USPS Stamp Orders--Unsealed Sheets

When ordering stamps directly from the USPS either via their website or their store on eBay, do you expect the stamps to be sealed?

On a recent stamp order from the USPS, for the first time ever, I received an unsealed sheet. I would have preferred a sealed sheet for preservation and handling purposes--yes I know the shrink-wrap has a statement regarding not suitable for philatelic archiving, but if one doesn't plan to use the stamps for postage but rather for collecting/viewing, IMO, having the stamps sealed is preferable.

What have been your experiences regarding receiving sealed/unsealed sheets from the USPS?

When I buy things like bandages, aspirin, or food (or other things which I am going to put in or on my body) I expect them to be sealed. When I buy things like light bulbs, books, or stamps; I do not expect them to be sealed.
Don

Over time the cardboard insert, which is not archival grade paper, will degrade: the acids in the cardboard will migrate to your stamps and discolor them.

The plastic wrap is not archival either. Not sure what kind of plastic it is. But here is what non-archival plastic can do: it may stick to the stamps, and when peeled off remove some of the ink/paper. Plastic that is bendable off-gasses until it becomes brittle. Those gases can react with the inks and/or adhesives causing them to discolor, or in the case of the adhesive, bleed out from behind the stamp.

If you want your stamps to remain "post office fresh" keep them in a cool dry place, out of sunlight. And only store them in archival grade materials.

I had the Marilyn Monroe "Stamp Folio" that the USPS put out in 1995 and left it in the shrink wrap. Big mistake. When I tried to remove the plastic years later, it had stuck to the folder and utterly destroyed it. I used the stamps inside for postage.

alub: Thank you for the helpful explanation and advice.

One concern I have in receiving an unsealed sheet from the USPS is how much it may have been handled by employees with oily hands. Fingerprints and oils show up prominently on black and glossy paper backgrounds. I would prefer receiving a sealed sheet and then removing it myself from the not suitable for philatelic archiving shrink-wrap.

I don't know why there isn't uniformity/consistency in receiving sealed vs unsealed sheets when ordering directly from the USPS. I wish they all came sealed.

I don't expect them to be sealed. It's been a while since I got a sheet or anything else that was sealed over the counter or from the USPS stamp fulfillment service. I understand your concern with oily finger prints but honestly, I've never noticed that as a problem, at least in my personal experience.