Watch Out For Counterfeit USPS Forever Stamps On eBay

Liz Morton
Liz Morton


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eBay is seeing a current flood of counterfeit USPS Forever stamps listed on the marketplace as scammers look to make a quick buck from buyers trying to beat the postage increase in this week.

The real cost of a forever stamp went from $0.58 to $0.60 yesterday, along with increases in media mail and several other USPS services.

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An alert reader sent me this egregious example of a clearly suspicious eBay listing showing 200 Forever Stamps being sold by a low feedback seller in China at a very steep discount that works out to ~$0.20 each.

Odds of these being counterfeit stamps? 100% in my book. 👎

Espresso Drinks US Postage Stamps - Booklet of 20,coffee Flag————FROM USA,200PCS | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Espresso Drinks US Postage Stamps - Booklet of 20,coffee Flag————FROM USA,200PCS at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

I'm also seeing quite a few suspicious looking listings that show a US location on the listing, but the seller account is registered in another country.

Many of these accounts are registered in China but I'm also seeing quite a few in the UK as well, which makes me wonder if the scammers may possibly be using compromised accounts.

2018 US 2 Rolls of 200 American Flag FOREVER - Unopened! USA FREE SHIPPING | eBay
2018 US 2 Rolls of 100 American Flag FOREVER - Unopened! USA FREE SHIPPING

At the very least, I recommend always checking the seller's feedback page to see where the account is registered and what their feedback ratings say.

But honestly, what I really recommend is - don't buy Forever Stamps on eBay or other 3rd party marketplaces, period.

It's clear eBay is not policing their site and taking appropriate action to protect buyers from these scams, so the best advice I can honestly give is to completely steer clear of them and only purchase stamps from USPS verified and approved vendors.

More info from the United States Postal Inspection Service:

Counterfeit Stamps - USPIS
To ensure your trusted communication arrives without delay, the Postal Inspection Service wants you to be aware of--and avoid phony postage.

Have you purchased stamps on eBay or other marketplace you later discovered were fake? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!

eBayUSPSFraud

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Liz Morton is a seasoned ecommerce pro with 17 years of online marketplace sales experience, providing commentary, analysis & news about eBay, Etsy, Amazon, Shopify & more at Value Added Resource!