New Anthony's Marketing Strategy

I would like to say our friends from NJ have stopped selling altered and misattributed stamps, and I would like even more to announce their expulsion from the ASDA, but sadly, neither is true. I have however noticed a new marketing twist to help them sell their junk to unsuspecting collectors; they now site flaws with almost all of their improperly attributed stamps, thereby detracting your attention away from the real problem (which is, the stamp is not what it's represented to be). By stating that the stamp has an adherence, thin, gum disturbance etc, etc the unsuspecting and uninformed buyer thinks, " full disclosure, so these guys must be legit", and of course not realizing that there's nothing farther from the truth. Here's an example of what I'm referring to: https://www.ebay.com/itm/US-Stamps-...AOSwTvFazV84 There obviously are no bounds to the dishonesty and larceny committed by this firm, and given that neither ebay or ASDA seem to care, I will keep using this forum to sound the horn. If each of these posts dissuades just one collector from doing business with Anthony's, then that's progress.

A couple more examples to better clarify my above point:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/US-Stamps-...AOSwkhNazV9D br /

https://www.ebay.com/itm/US-Stamps-...AOSwvRpazV7Y br /

I thought the ASDA was scheduled to have a 'sit down' with Anthony's... does anybody know if it happened or any outcomes?

Same old same old.

https://goscf.com/t/61592

Lipstick on a Pig. E Caveat Emptor.

Jack Kelley

Anthony should really consider partnering with Philip Ryle.

Thanks for continuing to alert collectors to the problems with this seller.

Thanks for sharing these. I particularly enjoyed the last one, Scott #115. This is the rare "stink eye Washington" variety, caused by the cleaned cancel.

For what it is worth, I have bought some British Colony stamps from them that were okay. (I am on the APS Expert Committee for British Colony issues, so I do know what to look for.)

They were not expensive stamps. My impression is that they don't know too much about British Colonies, so they are just selling it as a basic stamp.

However, like all thing regarding on-line auction sites - the buyer does need to beware. I appreciate the warnings you guys have posted.

I think that some sellers are not just another 'buyer beware' situation. A typical online seller ranks as 'buyer beware' since you are making buying decisions based upon an image. This covers the occasional mis-identification or hidden fault and can occur with anyone who sells stamps.

But sellers who have a definite trend or pattern of fraudulent practices are another story. Sorry, but repeatedly selling 50-100 trimmed #315s is more than just 'buyer beware', it is 'buyer run the other direction'.

Can a handful of highly experienced people make a successful transaction with these kinds of sellers? Yes. Do people who have made a lot of purchases from these kinds of sellers want to believe they have built good collections? Yes. Does every sale they make perpetuate the damage they do to the hobby? Yes.

But the fact is that very few hobbyists should be purchasing from any sellers who clearly demonstrates repeated ethical violations.

There are plenty of great sellers out there, but most ask fair prices for their material. It is a shame that many people avoid them and instead think they are getting 'better deals' by buying from the bottom of the barrel sellers. This is an education problem, we need to educate folks to stop thinking they are getting some kind of deal from these sellers. They are generally selling a bunch of crap. If a hobbyist wants to build a collection based on garage material, they certain can but they should not expect to ever see a decent return from what they have built.
Don

Very eloquently and accurately put!