Mad bidders on worthless eBay stamp lots

The Pom · Post by **The Pom** » 19 Nov 2015 05:27

The seller is a Board member, I've dealt with him on a number of occasions - 100% legit.

He emailed again this morning to tell me he's sending it to the top bidder for free.

julesjelev · Post by **julesjelev** » 20 Nov 2015 06:58

The Pom wrote:Oh dear.

Modern copy, which even has "FAUX" (French for "False" or "Fake") written on it (below the 10).

Seventeen bids, £164 final price.

"Faux" unfortunately means nothing to me, as I am sure, to many other Canadians, although French is the second main language in the country.

And this reminds me of a joke we were telling in Bulgaria to mock the Bulgarian police:

An italian tourist asks directions from two Bulgarian cops. After he realizes his Italian will get him nowhere, he asks the cops if they speak English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese....

The cops kept on shaking their heads. So the tourist couldn't get any help from them and walked away.

Then one of the cops asked the other one:
"I think we have to start studying a foreign language, don't you think?"

"Naaah," replied the second one. "Did you see how many languages that Italian knew and he still got nowhere!"

Rob1956 · Post by **Rob1956** » 20 Nov 2015 14:29

Was the faux stamp given free to the highest bidder or was the £164 ($348) too good a temptation to pass by?

The Pom · Post by **The Pom** » 20 Nov 2015 18:53

Rob1956 wrote:Was the faux stamp given free to the highest bidder or was the £164 ($348) too good a temptation to pass by?

Read my post at the top of the page - 2 posts above yours.

Rob1956 · Post by **Rob1956** » 21 Nov 2015 04:52

Thanks, how did I miss that?

theswedishtiger · Post by **theswedishtiger** » 24 Nov 2015 01:38

What on earth is going on here? Some middling Falklands, worth £1-£2, bid up to £33!!?

Maybe someone mistakenly thought a South Georgia postmark was rare?

aethelwulf · Post by **aethelwulf** » 24 Nov 2015 02:24

theswedishtiger wrote:
What on earth is going on here? Some middling Falklands, worth £1-£2, bid up to £33!!?
Maybe someone mistakenly thought a South Georgia postmark was rare?

It takes at least 2 to make an auction, so there has to be more than just 1 mistaken bidder.

flip138 · Post by **flip138** » 24 Nov 2015 06:04

In that Falkland Islands lot, the 2d map stamp has the SG-listed flaw "Extra dot by oval", G3d, catalogued at £180 / £200 even back in 2009.

Phil

stampogre · Post by **stampogre** » 24 Nov 2015 06:32

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141820446040, GERMANY BAVARIA - 1870 3k RED - COMPLETE GUTTER SHEET OF 60 - MNH

Don't know if the sheet adds a lot of value to the stamps. But I think this is 1875 with horizontal wavy line wide apart. The sheet with tears in the left corner

was sold for £118.

The Pom · Post by **The Pom** » 07 Mar 2016 19:03

A poorly centred copy of Luxembourg SG 173b, catalogue value £3.25. Real world value probably 10% of that.

Sold for US$13.47 for reasons which are unclear to me.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Luxembourg-Scott-96-1915-/401079711662

vikingeck · Post by **vikingeck** » 07 Mar 2016 21:06

On the Luxembourg item, Scott prices hinged mint at a mere 0.70 cents.

However two collectors went for this one so there must be some significance.

Both Scott and Gibbons illustrate the surcharge "/" stopping level with the base of the small "2" . This one seems to have a longer extended "/" can that be the reason?

The Pom · Post by **The Pom** » 08 Mar 2016 18:54

vikingeck wrote: Both Scott and Gibbons illustrate the surcharge "/" stopping level with the base of the small "2" . This one seems to have a longer extended "/" can that be the reason?

It's not listed in my Prifix (Luxembourg specialised) catalogue.

I looked at a few examples in my stock & the fraction bar length is rather variable, but nothing you'd get excited about.

aethelwulf · Post by **aethelwulf** » 08 Mar 2016 19:23

vikingeck wrote:Both Scott and Gibbons illustrate the surcharge "/" stopping level with the base of the small "2" . This one seems to have a longer extended "/" can that be the reason?

If one were so inclined, it would be time to get out a Sharpie and 'upgrade' a few overprints.

But then, Luxembourg probably doesn't have the same collector base that Australia does, so it wouldn't be as easy as pawning off faked 'Man with Tail' varieties.

The Pom · Post by **The Pom** » 13 Jun 2016 09:03

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Australia-Western-Australia-Queen- ... 2264682046

£30 for this seems a touch excessive....

To be fair to the seller, he gives plenty of warning:

AUSTRALIA - WESTERN AUSTRALIA QUEEN VICTORIA ONE PENNY BLACK USED

A used one penny black imperf stamp issued in 1854. This is the first stamp to be issued by Western Australia. Looking at the stamp it has the correct swan watermark on the back. However the printing is very crisp for this type of stamp and is the postmark correct? I have not had this stamp authenticated but if it is genuine it is truly an amazing example with four very large margins. I am afraid I will have to leave the decision with bidders. SG 1 cat £275 (2015).

fromdownunder · Post by **fromdownunder** » 13 Jun 2016 09:55

This could be a Peter Winter forgery.

Norm

CMJ · Post by **CMJ** » 30 Apr 2018 22:11

This thread has had all the remaining photobucket images upgraded and has been preserved forever.

The Pom · Post by **The Pom** » 30 Nov 2018 18:51

Oh dear.......

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kangaroo-5-5-Specimen-Both-Unused ... 2730678745

From the description:

These Stamps were never in Circulation. Several years ago, I listed 4 of these. Stamps. I Had 6 of them.
Every one was asking for more information. The consensus from every source agreed that they were meant to be circulated but for some reason they never were. It would appear that only one sheet survived, and the rest were destroyed.

HalfpennyYellow · Post by **HalfpennyYellow** » 30 Nov 2018 20:45

The Pom wrote:Oh dear.......

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kangaroo-5-5-Specimen-Both-Unused ... 2730678745

From the description:

These Stamps were never in Circulation. Several years ago, I listed 4 of these. Stamps. I Had 6 of them.
Every one was asking for more information. The consensus from every source agreed that they were meant to be circulated but for some reason they never were. It would appear that only one sheet survived, and the rest were destroyed.

The listing seems to have been deleted. The eBay link does not work and I couldn't find it when I searched the seller's completed listings.

The Pom · Post by **The Pom** » 01 Dec 2018 10:46

Presumably the listing was pulled by one of ebay's team of dedicated philatelic experts, toiling tirelessly away to protect us from fraud.....

Machaggis52 · Post by **Machaggis52** » 27 Dec 2018 11:42

sherro wrote:How the hell can you mis-spell the F word?

My thoughts also. If you were calling someone an abydocomist, or a scobberlotcher, then one could indeed cock up the spelling, but the 'F' word? Never.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/61819/42-old-english-insults

footystamps · Post by **footystamps** » 24 Nov 2019 16:12

Does ebay have any regulations (or ethical considerations) on

1 Posting an accurate description of an auction
What does "Booklet of 10 $1 fair Dinkum Aussie Alphabet D Stamps Lot of 20". Does this mean 20 of the booklets ie 200 $1 stamps

2 Posting a image that reflects the item for sale
The image shows 3 booklets

At least it is a scanned image rather than a distorted image taken with a phone

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Booklet-of-10-1-fair-Dinkum-Aussie- ... 1967400892

Why would anyone pay $305 when you can buy them online from Australia Post? It also seems a massive jump from $1 to $300.

Global Administrator · Post by **Global Administrator** » 24 Nov 2019 16:21

footystamps wrote:
Why would anyone pay $305 when you can buy them online from Australia Post? It also seems a massive jump from $1 to $300.

Because the combined IQ of these 2 morons does not reach double digits perhaps?

Allanswood · Post by **Allanswood** » 24 Nov 2019 17:39

The item is a "Chequebook" of 10 booklets stapled together.
The images are straight off the AusPost website.

The new seller has only sold 1 item and the person who bought it not surprisingly has a feedback of 22. So do both bidders.

Face value of $200 already at $305? Makes you wonder...

A Helmich · Post by **A Helmich** » 24 Nov 2019 20:18

footystamps wrote:Does ebay have any regulations (or ethical considerations) on

1 Posting an accurate description of an auction
What does "Booklet of 10 $1 fair Dinkum Aussie Alphabet D Stamps Lot of 20". Does this mean 20 of the booklets ie 200 $1 stamps

2 Posting a image that reflects the item for sale
The image shows 3 booklets

At least it is a scanned image rather than a distorted image taken with a phone

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Booklet-of-10-1-fair-Dinkum-Aussie- ... 1967400892

Why would anyone pay $305 when you can buy them online from Australia Post? It also seems a massive jump from $1 to $300.

Allanswood wrote:The item is a "Chequebook" of 10 booklets stapled together.
The images are straight off the AusPost website.

The new seller has only sold 1 item and the person who bought it not surprisingly has a feedback of 22. So do both bidders.

Face value of $200 already at $305? Makes you wonder...

Stop wondering.

Chinese organised criminal gang selling fake designer goods.

The seller and the bidders are fake accounts. They are building up the feedback score for the accounts at no cost. (The transaction will never take place but ebay still allows glowing feedback to be placed on cancelled sales.)

There are several hundred fake current accounts linked with these three accounts which took me 20 minutes to find.

Global Administrator wrote:Because the combined IQ of these 2 morons does not reach double digits perhaps?

A quick guess is $1000 000 a year for 20 years (Yes it has been going that long for this criminal)
Deduct 10% for the knock-offs and 10% for ebay fees and you get $16 000 000.

Maybe their IQ is higher than double digits although ebay fraud detectors certainly don't reach those figures.

Ebay derives a significant portion of it's income from these fraud rings and from the associated money laundering. Ebay has been designing the system to make these organised criminal gangs harder to detect because it is profitable to ebay.

footystamps · Post by **footystamps** » 24 Nov 2019 21:53

That certainly puts a new swing on it and explains why the low feedback by seller and bidders, the poor description which is difficult to understand, photo lifted from Australia Post, the totally unrealistic price and the jump from $1 to $305.

I have been following with interest the "Fake Tasmania Imperfs on Ebay - NSW seller" Posts and assumed that scams would be about predecimal issues.
https://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=85476

Caveat emptor is truer than ever on ebay and presumably other auction sites.

Thanks for the information A Helmich, Allanswood and Glen.

Paul

watcher101 · Post by **watcher101** » 24 Nov 2019 22:09

The price jump itself is what you normally expect on ebay given the bidding history.

Quite simply, the first bidder has bid an amount of $300+++.

After he placed this bid, the second bidder (possibly a shill bidder) came in with a top bid of $300.

As the first bidder had a higher bid, his bid is still there but it was pushed up to $300 plus the $5 bidding increment.

As a result the current bid is naturally at $305.

This is as it should be normally.

As to the possibility that there is collusion between the bidders and the seller, well that is another matter totally.

The Pom · Post by **The Pom** » 28 Dec 2019 18:57

Oh dear. It looks like Ray Charles & Stevie Wonder got into a bidding war.......

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Australia-1-pound-kangaroo-stamp-/163924186326

MJ's pet · Post by **MJ's pet** » 29 Dec 2019 11:09

The Pom wrote:https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Australia-Western-Australia-Queen- ... 2264682046

£30 for this seems a touch excessive....

To be fair to the seller, he gives plenty of warning:

AUSTRALIA - WESTERN AUSTRALIA QUEEN VICTORIA ONE PENNY BLACK USED

A used one penny black imperf stamp issued in 1854. This is the first stamp to be issued by Western Australia. Looking at the stamp it has the correct swan watermark on the back. However the printing is very crisp for this type of stamp and is the postmark correct? I have not had this stamp authenticated but if it is genuine it is truly an amazing example with four very large margins. I am afraid I will have to leave the decision with bidders. SG 1 cat £275 (2015).

Yes, a forgery - or better described as an old reproduction. Probably Spiro - link here:

https://stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4232

The seller does have plenty of wiggle room as you say.

Global Administrator · Post by **Global Administrator** » 30 Dec 2019 03:03

The Pom wrote:Oh dear. It looks like Ray Charles & Stevie Wonder got into a bidding war.......

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Australia-1-pound-kangaroo-stamp-/163924186326

$A500 for a blurry unwatermarked photocopy on blotting paper and ''perforated'' with a blunt hatpin. I'll sell them a GENUINE stamp for near that!

Glen

Even the brain-dead ebay cretins usually will not go that high.

psestamp · Post by **psestamp** » 11 Jan 2020 16:22

Global Administrator wrote:
Even the brain-dead ebay cretins usually will not go that high.

Unfortunately there are bargin hunters on eBay that look at the catalog value and not the stamp.

I have seen (and I know you have also) people who by the cat value and feel great when they
get the stamp for 2% or 4% when the stamp is misidentified (or fake) and not worth
anything close to what they paid.

At the stamp show today (ORCOPEX) a very VERY well known dealer was talking to a new
dealer..... He said that until you have lost $10,000 you haven't started learning yet.

I want to think that isn't true but unfortunately..... it probably is.

erich · Post by **erich** » 17 Jan 2020 00:41

It's not just eBay...here are mad bidders on worthless Goodwill lots.

https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Item/84133407

Listing says "Postage Stamps Sheets Envelopes +Facsimiles"
$802 with 4+ days left. I see a bunch of junk, but people are bidding because of this:

These are the facsimiles of FDC's; it even says so in the pic if you look carefully.

Princestamps · Post by **Princestamps** » 17 Jan 2020 10:45

The Pom wrote:Oh dear. It looks like Ray Charles & Stevie Wonder got into a bidding war.......

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Australia-1-pound-kangaroo-stamp-/163924186326

Ray Charles died in 2004

MJ's pet · Post by **MJ's pet** » 17 Jan 2020 12:53

psestamp wrote:At the stamp show today (ORCOPEX) a very VERY well known dealer was talking to a new dealer..... He said that until you have lost $10,000 you haven't started learning yet.

Global Administrator · Post by **Global Administrator** » 17 Jan 2020 22:03

erich wrote:It's not just eBay...here are mad bidders on worthless Goodwill lots.

https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Item/84133407

Listing says "Postage Stamps Sheets Envelopes +Facsimiles"
$802 with 4+ days left. I see a bunch of junk, but people are bidding because of this:

These are the facsimiles of FDC's; it even says so in the pic if you look carefully.

That Zepp cover would certainly fool me on a first glance. Scary fakes out there.

erich · Post by **erich** » 18 Jan 2020 09:29

Global Administrator wrote: That Zepp cover would certainly fool me on a first glance. Scary fakes out there.

Me too! It looks like a real cover in that photo...and some people are bidding like it is, even though the seller mentioned the presence of facsimiles in the lot. God only knows what people would be bidding if someone had those on eBay with "Don't know anything about stamps. Found these in my Uncle Mike's attic!" as the description.

MJ's pet · Post by **MJ's pet** » 01 Feb 2020 13:25

A new offering from the guy who offered the fake colour-copied 1 Pound Brown and Blue Kangaroo.

stanjoe54 from POLAND of all reputable places now brings you the GB 1 Pound

:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Great-Britain-Queen-Victoria-1-pound-1891/164044690303

ViccyVFU · Post by **ViccyVFU** » 02 Feb 2020 08:31

MJ's pet wrote:A new offering from the guy who offered the fake colour-copied 1 Pound Brown and Blue Kangaroo.

stanjoe54 from POLAND of all reputable places now brings you the GB 1 Pound :

Yep (with several hours to go on the listing) you could report that, using "Report this item"

..... except that would hurt eBays business model "for their income stream", so you can't .....

That's Ebay - "The illusion of customer service"

erich · Post by **erich** » 02 Feb 2020 09:05

At least the bidders aren't going crazy over it; it's under $10. Still, worth $0...

MJ's pet · Post by **MJ's pet** » 02 Feb 2020 13:23

So ViccyVFU, eBay would not accept the report??

deltic1575 · Post by **deltic1575** » 02 Feb 2020 20:25

In the description he does state "Because I am not able to recognize is this stamp is genuine or no/ I am no philatelist/ ,
please treate this stamp as forgery."

ViccyVFU · Post by **ViccyVFU** » 02 Feb 2020 21:47

MJ's pet wrote:So ViccyVFU, eBay would not accept the report??

Correct. It would not accept the number it gave me, and left me no field to "guess" another.

Known as "the impossible correction", its quite widely used to suppress feedback.

Any other path I used to report it to eBay "can safely me ignored", as it will not reach the requisite "three reports" for them to actually action it.

deltic1575 wrote:In the description he does state "Because I am not able to recognize is this stamp is genuine or no/ I am no philatelist/ ,
please treate this stamp as forgery."

eBays listing policy for forgeries states they must be "indelibly marked on the back".

If you are saying that "ignorance is an excuse", and that you can bypass their "strict

" policy by claiming you are unsure, then effectively "eBay have no policy", as every bunny that has bought an unmarked replica before the policy became "effective

" will also be able to list their stamp "without back marking".

And if they can list their stamp without marking, why penalise others that came later to the game?

It should have been back marked, or delisted..... Strike against the vendor, three strikes in three months and you get a three month suspension - that sort of thing.

But income, being income for eBay, makes it "harder to report a forgery, than to list one", so really "nothing has changed at all".

Credit cards are "jointly on the hook" when you buy a duff item with their card.

Maybe its time for vendor platforms to be jointly on the hook when they peddle unmarked forgeries?

Perhaps then, they will take it seriously.

Global Administrator · Post by **Global Administrator** » 02 Feb 2020 21:58

ViccyVFU wrote:
Correct. It would not accept the number it gave me, and left me no field to "guess" another.

Known as "the impossible correction", its quite widely used to suppress feedback.

Any other path I used to report it to eBay "can safely me ignored", as it will not reach the requisite "three reports" for them to actually action it.

I have experienced this before with the UK site - weird.

HOWEVER when I changed page to be the Australia (.com.au) link, reports WERE possible and doubtless the USA site will work as well?

Handy for folks to know.

So for those listing up links of dodgy stuff on ebay UK, seeking others to report please use the .com extension when posting the link.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Great-Britain-Queen-Victoria-1-pound-1891/164044690303

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Great-Britain-Queen-Victoria-1-pound-1891/164044690303

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Great-Britain-Queen-Victoria-1-pound-1891/164044690303

This arrogant ebay shady spiv tomhamtom keeps offering this rebacked and rebuilt 2d pair on ebay, for many $100s with painted in fake watermarks - report it please -

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1840-PAIR-FOUR-MARGINS-PL-1-TWOPE ... 4147206396

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1840-PAIR-FOUR-MARGINS-PL-1-TWOPENC ... 4147206396

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1840-PAIR-FOUR-MARGINS-PL-1-TWOP ... 4147206396

ViccyVFU · Post by **ViccyVFU** » 02 Feb 2020 22:43

Thanks Sheriff, good to know. Its quite frustrating trying to report anything, so every trick and workaround certainly helps

Just finishing off the fake pound ...

It raised £26 plus carriage (around £30 in all).
The item they will receive is worth less than £5.

So, who bought it?

The person with 7000 feedback buys a lot of German stuff (and reads German listings).
Looking at their bidding history, I think that was the last "expert / dealer" in the bid list.

The person who made the final winning bid "made three" in the last minute of the sale, implying "live, from the UK" (again, from their bidding history). This is classic bunny frenzy "in at the kill", and a technique they have used for around half their bids in the last six months.

"The sort of person you'd want as a customer, but not as a friend, or vendor".

If they do tuck it away for 10 years, and eBay tighten up their policy on forgeries (making re-listing impossible in unaltered state), then they have kicked an expensive ball way down the road.... for the estate to "pick up and be disappointed" later.

I see this maybe 20 times a year. (I'd be surprised if the Sheriff didn't see it weekly, if not daily).

So sad to see (but filters stop me typing what "the little voice is saying in my head, every time I see it"

).

erich · Post by **erich** » 03 Feb 2020 08:20

Someone buys it (and similar superficially nice-looking rubbish), puts it in a mount and adds it to their GB collection. Some relative or estate handler who knows nothing about stamps thinks they hit the lottery some years later.

traralgon3844 · Post by **traralgon3844** » 16 Mar 2020 23:49

More mad bidders on worthless Kangaroos.

I think most of us know where these 2 Kangaroos come from; the 1972 ANPEX sheet that also had a facsimile 5 bob bridge.

No water mark should have should have set off the alarm bells, so perhaps they are just chancing it.

You would think a seller like momenstamps with 35,000 feedback and who is selling plenty of other identified Kangaroo lots would know better.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/202927294262

The value of these toned looking dogs is essentially zero. The $177.50 US equates to $289.67 Au.

erich · Post by **erich** » 17 Mar 2020 07:51

I would expect someone with that much experience selling stamps to either know about this sheet, or at least realize unwatermarked genuine Roos are not possible, so know something isn't right even if he isn't sure exactly what he has.

fromdownunder · Post by **fromdownunder** » 17 Mar 2020 08:22

traralgon3844 wrote:The value of these toned looking dogs is essentially zero. The $177.50 US equates to $289.67 Au.

These worthless ANPEX 1972 Kangaroo reprints sold for $276.00 (AUD452.38 ) after several snipe bids. I believe that a number of these pulled from the sheets have honoured this, and other threads over the years.

Here is the full sheet for those reading this thread who don't know what it is:

As others have said, a huge firm like Momen should know better (AS SHOULD THE STUPID BUYER - who should take most of the blame). Perhaps they are hiring work experience students as their valuers?

Norm

erich · Post by **erich** » 18 Jun 2020 18:24

Do not buy a US Scott 315 single without a certificate. Certainly don't pay $660 for an "as-is" one. 304's come with large margins and CV is $2.25, so it is tempting for some people to clip the perfs off and make a "315".

https://www.ebay.com/itm/US-STAMPS-315-5c-Lincoln-used-imper ... _cvip=true

Allanswood · Post by **Allanswood** » 18 Jun 2020 19:03

I wonder what the reason for not taking the last 0.2mm off the bottom margin was? They've left what certainly look like tell tale perf trims behind.

The Pom · Post by **The Pom** » 11 Jul 2020 03:57

One for this thread and the dreamers' thread at the same time. The stamp is not the Thin Fraction variety.

$Thin fraction? No!$: Thin fraction? No!

This is what they think they've got:

$Thin fraction variety$: Thin fraction variety