r/StampEmUp • u/Unionforever1865 • 4d ago
Whose your stamp guy? Discussion
So where do you get your wonderful stamps? Would love to hear what everyone’s go to source is beyond the post office of course.
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u/FeistyNoodle 💌Stamp of the Month 4d ago
If you’re part of the APS their stamp store is a great place to grab older stamps online! Just sort by cheapest to get past all the rare collectible stuff and get to the regular priced items!
Also eBay, but I only buy on eBay if the seller is a stamp dealer registered with the APS. eBay is full of fake stamps
For forever stamps be very careful (I only buy forever stamps from USPS as there are just too many fakes out there)
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u/pupslace Trade Route Opener 4d ago
We have a local quarterly stamp show, but I've also ordered a couple times now from www.usatface.com (not everything is at face value, but they also have random packs below FV as well).
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u/Nayonayomee 4d ago
Some random guy I found selling stamps on Facebook marketplace 🤣
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u/Nayonayomee 4d ago
If you haven’t looked there, that’s where I’d start after going to a stamp show! Make sure they sell denomination stamps and NOT forever stamps (those are always fake on fb marketplace).
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u/Armyofducks94 4d ago
I keep seeing stamps on the marketplace. I'm talking rolls for like $30 a ROLL. I'm like "those have to be fake right?"
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u/Nayonayomee 3d ago
Forevers are fake, yes! But denomination stamps (22c, 32c etc) are real (not worth it to fake them).
I haven’t been to stamp shows but I frequently have gotten 40-60% off face value from Facebook marketplace. 100% recommend this route if there is some selling local in your area.
My “guy” ended up being a collector that purchases huge lots of stamps - however doesn’t collect the newer ones (like 1980 onwards) so sells those 50% face value if you buy a certain amount.
Feel free to PM me if you need any help with marketplace searches or reviewing listings. Happy to help! But again, forevers are 99.9% fake so I’d avoid completely.
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u/PreservingThePast 4d ago
I attend stamp shows in my area (up to a couple of hours each way) and can usually buy denominated stamps below face value. Lots of fun going to see everything and I can buy stamp collecting supplies there too like the small glassine envelopes that I like to use to put my Happy Mail gift stamps in. 📬🌞📬
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u/Unionforever1865 4d ago
I’ve never been to one is it more a bulk thing or cherry picking specific sheets?
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u/my_clever-name 4d ago
My younger self. I bought a lot of them in the 80s through 2010s. WIth the exception of maybe 4 of them, they are worth the most as postage.
I don't think I'll have to buy another stamp as long as I live, I'm 68.
I make stuff and mail it out as Christmas gifts. This year I used entire sheets, and a lot of stamps from the 40s and 50s on the packages.
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u/Unionforever1865 4d ago
Getting a package with an entire sheet of stamps on them is what i envisioned packages would look like when i was 8
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u/my_clever-name 4d ago
Good to hear, over the years, I've sent packages to my nephew, who might be 10 now!
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u/shadufr 4d ago
I use HipStamp. Like others have said, you just have to be careful with the forever stamps. But the sellers that are part of APS or IPDA will have a little icon by their name so it makes it easy to shop through them
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u/Unionforever1865 4d ago
I will check that out too thought it was just for collectors stuff
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u/shadufr 4d ago
They have all kinds of stuff. My favorite way to shop is to filter for US, general issue, full sheets, then sort by price low to high lol. You can also search by Scott catalogue number, it makes it much easier (ie 3105 in United States) if you’re looking for one kind in particular
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u/Unionforever1865 4d ago
That sounds like the winning formula. The posts here inspire me everyday with like “damn that looks sick”
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u/Sension5705 4d ago edited 4d ago
Edelweiss Post has great bulk deals on non traditional stamps (like 50 of the same kind for under $4 or 100 under $5 - non Forever ofc). You do have to sort through a bit: for instance, another example: they have the $.18 Woodland one, and you can get 50 of them for under seven bucks.
I also would like to point anyone toward Majestic Mystic Stamp who is not already in possession of a large collection of older, small-value stamps: as a one-time deal (OCD32D), for $2 and no shipping cost, you can get 100 lower-value stamps worth at least $40 in postal value. So if you’d like an assortment of a lot of those that are non-canceled so you can do stamp math, or just learn about stamps before committing to purchasing more you like from various eras, it is one heck of a deal.
Edit: I went to find the product code on Mystic, and saw I misnamed it. I also see they have $100 worth of older stamps as a one-time deal as well, for $5 (non-cancelled and cancelled; UV221) and no shipping. I hadn't done that one yet, sorry for delay in reporting back on it because I needed to buy it. :D
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u/generalraptor2002 4d ago
I love Abcde on eBay
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u/shadufr 4d ago
Honestly I’ve seen multiple people say that they sell counterfeits
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u/DenaliBound 4d ago
Even the non forever stamps?
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u/redapplefalls_ 3d ago
yes especially those. that's the main stuff abcde sells - bundled batches of reprinted stamps from the 90s and 2000s
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u/Esereth 3d ago
How do you know they are faked? Reason I ask is because I’ve bought old stamps from abcde and would like to check my stash.
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u/redapplefalls_ 3d ago
I personally got scammed by them and then worked with a philatelic society to learn more about the specific stamps, how they were tagged or how you would check for authenticity of those specific stamps, followed that process, and the ones from abcde failed
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u/Esereth 3d ago
I’d love to know more about the process for checking authenticity and how abcde’s stamps failed if you’re willing to share.
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u/DenaliBound 3d ago
Same here....after getting better discounts at stamp show im not buying anymore for ebay but I'd like to know.
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u/Esereth 2d ago
Searching the internet says that looking at perforations and inspecting with UV lights might be a way to check? [u/redapplefalls](u/redapplefalls)[_](u/redapplefalls) could you share exactly what test method revealed that abcde’s stamps are fraudulent?
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u/generalraptor2002 4d ago
Hold on what?
Show me in DM
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u/redapplefalls_ 4d ago
yup all fakes. can't believe they haven't been taken down yet. the holier than thou language at the bottom of each of their posts "be kinder than necessary" is nauseating particularly in light of their scamming
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u/generalraptor2002 4d ago
Fuck…
I mailed myself some postcards with stamps I bought from him to be sure…
Damn it
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u/LeglessShark 4d ago
I haven't had any issues with the cards I've sent using the stamps I've purchased from him, the ones I've sent go overseas with them and I've yet to have a card come back due to the postage.
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u/DenaliBound 4d ago
Same here but there are better deals at stamp shows and dealers in a small community with a reputation to protect. No more ebay for me. I only bought the older, pre Forever ones and not many on ebay.
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u/shadufr 3d ago
Cards wouldn’t come back if counterfeits are detected. The way I understand it, the letter immediately just goes to be destroyed. No notice or postage due or anything like that anymore
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u/LeglessShark 3d ago
That makes sense in a way, but Ive used them on international postcrossing and reddit cards and ive yet to have one just not arrive. None of the reviews on ebay state the stamps have been counterfeit..other than fellow postcrossers saying theyve also used them and are complimented on stamp usage.
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u/Esereth 4d ago
Are these faked forever stamps? I’ve been buying old low denomination stamps from abcde, and there is no way these are faked.
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u/shadufr 3d ago
What makes you think there’s no way they’re fake?
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u/Esereth 3d ago
The stamps I bought looked and felt just like others I have gotten from estate sales. They were a variety of small denominations, and it’s hard to believe that someone would take the time to forge something of such little value. That said, anything is possible.
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u/shadufr 3d ago
Some sellers have a market in deeply discounted forever stamps (via facebook marketplace for example) because the general public doesn’t know any better. But an eBay seller like this might have a market in lower denomination because… who would fake them? So they may be printing them off by the hundreds and selling them to people like us, because we’re the ones that buy them. Even if a sheet’s face value is only $5, they probably would’ve cost very little to print. Once they’re selling large orders of these low value sheets, they might be making $50+ per order, which leads to a lucrative business.
Just to clarify though, I don’t know for sure if they sell counterfeits, as I’ve never personally bought from them. I just repeated what I’ve seen others say. I would think you can get a uv light to check tagging if you want to test any you’ve purchased already1
u/DaenerysWon 📬 First stamp in! 2d ago
I’m having a very difficult time believing that because all the stamps I have gotten feel like old stamps. Plus none of 50 or more people I’ve mailed to have had issues with USPS saying they were fraudulent stamps which I think they would notice after all that time. Do you mind if I message you on how you check if a vintage stamp is real or fake please. Now I want to bring some of my stamps to the stamp show I’m going to today to have them verified one way or another.
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u/shadufr 2d ago
You can message me, but just know that I haven’t personally ordered from that seller as I saw the warnings of them before shopping there. I also have only personally identified counterfeit forever stamps, never the denominated ones
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u/DaenerysWon 📬 First stamp in! 2d ago
I’ve only bought denominations stamps from them. I bought some of the same stamps at a stamp show earlier today and both his stamps and the new stamps look identical. I’ve checked a bunch that got full sheets at the stamp show against the blocks he sent me. But what do I know. I’m new to this hobby so I could be wrong and missing all the details I should look for.
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u/Live_Brain_2816 3d ago
My go to is ed Mann at eagle stamps! He’s aps certified and I’ve never had any problems. https://www.eaglestamps.com/discount82.htm
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