How To Ruin A $400 Set Of Stamps By Poor Packaging

Really! ? I often use it, perhaps I need to change?
Never received bad press.

Made the mistake of putting stored seed in cling wrap. It germinated lol. Have high humidity levels though. Have also tried dried herbs to experiment with, they also turned wet in hours.

Now use zip lock bags for seed but for stamps I use plastic bags purchased at 5,000 a pack purchase them from Rennicks but have never counted them, either has the seller. They fit a standard stock card nicely. Cheap as really for what they do. All my stamps go out in quality 2 strip stock cards covered with a plastic bag and cardboard stiffener.

Will never sell mint stamps because of the buyer specialist issues and my humid environment. Plus I have zero interest in mint. The only mint stamps I have are for mailing.

I'm trying to understand what caused the damage--mint stamps can get stuck to paper approval cards over the duration of normal shipping time (1-2 weeks max) or had they been stored like that longer term? What about HECO cards which are also paper? Probably I'm missing something, but it seems a great deal of stamps are shipped this way.

The conditions of any given mailed stamp lot is subjected to a huge amount weather type and other variables.

Humidity, snow, rain, direct sun, fork lifts etc So the equation ends up like how much water is their in the bucket. So you have to make sure there is no holes in the bucket 1st before you can start to figure out how much water it holds.

I also use cling wrap for certain items and have never heard any issues; actually quite the contrary as I have had things I mailed survive pretty incredible weather phenomenon over the years. Usually I've used it for larger items though, like albums, covers, etc. I am curious to hear more about this though as I am always open to changing my practice.

For stamps, I usually put those in a 102, then that goes in a glassine which is stuck to a stiffener. I also have never had any claims or concerns about damage (yet!).

I do think this is actually a great thread. As was stated, ebay is a double edge sword of "any yahoo" but threads like this can help folks to learn.

As an aside, sorry to hear that Rodg… brutal :(

The really cheap approval cards are made of very absorbent cardboard type material and will suck moisture out of the air and that is what happened. You need a moisture barrier or it is the luck if the draw. I just received some stamps from Israel today on the exact same type of card but they were sealed within a plastic sleeve and everything was fine. Sandafayre has been shipping even their carton lots with a plastic bag inside of each carton since I can remember. Especially important when traveling by air or sea but it should always be done.

In the case of my stuck stamps you could not tell that anything was wrong until you looked at the stamps. They were scanned front and back prior to shipping and they were in fine shape at that time.

They were in transit from CA for about five days. That is all that it took.

The black 102 cards can be a problem even if the stamps do not ge stuck to them. I've has stamps in them arrive not stuck that have picked up black ink from the cards on their gum.

Sounds as if some of this may well be the slightly damp or sticky hands of the sender, rather than the cards etc.

Rodgcam - I had something similar happen to me a few years ago. I bought a Yemen #2 with cert from a French dealer on ebay, and I didn't see it for a couple months. I am usually patient with international orders, and the seller did mark it as "sent" so I just figured it was just caught in the international mails somewhere since the tracking dead-ended before it left France.

One day, it arrived in the mail - the envelope had been completely soaked, and was opening on its own. When I found the stamp, it had also been in one of those black cardboard approval cards and had come out, so part of the stamp was against the plastic and part of it was against the black cardboard. The stamp is completely stained black (thoroughly) where it was not next to the plastic. It no longer looks like the cert (which is unreadable anyway).

There was no moisture barrier, and it would have had to be packed in a ziploc bag for protection since it was completely soaked.

The water soaking was the fault of either the French La Poste or the USPS, and the seller never answered my messages. But, lesson learned - for myself, at least. I now always pack my stamps well enough to survive being dropped in water.

Sorry you had to go through that, I also collect Russia and I know how difficult it is to find sets from that era in such pristine condition.

Bcantin - Ouch! That is a horrible story. You would really think that everyone would know better. It is just basic common sense to protect stamps from moisture and the mail travels in planes, ships and trailer trucks as well as being handled ineloquently in general.

I am still wrangling with my moron seller ( ebay is now involved) who keeps sending emails vaguely insinuating that I did something wrong because he could not possibly be at fault. My, how money refuses to leave some people's hands once they have it.

I have another Russia block that arrived that was described as MNH but has no gum. And so, it goes. Some sellers can suck the life out of the hobby at times.

I have started purchasing from Cherrystone's online store and love it. Some cool stuff packaged very professionally and shipped via Fedex for $5, free shipping fora $150 purchase or over.

" My, how money refuses to leave some people's hands once they have it."

Isn't that the truth! I am having trouble with a German bookseller - who is good and has a reputable business - but he was out if a book that I ordered and paid for. I told him I wanted a refund, and he kept saying "We think we can find another copy very soon..." I am still waiting two months later. I asked him POLITELY for a refund, twice. He ignored it and sent the rest of the books, even though I asked him not to. He just ignores my requests... I need to buy more from him so I don't want to alienate him.

Maybe I should post about this in another thread, see if anyone else had the same experience?

What is it with some people? I ALWAYS refund money to customers if I make a mistake, I never argue, it's just good business (and good karma!).

I hope you have a positive resolution to your Russian stamp problem - that was just carelessness ipon the seller's part.

Barry