum probably disagree with my opinion on this matter, but I stand by it: If someone is selling large amounts of Forever or high value stamps on ebay for deep discounts, they should automatically be assumed they are selling counterfeits. Whether they are guilty of KNOWINGLY selling counterfeits is a different issue, but that seller should still be boycotted until they stop selling the counterfeits.

This seller has a 99% positive feedback, but if you look at the comments in that 1% of negative and neutral feedback ratings, it is likely that you are correct. In some cases the buyer "did not get the stamps pictured" which is not uncommon if stock photos were used, but it becomes a problem when genuine stamps are pictured and fakes are delivered. Multiple buyers reported receiving fakes, and the seller's email responses when trying to return items was at times abusive.

When a deal seems too good to be true, it is best to walk away.

I expect this seller will block you as a buyer, which is probably for the best, I just hope they don't leave you negative feedback.