Cuba Stamps- Any Change In Legal Status?

Is it still forbidden to purchase and import stamps of Cuban origin into the US? It looks like Ebay/Paypal are still maintaining their ironclad stance against trafficking in this material- I have to wonder why and when in heck is this going to end?

I am not posting any links but there are websites operating in the US that openly list Cuban mint stamps of recent issuance and are selling with a Paypal option. The whole thing is ludicrous. I did some searching before posting and it does indeed appear there has been no change in all of this. Any info appreciated.

Unfortunately it's not like a light switch as we would reasonably believe. It will take time before stamps are allowed. I understand details of what and when are still being much debated politically. Sorry I cannot post a reference, just what I heard on a brief talk radio segment a few weeks back.

I would imagine though that Cuban stamp rarities will be longer term upward market movers as the U.S. Market is permitted to invest.

Stamps

Can you buy from overseas ebay operations, or is this ban global? No shortage of Cuban stamps in the rest f the world, of course!

Geoff

Mu understanding is that Cuban stamps of the pre Castro era are supposed to be legal to buy and sell in the US. Stamps after about 1961 used to be illegal to buy but not to own. Now it is supposed to be legal to buy them so long as they are used. Mint are still illegal. The issue seems to be with the Paypal folks- they seem to be on some mission for God- going after unsuspecting Ebayers who might use Paypal to buy a Cuban stamp and threatening them with loss of their account. Their interpretation is broad banded- they forbid being used as a conduit to buy ANYTHING Cuban, or so it seems. I have no idea how this would work if someone in the UK wanted to use Paypal to buy Cuban material from ebay UK- I doubt they'd have a problem with that. They just seem paranoid about this issue and to simplify matters have imposed a blanket ban on nearly all transactions with the word 'Cuba' in it. Effectively they have dried up the market for all Cuban material on Ebay- it just seems obsessive.

I assume that if and when the US and Cuba work out some matters trade in stamps will be considered legal. I still wonder if Paypal is going to change this bull-headed policy even then. The example I cited about the US dealer selling modern Cuba on his website is strange- I think Paypal is only looking at ebay transactions- it is all set up on their computers.

Although the US has removed Cuba from its "sponsors of terrorism" list, a general trade embargo and tourism ban is still in place. There has been some easing of these restrictions, but only Congress can fully lift these bans.

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for this to happen any time soon . Paypal will probably not lift its restriction until the US government does. Anyone skirting this ban is taking a huge risk with their Paypal account.

I'm sure that, I you wanted material, people in Europe could look out for it and get it to you. Most of the Cuban lots I see in the auctions that I bid in (i.e. non-ebay) tend to be from the pre-Fidel period, however. There are also bulk offers of modern stuff (probably CTO) around.

Stamps1962: PayPal has targeted non-Ebay transactions. A friend of mine had issues with PayPal when he sold some early Cuban stamps from his own website. Since then he processes payments via PayPal for stamps without any information about the stamp's country of origin to avoid the issue.

Personally, I'm looking forward to the removal of the embargo on Cuban goods. It's just a matter of time since the whole issue is so outdated and unnecessary. It benefits both countries to resume normal relations and trade.

I also have a large box Cuban covers that I might be able to sell one day.

Alas, the smaller boxes of Iranian and North Korean covers will probably have to wait for awhile longer.

I think for now the best policy for someone wanting to buy any Cuban material in the US is to avoid ebay (and mostly there is none there anyway) and pay dealers using credit cards.

Point of interest- this topic is apparently felt to be dangerous to get into by some folks- I posted a similar query on another board some days ago with no response at all other than one attempted reply that looks to have been deleted. The cold war lives on, I guess.

Linn's has an advertisement for used Cuba @ $5 for 130 on the back page of a recent issue.

If you want Cuban stamps (and your country does not allow you to buy and sell as as a free person) contact me.

Another ban that is completely idiotic is the one on stamps of Sudan. Of what consequence is a stamp issued in 1903 in the context of politics more than 110 years later?

It is sheer laziness on the part of Ebay/Paypal. A blanket ban on the entire category makes things simple for them, they don't have to look at individual situations. Of course we all know that ebay Stamps is not operated by people who know anything about the area they are operating in and policing.