When I started collecting US as a child, I limited my purchases to mint stamps, but as the album filled up with the cheaper, newer items, I found that the older ones were (are) often out of my price range, and I began to add used stamps to the album with pleasure and satisfaction. As Rene says, go your own way!
Because the person that is listing them has no idea of what they are doing and should not be selling on here. Sometimes mistakes are made though and the seller should be notified. Also on precanceled stamps they can be mint if they have never been applied to an envelope. If you see a seller that is blatantly posted canceled stamps as mint they should be reported to HipStamp.
Because the stamps are probably CTO's (Cancelled to Order). Generally speaking, these are stamps cancelled by their issuing agencies and then sold at a discount of their face value. The seller here is probably mis-using the term 'mint,' referring to the gum on the CTO's, which is undisturbed.
I have added several older "mint" stamps that have been hinged or are "thin." I only collect us stamps at present. Like Doug above the older MNH OG stamps are way to expensive for me. The hinged or thin stamps are before 1915, everything after are MNH.
Comments
Sometimes mistakes are made though and the seller should be notified. Also on precanceled stamps they can be mint if they have never been applied to an envelope.
If you see a seller that is blatantly posted canceled stamps as mint they should be reported to HipStamp.