'citation Needed' For Idiotic FDC Info

So this local seller who fancies himself a stamp dealer tells me that the Post Office told him that he could cut out stamps from his First Day Covers, and use them to send mail. He says they told him as long as they knew it was from an FDC, it was fine.

I told him that's complete crap -- because it is, of course. Only an idiot would believe something so obviously illogical, but he's sticking to his thickheaded guns (to mix metaphors).

Where can I find a nice online source that spells it out explicitly that all the stamps on an FDC are cancelled, and that it is illegal to try to reuse cancelled stamps?

I can't find anything anywhere -- probably because it's such an asinine assertion in the first place.

Am I right in saying that US post offices display a prominent sign?

WARNING!
Once a postage stamp has been used, it is a federal crime to:
1. Remove, attempt to remove, or assist to remove cancellation marks from postage.
2. Reuse a stamp whether cancelled or not.

Anyway...why bother with quoting a citation as the seller is clearly comfortable with his own ignorance. Instead get him to do a few letters with FDC cut-outs and send them to you with his return address clearly displayed. Who knows... maybe one will get through and you will have a nice philatelic oddity.

Wouldn't anyone doing so then be an accessory?

Terry

Karyudo: I assume you're talking about Canadian stamps?

Scotzm: no such signs in US post offices. At least, not that I've ever seem

A real stamp dealer will know the answer.
I would do nothing....not waste your time.

Just be looking in the local paper....
"Wanna be stamp dealer arrested"

Although the original post is most likely referring to Canada, since the question was listed under that category, I'd share the following link where such an issue was discussed before:

https://goscf.com/t/9616

As for US Post Offices, I'm not sure how many (if any) actually post this in their lobbies, but the fact that you may not re-use stamps is included in this "Warning Poster" issued by the US Postal Inspection Service:

The only way this might possibly make sense is if the covers were made but never serviced - similar to wedding invitations that were never mailed.

I can imagine that if someone brought such items to their local post office, especially if they had a good story and a number of never-used but addressed covers, and asked if they could trim them off and use them for mail, their post office might agree to give them a break.

But USED stamps? No way of course - there's got to be more to the story.

The whole issue is silly. FDCs by definition are cancelled. Cancelled stamps are used.

I received a couple week ago, an order that I purchase on ebay and the seller sent me the stamps in an FDC (old one from 1970..or so)????? I was very happy to revived it but I think the seller took a big chance to sent it that way...