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Moderator
United States
4788 Posts |
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I'm curious if anyone has thoughts/experience purchasing from APS website (not the circuit books). Are there deals to be had? How does it compare to ebay, bidstart, wensy, etc.? |
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Pillar Of The Community
2361 Posts |
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Well, if nothing else, you are buying from a highly-trusted, highly-ethical source. I have been thinking about selling high-ticket items there, but have never bought. |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
2545 Posts |
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You can find good things at the APS store. My buying is perhaps atypical but my ratios are about: APS: 1.0 Wensy: 0.5 Bidstart: 2.0 ebay: 500.0 ebay continues to surface good stuff for me. |
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| Edited by chasa - 02/20/2013 09:17 am |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
2758 Posts |
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APS there is never a question about the item, you know what you are getting! ebay has been great for Precancel, albums, collections with the good chance to get something reasonable. Bidstart has been best for me for very specific issues, based mostly of Scott #'s. Never tried Wenzy! |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
669 Posts |
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APS there is never a question ???? Stamps on their website are no better than ebay or any other site. They are offered by private sellers and haven't been authenticated by anyone unless they have a certification. I saw an item on the APS Stamp Store yesterday that is positively a FAKE. I had to laugh when I saw it ! How could anyone try to pass it off as the real thing ? |
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| Edited by kcaramat - 02/20/2013 10:30 am |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
2480 Posts |
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Quote:
APS there is never a question about the item, you know what you are getting! I'm not sure the above statement is entirely accurate, per the "qualifiers" on the APS "How to Buy Online" webpage: Quote:
...We try to screen all consignments and remove any item which is not genuine or accurately described. However, the volume of material received precludes a detailed inspection of each item...
...You may request that an item purchased from StampStore.org be expertized before your purchase is final (note that expertizing is not available for items that do not have a sale price equal or more than the standard expertizing fee of $25.) If expertized and the item is genuine, the cost of expertizing will be borne by the purchaser... |
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Pillar Of The Community
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That "qualifier" is still FAR more than you get with ebay or other auctions...and I would be 98% seller and 2% buyer, probably, so I don't really care. |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
2779 Posts |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
669 Posts |
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No I didn't. Not a member.
It's stamp ID 500013095 if anyone would like to. |
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Pillar Of The Community
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There are definite pluses, and one "reality" minus using the APS store. The pluses.. * You are dealing with fellow APS members, who, in general, are an ethical lot.  * The stamps are reasonably priced, and the delivery from APS is quick and secure. * One can obtain certification for an extra charge before delivery. * One can return the stamps for a refund if unhappy. The minus... * It is still Caveat Emptor. The seller may be ignorant of the forgery/fake, and no other member had alerted the APS store of this. I bought a nice Parma Italian State stamp from the APS store recently, and this is what I published on my blog site about that: http://bigblue1840-1940.blogspot.co...sStamps.html Quote:
1854-55 Scott 7 15c red "Crown and Fleur-de-lis"
Serrane: "Early Forged Set"
I was "expecting" this stamp to be genuine, as generally the APS store, which sells stamps from APS members to APS members, has a good reputation. But alas, reviewing the Serrane, this specimen is an example of the "Early Forged Set", with the mottled background around the crown, and the 41 horizontal lines (should be 57 lines).
What are the lessons from this?
• I honestly don't believe there was an intention to defraud, just ignorance. But ignorance is not an excuse. I'm only a classical generalist, but it took just minutes to determine this was a forgery (Albeit with the help of the Serrane ;-).
• The APS will only know it is a forgery if the selling member labels it as such, or it is recognized by another member. Caveat Emptor.
• The APS store has good mechanisms in place for returns: 30 days for any reason. Also they offer a certification service for ~ $25 before the stamp is shipped. It clearly is a good idea to use this service for more expensive purchases.
I'm not really unhappy with the results, as I enjoy forgeries. And I did not pay much for this specimen. So I will keep it. ;-)
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
1565 Posts |
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The APS store is my primary source for online buying. I've also sold stuff through the store. I've been real happy with my transactions. Some of the stuff I would like to have; in the Portuguese area; is overpriced by the seller. But I could easily exhaust my monthly budget just on APS. As an aside, I observed, about a year ago, a Port. colonial item that was clearly a forgery. I reported it, with info why it was not genuine. It was promptly removed and I got a nice, short, e-mail note from the store manager. |
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Pillar Of The Community
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Remember the APS Reference Collection (dozens of albums) is right at hand, available to all the staff. That's another big plus. |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
2758 Posts |
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I understand that no ones perfect, but your trust in the APS should be high compared to other such sites! |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
2545 Posts |
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I have reported maybe a hundred items over the years to the APS managers.
They have always pulled them in a timely manner - so from that perspective the site is admirable.
Less so are APS members who submit items for sale without knowing the basics of US stamp identification
- or worse |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
1271 Posts |
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As an aside to this topic, I get circuit books (U.S. only) from APS and occasionally find misidentified stamps, and also find faked Washington/Franklin coils. I know that the APS is supposed to check the books before they go out, but I guess they don't have the capability to really check them that closely?  |
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Moderator
United States
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Replies: 18 / Views: 2,992 |
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Posted 02/20/2013 08:28 am
