Shop With Confidence At APS Stampstore - Seriously?

I got an APS e-mail with a promotion to "Shop with Confidence at APS StampStore"


I don't know how the stamp images are chosen or if every e-mail has the same images, but the off-cover bisect (aka half a stamp) caught my eye.
I clicked the link and found that I buy this rarity for only $102 - presumably the entire stamp would cost $204.



This does not give me confidence in the StampStore

How sad that someone (maybe a long time ago?) removed this stamp from the letter. I 'm guessing it was once on a letter since it looks like it has a small cancel mark. Of course that could faked too. Since the APS joined HIP stamps, there are more "iffy" offerings, but my experiences have been positive over the years, both buying and selling. Too many mis-identified stamps tho.

Yes, it could have been a bisect - it also could have been a stamp that was cut in half yesterday.

Used to love the APS Stampstore. It has always had some iffy and overpriced items, but was worth the look as the inventory was large and you could make finds in it. The search engine was simple and versatile. Shipment was prompt and the service was friendly and helpful. I don't look much anymore, as the four-a-day or more emails Hipstamp sends me are off-putting.

Yikes.

I have no problem with the APS personally, but I can't see anything positive about doing this...
Even though it might have been genuinely used as a bisect at one time, wouldn't we HAVE to assume it was cut this way so that it doesn't set a precedent of other sellers cutting their stamps and calling them bisects?

I don't know. The other half would have the eyes, which may be an up-charge.

Still mad we lost our promised discount

I'm not sure what this has to do with the APS Stampstore which sells stamps they've gathered from donations, I believe. Do you honesty think they bisected a full stamp? It's fine to regret that someone at some point removed this stamp from its envelope, but I really don't see what this has to do with the APS in any way? I think you're confusing two things in a sloppy way. I've bought items from the APS Stampstore dozens of times and never had a single problem. Even returning a couple of items for a refund when I realized I'd mis-ordered them went very smoothly.

Please read my post again. The APS sent out an email promoting the off cover bisect as an item in the APS store with the message to "shop with confidence" - I'm not alleging that the APS cut the stamp in half. My point is that a competent seller would not be listing half a stamp for sale for $102. Promoting such an item does not instill confidence in buyers.

Why not ask APS directly if they believe the lot inspires confidence?

(My personal opinion, only, but) I don't think APS minds it at all that some buyers might assume extra due diligence goes on when buying through APS.

It's possible that APS sells some donated items through their store. Generally, though, the actual seller is some APS member who has sent material to APS to be sold for them, with APS taking a commission. The member describes the item.

There have been plenty of mis-described listings over the years, so I assume that there is not a lot of scrutiny going on. Here is what APS says on the matter:




A buyer can buy with confidence knowing that APS actually has the stamps in hand, so you are almost certain to receive them. Any other confidence in APS's role in this process is probably misplaced. And that's not a shot at APS. Caveat emptor.

My 2d.

DrewM - APS store let's members sell their own stamps, not so much about donations.

Exactly.

I have purchased 25 stamps from the APS store from 2016-2022. I had to return 1 as mis-identified and 1 with undisclosed defects. There were 3 others that I had asked APS to certify before shipping to me (they found all to be mis-identified). That's a 20% failure rate.

When questioned, APS told me that they had neither the time nor the staff to vette the stamps they received on consignment from sellers. They merely list, sell, and ship them. I have avoided buying from them ever since. CAVEAT EMPTOR.

In the days before moving to hipStamp, if you bought something of value, you could have APS certify it BEFORE shipment. They would notify you of the result if the cert came back with an unfavorable result. You then had the option of refusing the purchase and getting all of your money back, including the cert fee, and the seller had to pay the fee and adjust his description or remove the stamp from sale. You also had the option of accepting it as certified. I don't know how that works now that they have moved to hipStamp.

There appears to be confusion on someone's part about the role of the APS in Stamp Store. My understanding is that purchasing from the APS is different from purchasing on ebay or Hip Stamp because there is a level of scrutiny or validation taking place. If there is none then they are no different than any other online marketplace with the exception being that they only allow philatelic listings. It appears that they are actually a pass-through with sellers presumably gaining the gravitas of the APS name in exchange for listing with them. Kind of doesn't make any sense really. Their reputation is on the line if they let material be listed that has issues, but they apparently offer nothing in the way of screening. Personally, I don't see a lick of added value to APS listings since the selling point for me would be assurance that the material is "right". Yes, they are apparently awesome in the return process but who wants to go there in the first place.

It has been clear to me in a handful of conversations over the years, online and in person, that the buyer thought they were practically getting a mini-cert when buying from APS.

That is definitely not the case.