Film, Media & TV4 mins ago
Re-using an un-franked postage stamp?
44 Answers
While browsing eBay I found a listing (several listings in fact) for batches of un-franked postage stamps - from letters that have been through the postal system but have no visible cancellation sign on them.
I mentioned this unusual listing to my cousin and he said that stamps are now cancelled using a frank that is invisible to the naked eye, so you cannot tell if the stamp has been cancelled or not.
Anyhoo, my question is - are eBay sellers lawfully allowed to sell these stamps? And do you think my cousin is right about invisible franking?
I mentioned this unusual listing to my cousin and he said that stamps are now cancelled using a frank that is invisible to the naked eye, so you cannot tell if the stamp has been cancelled or not.
Anyhoo, my question is - are eBay sellers lawfully allowed to sell these stamps? And do you think my cousin is right about invisible franking?
Answers
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Mrs C:
While it's obvious that those advertisers are trying to encourage fraud, it might be hard to prove it (beyond reasonable doubt) in a court of law.
An advertiser could say "I fully accept that most of the other people who were advertising such stamps were likely to be encouraging fraud. I even accept that it would be possible for someone who purchased stamps from me to use them fraudulently. However my advert specifically stated that I was only selling the stamps as collectors' items and that was my sole intention"
Even though every juror could easily see through that statement, the law would require them to deliver a 'not guilty' verdict as long as the defence could show that it introduced 'reasonable doubt' against the prosecution's case.
Chris
While it's obvious that those advertisers are trying to encourage fraud, it might be hard to prove it (beyond reasonable doubt) in a court of law.
An advertiser could say "I fully accept that most of the other people who were advertising such stamps were likely to be encouraging fraud. I even accept that it would be possible for someone who purchased stamps from me to use them fraudulently. However my advert specifically stated that I was only selling the stamps as collectors' items and that was my sole intention"
Even though every juror could easily see through that statement, the law would require them to deliver a 'not guilty' verdict as long as the defence could show that it introduced 'reasonable doubt' against the prosecution's case.
Chris
EBay are usually very hot on NOT selling anything which is illegal - if you sell a film or similar, messages pop up asking you to be sure that you are not breaking the law. I am sure that if this was illegal, then eBay would not let anyone sell them.
Surely many ordinary people have from time to time thought "ooh bonus, unfranked stamp" - peeled it off and used it again?
Surely many ordinary people have from time to time thought "ooh bonus, unfranked stamp" - peeled it off and used it again?
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If I have ever seen someone take a stamp off an envelope, I have never seen them wash them - my old Dad used to tell me about steaming them off with a kettle but that was in the days before self-adhestive stamps. I would have thought that it's relatively easy just to peel the stamp off the envelope, if anyone was so minded? Perhaps we should all try it if we get a franked stamp in our mail tomorrow, and report back? BTW I save all my used stamps for charity - Age Concern take them - so I have plenty of franked stamps on which one could undertake a research project ;-)
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