Maintaining our standards?

Steve Maurer

Just curious how someone can rely on the veracity and quality of stamps when items like this are listed?

https://storage.googleapis.com/hipstamp/p/0a934729a59ab4c4c07e7b2175fa713c-300.jpg

https://storage.googleapis.com/hipstamp/p/1de56b839e7028f083c3315e7ddaac58-300.jpg

john o'neil

Steve.....you are clearly missing the point here. These stamps were chewed upon by the rare guinea hula ant.

Phil Merrill_

"The veracity and quality of stamps."???
Those bits of paper are not the problem. The veracity and quality of the sellers trying to foist them off for any price are half the problem. The other half of the problem (and I may well get some flashback on this), but the other half of the problem are those in the public that have not educated themselves before purchasing trash.

I want to stop these guys too, but they do it because they know there are always fools out there. We can try as hard as we can to spread the good word, but there are just too many fools. Sadly, a fool will heed no advice but his own.

I'm not trying to be an elitist, but stamps, like any other collectibles field, can attract folks that are just too mercenary to be collectors. And these sellers/dealers offering crap are all too happy to oblige them.

Listen, we all have a responsibility to educate and inform ourselves. I think that's all I'm trying to say.

Michael Dodd

i seem to remember the IPDA Newsletter for November (2022) pages 4 and 5. drop me an email or PM and I will send a copy michael cddstamps good to hear others talking this topic. will anyone do anything about it? hhhmmmmmmm I think I know the answer, sadly. ..........so lets help collectors have the opportunity to learn more about condition and quality... have a philatelic day everyone

Steve Maurer

My real question is if these items are being listed how can anybody seriously look at any items in that seller's store?

Scott Payton

I have no issue with a seller selling a damaged stamp, so long as the stamp is described properly, and is being offered at a reasonable amount. We sell "Filler" lots all the time, and we're not trying to hide the damaged nature of any of the stamps we sell. (And some people are quite content to have such fillers). These to images are just taken at random, I don't know if this is a specifically offensive seller, if they are offering the as filler items for 1c that's one thing if they are offering the as "RARE" because they look beat up, that's another matter all together. So I need context to weigh in here if this seller should be approached to fix the problem first, or if they're just out trying to rip people off.

Bill O'Malley

Don't know who the seller is.

Bob Hatch

I agree with Scott. There is a market for filler stamps and I have no issue with sellers who list them with proper scans and descriptions at bargain prices. There are many collectors who will purchase a poor quality stamp to fill an album space until a better stamp can be located. There is no reason why a seller should not fill this need in the marketplace.