"Ban the fakes completely."
Fakes are banned.
Replicas are not fakes. About forty years ago, replicas of Canadian stamps were produced by Jerry Parker and marketed by Kasimir Bileski. Each replica contained one ounce of silver. They typically sell for $20 to $40 each today.
I think it is important to understand the difference between "replica" and fakes or forgeries.
The official policy for "stamps" listings can be found here:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/currstamps.html
Listings for stamps must follow these guidelines:
Include all relevant information that you know about the item, such as origin, date of issue, and condition.
Include clear pictures of the actual item being sold. Stock photos and images that are dark, out of focus, edited, or misleading aren't allowed.
All flaws or alterations to the item being sold that can't be seen in the pictures must be specified in the description of the listing.
Include all information about any alterations that may have been made to the item.
Individually identify every item listed to avoid misunderstandings about what is for sale.
Don't make false or misleading claims of sales scarcity, value, condition or investment potential.
Not allowed :
Counterfeit stamps
Equipment for making counterfeit stamps
@femmefan1946 wrote:When there was a separate Canadian Stamp Museum, they had an Inverted Seaway on display (screwed down under plastic). It got stolen regularly.
And the staff got out the exacto-knife and made another.
Just goes to prove that ya can'r cure stupid.
It is also important to make a distinction between "fake" or "forgery" and reprints.
Reprints are quite legitimate, most of the time.
I forgot to say, I was looking at the copies and the honest dealers sell them for what they are, novelties, album fillers, etc. They are marked on the back as such.
Other sellers, well, they hide a word in the title and do not mention anything in the description. Yeah, right.
At some level it is "so what?". It has been said that there are more 1969 Camaro RS/SS's running around today than Chevy ever built. You can build an entire car from aftermarket parts including the body. In the car business they do not use words like: fake, copy, faux, etc. They use the word "tribute". Every seller keeps hoping for that one sucker who does not know what tribute means.
