Another Philatelic Gem From Our Favorite Ebay Seller!

People keep buying their crap, despite, in this case, the plainly obvious trimmed perforations....and, they still proudly display their ASDA logo!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/US-Stamps-...AOSwYutaoex5

*** Moved by Staff to a more appropriate forum. ***

I do not purchase anything on ebay. Nor do I pay any attention to the ASDA logo. The cartel continues to hurt people after many years and Anthony's and their ilk go unpunished. A true consensus of equally outraged fellow collectors making their displeasure known to ebay and ASDA would be the ticket but it will never happen. Too many people have brainwashed themselves into believing that ebay is a necessity to the hobby and do not want to upset the apple cart. Sad.

Think of all the money these bidders could save if they just invested in a pair of scissors.

Live and learn

There are ethical sellers on ebay and the best of them are ASDA members or APS Dealer members. While some buyers can fend for themselves, less experienced collectors should pay attention to dealer affiliations. Buyers who encounter issues with ASDA or APS dealers have some recourse. While ebay and PayPal also offer protection, buyers must be able to identify problems in a timely manner before the money disappears. Using a credit card to pay through PayPal retains the high ground somewhat longer than a debit transaction. Buyers who look for the lowest price or fall for "too good to be true" offers should expect to be burned over and over.

It would be helpful if the OP reported his findings to the ASDA at:

asda@americanstampdealer.com

It would be very helpful to report the results back to this forum. If the ASDA is not enforcing the code of ethics, some members may run for the exits. It would also be useful to report the same listings to the APS and ask for a hearing by the Board of Vice Presidents. If the BVP makes a finding against, disciplinary actions will be published in the APS Journal. Unfortunately, the ebay process is a black hole with no transparency. If ebay determines that the listing violates some rule, it is removed, thereby hiding any evidence. Anecdotal reports suggest that ebay account representatives have the ability to block listing removals for high volume sellers.

Buyers can improve the marketplace by supporting ASDA and APS dealers.

I have back door keys to ebay and can get the first image even months after a listing has been shut down by ebay. You just need the item number...

https://www.coincommunity.com/ebay_...ge-image.asp

I have been talking to the officials at the ASDA. They assure me that "take this seriously and we are working on it."

More people complaining to ASDA would help.

The ASDA needs to give me a reason to believe that their logo means something.

I have contacted the ASDA multiple times via email, telephone and snail mail regarding our favorite seller's listings of spurious stamps on ebay. I reference specific items that even Ray Charles could see are fakes (think trimmed 315's) and "mint" classics with visible lightening of cancels. There deafening silence and complete inaction says it all. As a matter of fact they are ramping up their ebay promoting joint partnership. ebay is a sponsor of some ASDA shows. They are joined at the hip and do not want to upset the financial apple cart.

A September 2017 APS Dealer Survey shows concern amongst dealers in regards to fake and misdescribed items on ebay. Thd link to the survey is below. Comments related to ebay start on page 7 and continue on subsequent pages.

https://stamps.org/userfiles/file/r...-Results.pdf

We learn about the perils of the world from an early age. People who chase classic stamps or W-F's "on the cheap" bear the largest part of the responsibility for their actions.

Viewing the whole of ebay as "taboo" is downright silly.

Thank you.

Silly is supporting any entity that turns a blind eye towards fraud in their own house and convicted felons (philip ryle) operating with impunity. Silly is also giving credence to organizations that purport to have ethical behavior standards for their members but do nothing to punish those that use the logo to falsely instill a sense of confidence in purchasing decisions. Their lack of action is doing a great disservice to collectors as well as the good and honest dealers that are out there. I absolutely do agree that the bargain hunting buyers that lack philatelic education and suspend reality in order to purchase that rare $5000 stamp for $169.39 are their own worst enemies. Mostly though, much good would come of ebay and the ASDA simply enforcing their own policies and credos rather than blowing hot air.

The postage stamp area very probably has the largest number of crooks of any area of ebay. Paper is easy to manipulate, and demand for certain stamps is larger than supply. So, dishonest individuals will supply what naive, greedy, or delusional people demand.

In addition to stamps, I buy bookbindiing materials on ebay. The prices are almost better than I can find on Amazon or from local vendors, and not once (knock on wood) have I had a problem with delivery or quality.

With stamps, I buy from sellers I know. Sometimes I buy from new (to me) sellers. Usually, there are no problems. When there is a problem, I make a mental note and move on. Life is too short to spend time on trivial hassles.

In a perfect world, ebay would screen sellers, but the stamp area would be a problem however much scrutiny sellers received.

Stamp Community Forum serves a very important function in bringing attention to sketchy/dishonest sellers. I would be pleasantly surprised if stamp collecting organizations followed suit.

If the ASDA logo means absolutely nothing, or does not instill confidence to a buyer knowing their transaction is backed by a code of ethics, then what is the purpose of having it in the first place? I do believe buyers need to bear some responsibility for their decisions, but to allow an organization to endorse a downright deceitful dealer that they have had numerous complaints about, is hard to totally forgive. Just MHO....

DONE!!

Chest pounding? Feelgoodism? You see it with politicians all the time: Bills that don't actually accomplish anything other than allowing the proponent to point at and say "I did this!"

Giving the appearance of being ethical and having standards is frequently more important than following through on the claims. Sad but true.