Another Recent Adventure With A Never Hinged Purchase From Ebay

I overlaid the backs of the stamps next to the description found on the lot (and in the envelope). There is no freakin' way the seller, Weeda, can blame this on "failing eyesight." It's gotten so exasperating, I've started to ask sellers before payment to review the stamps and confirm back that they are indeed never hinged.

One recently melted down on me and cancelled the transaction. Good.

Maybe he just meant they were never hinged at some point :)

Never hinged on the bottom, just the top.
There, fixed it for you.

Close enough for Government work.

Some good laughs and smiles- thanks guys. :-)

unbelievable! people are nuts sometimes. I sold a car on ebay once and helped the buyer by driving it to his garage an hour away and when I got there he tried to scam me down on the price by putting a paint meter on the car and saying it had been in an accident.........

I never really have had any issues with Weeda.

Jack Kelley

Sorry to hear about this.

My guess is that they slap "mint never hinged" automatically on any stamp that is unused and clean and looks mint from the front. The "never hinged" part should be a separate description, but it you're too lazy to actually check some graders who are in a rush just call anything mint "MNH" which is, of course, really dumb. But laziness knows no bounds. It's likely just a case of rushing, being sloppy, and making mistakes more than trying to deceive. I mean with the hinges still attached to the back? That's a new level of cluelessness.

Just tell the seller there's a mistake, and he'll undoubtedly apologize and take it back. Even "mint" gets misapplied. "Mint" means "post office fresh" and "unused" but I've seen it applied to some unused stamps that look like they spent time in someone's wallet.

Its really a personal choice, how much grief you care to deal with, regarding whom you purchase from.

I have a small list of vendors that I do business with, and I mostly limit myself to them.

I imagine the seller (normally reputable) didn't verify the contents of the envelope and will be more than happy to make things right for you. Unfortunately, this is commonplace in today's e-commerce era. At least you could do your own check in the days of the stamp shop.

I think Drew hit the nail dead on. Sellers want everything to be MNH because those stamps are more valuable than mint. So a quick look at a VLH stamp quickly morphs into MNH. VLH in almost every case can be seen, IF* you take the time to bounce incandescent light tangentially off the gum. Sunlight works even better and is safe since it doesn't have to be direct sunlight. So wishfullness and laziness are at play in this case.

Weeda claimed that a new employee "graded" the set, causing the error. So if the employee is new, no check is done on their work? Or double checked when the order is packed and shipped? Again, wishfullness and laziness. Why check a MNH set when it is the most fruitful version of a mint stamp? Let it ride! And blaming things on a "new" staffer- man if I had a dime for every time I've heard this. SELLER- it's a deliberate act of omission for which YOU are responsible and accountable. It's just as deliberate as knowing the set was hinged in the first place. What do you think will happen if you don't check?

Lastly, there are those sellers who KNOW* they peeled that damn set out of an album but figure if the hinging is light enough, well.... screw the buyer and let them find it.

If I had txstamp's attitude and approach, I am sure I'd be a lot happier despite having a smaller collection. He has it right.

I am a strong believer in "walking in the shoes of others"
But I don't buy that new employee reason either.
If one pays good money for MNH, then one should expect better than that.
I felt in the past Weeda was a nice family business,
but never bought there as the images were lacking.

Recently, I have had emails from a couple of Philatelic clubs, asking for advice, to which, I reply same day.

That's it, I never hear from them again, no "received your email" or "Thanks" nothing.

I am finding email etiquette , or just common courtesy, is lacking in some areas.

I have one question to ask, when you contacted them, did they offer to give you a full refund?

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