Used stamps exchanges.

Some discussions about CTOs and more recently about the ratings made me think that maybe we have to update the rules?

CTOs and definitives are very different from each other but when it comes to exchanges in this club most people say No to them. Obviously they are stamps and they have their own place but only a few people here accept them.

CTOs are not really used and the definitives are too common.

My question is if we should add this rule?: No CTOs, No definitives, No mint, unless specifically requested.

And is it more clearer if we say "postally used commemorative stamps"?

Hi, I have a question and comment about this (old) topic. I have received a lot with quite a few definitives. The lot is fully correct according the 100 stamps-rules. Do you give this a 4 or 5 stars rating?
And as I am a "new" collector, I am simply not always able to fulfill the requests of the other members. It would not be fair if I could only send stamps according the profile, or else would get a low rating. But that is my humble opinion.

it could be nice, yes, to be able to refuse an address if based on the profile you receive you think it´s better :) it would just mean you have less options to send, eventually will send and receive less and that is no harm to anyone. the only thing i see could be a problem that if someone has very demanding profile, a lot of people will refuse it... maybe when your address has been refused, a message could be sent informing that and that you could check your profile and/or you may have to wait a bit longer before you receive ^^

I read this interesting (old) discussion and I see it turned out that there should not be special rules for CTOs/definitives, that is ok. But I would like to remember the interesting suggestion from Lipp: if you pick a member who exclusively asks for stamps you don't have, wouldn't it be possible to ask for another member. Otherwise you have to send stamps taht your partner does not really like and you probably get a negative rating, so both partners are not happy.

hi
- i accept definitives and ctos without any problem - those are stamps too! But as a thematic collector, I wish to receive tose on my themes, not randomly
- definitives can be big and beautiful, not all are small and common. I surely doubt, that majority of people here have catalogues to check for issues...
- CTOs are easy to recognize, so excuses (i didnt know) are not OK!
- I collect mint stamps as well (my themes), but due to this club, it is used stamps club, I didnt write it anywhere in my profile
- I am allegic to people, that send random definitives (in bigger ammounts) even thou I have stated that I wish just on my themes. Than you check their profile and they have stated, that they dont wish definitives!! for me, this is trickery

yes I think there should not be any rules about that.
some member here maybe buy thematic stamps, then they get lot of CTO's and that is maybe their swapping stock, generally big commems with nice pictures.
If someone asks for no CTO's, he should expect to get some messy cancellations, I would try to avoid sending him stamps that were printed with the cancellation. sometimes it can be hard to tell though.

So it's more complicated then it seems. Okay, no special rules here. Only the common sense.

the biggest problem is that some collectors have no idea what CTO's and Definitives are, they are the ones that write they don't want them, when they in other words on their profile are asking for them.
I the age of smartphones more and more postal services are selling CTO's to stamp dealers, if you send a letter today you have to ask them to put stamp on it.

Good evening, allow me a suggestion.
And if it includes a filter option in Settings / exchange options the "only with users who accept definitive or CTO stamps" (or something), and it could be reversed at any time as the "Only from my own country" .
That would be the exception, for others still the same.

i also think the rule "100 different stamps in good condition" is enough. i´ve received cto in many envelopes and even more definitives, and also some duplicates -i have still given even rating 4 in some cases like that if the majority of stamps are good condition and nice, simply. i also include few cto sometimes and send a lot of definitives -in most envelopes i receive too there are at least 20 definitives anyway so it makes no sense that i would send commemoratives only myself ^^ i will also pass forward stamps i dont need, as everyone else. i think a reasonable (max.30) amount of definitives should be ok for everyone :)

Indeed, definitives from certain countries, even some European ones, can be difficult to obtain. Especially the more recent ones or the higher and more unusual values. Some older long-running series are also considered to be quite collectable. The problem are the definitives that probably everyone has, as the dreaded German green tractor stamp.

There might be problems in defining what is a definitve stamp and what is not. For example: Christmas stamps. In Poland, they are considered definitives in the official announcements issued by the postal authorities. But in the US, according to Linn's website, they are neither commemorative or definitive, and are described as "special" stamps.

As for CTOs, some people might not have the experience to distinguish a CTO from a postally used stamp. For example: if you have a stamp with the gum washed off + the stamp is a hand-cancelled CTO (i.e. the cancellation is not printed on) + the CTOs were applied at various locations + the CTOs were not always corner cancelled = such stamp may cause doubts, especially if corner cancelling is often found on the country's regular mail. Of course, such situations may not happen that often but are still possible.

Another thing is that obtaining even CTOs from certain countries is somewhat difficult. The previously cited example of Belarus comes to mind. Locally, their mint stamps are available to a certain extent, but there are no cancelled ones, CTO or not.

Totally agree with wimber

Here collision: sometimes definitives can be full-colored&bigger sized series, from other side - commemoratives can be one-colored miniatures stamps! It is different way of desining and printing postage series, and to forbid it only "because such size, or color" - it is mistake, imho.

and I was just in western Europe. All Islands with less than 1.000.000 population, all Communist countries all Afrika, witch leave us with Scandinavia (though CTO's can be found in all of them) France, Italy, Spain and UK, Other countries I have seen CTO's from .

Totally agree with sveinn

This is not possible. Lot of collectors here don't know what definitives or CTO's are, at least all those that don't want them.
Look at my profile picture, this is Thule/Greenland, actually the first stamp issued in Greenland (not Denmark) 1935, this is a stamp that all collectors want to have in their collection, It is valued 24 Euros and yes it is both definitive and CTO.
countries with more than 50% CTO´s of cancelled stamps, Greenland, Farao Islands, Aaland, Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Luxembourg (before 2000), Lichtenstein, Andorra, San Marino, Cyprus, Malta, Gibraltar, Monaco and so on and so on, do you people know about some others?
Recently some countries have started to sell CTO's, for example Iceland.

This means that chekoslovakia or ussr, or hungary wont be eligible to be changed?
Definitives are not always common. For instance, definitives from, lets say, surinam, or even slovenia, or bielorrussia. Or many series from uk, germany,....
The problem usually is sending the most common definitives from the most common countries.
Maybe a possibility, probably difficult to program, is to assign a slot, then the user reads the profile.
If the user thinks he's not able to fulfill the requirements, then, the user has the possibility of reject the slot, and "jump", to another user.
For instance, I'm assigned to a collector that dont want cto, definitives, and only wants fauna and flora.
I don't feel comfortable with this, so, I reject the slot, and jump to another.
The following user wants stamps from Australia, or, maybe, accepts anything.
I like this slot, so I send the stamps.
If we change the rules, and decide, for instance, that definitives, or cto cannot be sent, I think that the initial idea of this website will be seriously weaken.
There are lots of webs for direct swaps.
So, maybe we shouldn't change the rules, and simply ban the users that are sistematically rated low, as you propose in the other message.