Counterfeit or reproduction stamps on eBay from yhstamps

[chippin]

eBay seller yhstamps is offering several modern reproductions on eBay without declaring them as such. As if these were not obvious enough he claims to have two copies of the 1906 Chritchurch Exhibition 1d Claret!

yh1

yh2

yh3

yh4

[Global Admin]

Add at least one LINK please.

[ebay]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224943168567

[stampchris]

The link above goes to a set of the stamps which are clearly labelled as reproductions.

[Fleurieu55]

Chris,

Half way down the page is where it's found, not in the opening title of the selling page, at top, where it should be.

" New Zealand 1906 Stamps MNH Error Penny claret

MNH**Mint Never Hinged Reproduction

Remember - you only have to pay one P&P charge, no matter how many items you purchase from me. I will combine the postage for multiple wins, please wait for invoice before any payment.

Full refund guarantee if you are not happy for any reason.

THANKS FOR LOOKING! "

[Global Admin]

The link above goes to a set of the stamps which are clearly labelled as reproductions.

So you are saying that is perfectly fine and acceptable in your view?

Given the average IQ of many ebay bidders is in low single digits as we all know, clearly they do not read that single word, and stupidly ASSUME they are buying real stamps.

Ebay is deliberately destroying the stamp hobby by allowing this cr*p be sold WITHOUT being marked as FORGERY or FALSCH stamped on each reverse as they USED to. AND insisting they be marked as FORGERIES in each heading.

The brain dead ecretins are bidding these ink still wet fakes up over $100 -

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Italy-Nazi-1933-Stamps-MNH-Balbo- ... true&rt=nc

[Rockyman44]

It’s sold for £67, with 32 bids - unbelievable!

Italy reproduction stamps sold on EBay

[chippin]

The link above goes to a set of the stamps which are clearly labelled as reproductions.

Yes but hidden away in the description. The fact that they are REPRO should be highlighted in the title and, ideally, the stamps should be marked on the back 'REPRODUCTION'.

Here are similar from an Australian seller

1d Claret REPRO

and here is a link to one of the two lots:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224932976097?hash=item345f0cd5e1:g:iPcAAOSwMBZiVJSw

at least these have REPRO in the heading

[JonnyApproval]

IMHO the depressing things are the poz feedback and the "one of Ebays most reputable sellers".
The fact that these may be bought EVEN IF LABELLED AS REPROS by people intending to sell them on without any such troublesome labeling is even more depressing.

[Old Architect]

Ebay is deliberately destroying the stamp hobby by allowing this cr*p be sold WITHOUT being marked as FORGERY or FALSCH stamped on each reverse as they USED to. AND insisting they be marked as FORGERIES in each heading.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Italy-Nazi-1933-Stamps-MNH-Balbo- ... =true&rt=n

I couldn't agree more. I joined this board BECAUSE of forgeries, looking for honest folks with thoroughly proofed information. You were one of them. How many times can we inform FakeBay of forgeries?? It's a full-time job!!!!!!

[chrisb]

"Ebay is deliberately destroying the stamp hobby by allowing this cr*p be sold WITHOUT being marked as FORGERY or FALSCH stamped on each reverse as they USED to. AND insisting they be marked as FORGERIES in each heading."

Is there a philatelic traders' organisation anywhere in the world that insists on this?

[OldDuffer1]

He/she is still at it! Here is a value of the Canada Jubilee issue which wasn't even issued!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225271599755?hash=item34733bd28b: ... R8b344aZYQ

Here is eBay's stated policy: "For replica stamps, the listing’s title, description and photos must clearly state or show that the item is a replica"

It doesn't seem to require that they are marked on the back (is this a change from previous policies?). As mentioned previously is does state low down in the description:
"MNH**Mint Never Hinged Reproduction"

Are these genuine bids on these items?

Here is my Report to them:
"No clear description in title that this is a Reproduction. Item not marked on the reverse."

Will anything happen? No!

[The Pom]

I believe the requirement to mark the reverse was dropped some time ago.

[blue-within-blue]

I sent the seller a polite reminder of the rules, with a link to the Ebay policy. As on other similar topics, his response should show whether this is an inadvertent or deliberate breach of the policy. But in view of the multiple neutral / negative feedbacks he received from people who did not realise they were buying replicas, it seems very unlikely that this is an unwitting error. A legitimate seller would have realised he was confusing buyers and receiving criticism, and taken steps to prevent further misunderstandings.

ROB

[blue-within-blue]

And the not unexpected reply, which completely ignores what I wrote :

"Thanks for your message.
This is a reproduction as seen in the item description: "MNH**Mint Never Hinged Reproduction."
Thank you.
Best regards."

My message included the phrase "As clearly stated in the policy, all listings of replica/forgery stamps must state clearly in the TITLE AND PHOTOS as well as the description that they are replicas. The rules are published here:"

plus a link to the Stamps policy. So it seems clear that these are deliberate failures to comply.

ROB

[OldDuffer1]

Yes- No change to the listing. However, in the details it states "Place of Manufacture" as Canada- very unlikely I would say!

[norvic]

I believe the requirement to mark the reverse was dropped some time ago.

That certainly makes sense for self-adhesive stamps: mark the backing, and it's easily replaced. Mark the stamp...cover it with backing paper.

[The Pom]

I recollect there being some comments on the Board that people would be reluctant to bow to this requirement when it involved valuable Sperati material and the like.

Whether this sort of thing was fed back to ebay, I have no idea.

[blue-within-blue]

I think the key factor here is the lack of clarity in Ebay's previous and current Stamps policies. They both require sellers to identify "replicas", which I interpret as meaning the modern computer-printed worthless copies. In the philatelic world, there's a big difference between those and "classic" forgeries such as 1900 Spiros/Fourniers or a 1940s Sperati. But in the Ebay world, they make no distinction.

They further confuse the issue by saying, in the same policy, that all sales of counterfeit stamps are forbidden ; which I assume is intended to mean counterfeits of current postally-valid stamps, i.e. ones which could be used to defraud the mail carrier. But again, their badly worded definition appears to cover classic counterfeits too - hence many sellers of old forgeries describe their items in misleadingly vague terms, or with authenticity disclaimers.

I pointed out this policy confusion several years ago to Steve Halupka, the head of Stamps at Ebay USA, but as usual he did nothing.

ROB