Used stamps exchanges.

I'm a new member of this club. I knew about 100stamps.club from the Postcrossing Forum and registered here 2 months ago. I read the basic rule of this project (100 used unique stamps in good condition), but then for these 2 months I was reading the forum topics and watching the photos of the exchanges. I saw that a lot of the members break this rule - they can give a negative rating if the stamps satisfy the basic rule, but the sender does not take into account additional requirements of the receiver (for example - http://100stamps.club/stamps/ES-906 or
http://100stamps.club/stamps/FI-745 ).
Because of this I offer 2 ways:
1) to change the basic rule
or
2) the negative rating should be applied only after Danubius approval (or by the vote for 3 days).
I agree with any option, but it should be reflected in the main rule of the club.
P.S. It seems to me that if someone wants the specific stamps (not a surprise swap), it's easier to buy them on any auction (ebay, delcampe, etc.), rather than to blackmail the senders.

Bravo Wolf!!
Congrat Golubko for having started this discussion :)

Wolfgang, +1000!

Hi together!
I've been collecting stamps for nearly forty years. I have subscribtions for about twenty european countries for many years.
Sometimes I receive letters, where I can not use ONE stamp for my collections. But I always will rate according to our rules.
If the quality is ok, although I can not use a stamp for me, it's *****!
That's my philosophy!

As a somewhat newer member of the Exchange I would like to add a few comments about my experience so far. I have had responses telling me my stamps are too common, too old and was really not very interesting. My response was to post the rules to them and to please indicate which rules I did not respect. No response ever came from that. For the others, I explained that I generally do not collect used issues pre 2000, what I have to exchange are duplicates that have been accumulated over the years. As for too old or too common, I asked the member to provide an email address so I could send via PayPal the funds to mail the entire exchange back to me. I pointed out the rules and suggested this might not be the best exchange to suit his needs of specific needs. No response from that member. I do now enclose a short note to explain why I cannot meet their «  requirements «  so far feedback has been positive.

PaulThiessen - Right on. Rules of this club are very simple. 100 stamps/no dupes/no damage. I have a massive number of stamps from all over and hundreds from Canada. If I see a topic listed in profile I can accommodate that wish up to a point. I can work with just about any request up to a point but then I just pick from my random book and that will be mostly Canada or US or any country I have lots of. Main thing is 100 undamaged stamps with no dupes. Enough said. I see some very picky collectors profiles and in some I have seen I can't fill a single request. Guess what he /she gets. (100 very collectable stamps) Maybe I should change my profile requests to "only stamps postmarked before noon on Thursdays" Don't think I would be getting very many. Happy stamping.

I fully agree my friend Thiessen :)
For those picky members, 1 star are waiting for them. As they do too. All of us, should do the same.
For those friendly members, my son an me have our best stamps and surprises.

It seems like some people are trying to use this to find the last 50 stamps they need to fill their collection! It is just about the fun of sending and receiving stamps from around the world. Go find those last 50 stamps at auction. Why should I send one person stamps with a cv of $15 because he is picky, and then send another person stamps with a cv if 5$ when he is just happy if the rules of the club are met?

les échanges doivent rester un plaisir, je suis contente lorsque je reçois une belle enveloppe, avec un petit mot amical, même si tous les timbres ne m'intéressent pas. Si ils sont en bon état, OK, ils serviront pour faire de nouveau envois.
Perso, j'envoie 120 timbres au lieu de 100, 40 de France et 80 du monde de mon choix, et celà merite un 5 ou 4 à la rigueur.
Certains, ( heureusement en minorité) sont sévères car si on ne met pas ce qu'ils veulent, on obtient un 3 ou pire un 2..celà est injuste et ne rentre pas dans l'esprit de ce site.

Hello :) I will be happy. Dont worry;)

Hi francescpf, be careful what you wish for. I have lots of Russia stamps from the 40, 50, 60 and 70s.
If your name pops up on my "to send to" list I will know what to send. Just kidding but you will get some and I have to agree with you, they are nice looking stamps. Most of the stamps I have are in great condition with no gum so I could say they are actually postally used, but I get a little suspicious when I get those early Russia/Hungary/etc. with no gum, so I just put them in my CTO box. Happy stamping.

I like CTO
The ones from CCCP are beautiful

Wolfgang, usually we can easy differ the CTO's from the used stamps: the stempels of the CTO's haven't the number of the post office where they were cancelled (normally there are only words "first day" or something similar).
"Most of these typical CTO's come from countries which I call "Cindarella stamps" - yes, you are right! Cinderella, or fantastic, or fantasy stamps :)

Hi Natalia
Yes, here you are absolutely right! But the mint one has also glue! )):
What happens, if you wash the glue from a CTO? How can you make a difference?
But CTO means "Cancelled To Order". If you order a year set cancelled from a post administration, do you think these stamps are really CTO's?
I have looked at some pages, that you have named on 1st March.
It looks that newer CTO's from european countries are rather rare, except of political reasons! (Macedonia, Turkish cyprus...)
Most of these typical CTO's come from countries which I call "Cindarella stamps".

Wolfgang, so I was right (and wrote this in my previous message at 27 Feb 2018, 14:36:53) - the CTO's normally have glue (mint gum :)) at the backside whereas the postally used washed stamps haven't it.

Hi Natalia,
What I mean with "gum" is the same for your "glue". So from the back the stamps is "mint". The difference is that these stamps are not printed with a cancellation. They get really stamped by official post Administration.
:) Wuff67

Wolfgang, sorry, but I don't understand what you mean saying "mint" gum".
In Russia all CTO stamps which are selling without a cover have the same glue at the backside as the mint stamps. Some cancellations of the CTO's are printing as a stamp pictures in the printery, for example: http://www.stampsforum.ru/teoreticheskie-voprosy-filatelii/318-ponyatie-znaka-pochtovoj-oplaty?start=20#4492

Natalia, sorry but you are wrong.
"So cancelled (First Day) stamps from a year book" don't have any glue in the backside. They always have a "mint" gum" and are officially canecelled by post Office Administration.
I have about 19 subscribtions for european stamps.
All these post administrations sell their year packs/books either mint or cancelled. And mostly for the same prize!!!

I collect some CTOs that fit in some of my "topical" collections. I would , of course prefer to receive the same stamps actually used on mail but some of these you will never see on mail. I am also in a trade circuit for nothing but CTOs. I will never send any to anyone who states "no CTOs" but if no preference I will send a few or a set that I don't want to keep any longer. I guess it's all up to the individual collector. But I wouldn't get too upset about CTOs. This is supposed to be a fun hobby. If you have a lot of these you can send a few (say 10%) and I don't think anyone should get upset about that. If you send all CTOs to a collector who specifically states "No CTOs" then that's another matter. Happy stamping.

I'm not saying that CTO stamps are bad. Every stamp worth something for the wright collector. I also collect them. But I understand why most collectors appreciate more the really used stamps. CTO and "used" should not be confused.

The exchanges are random and the preferences are optional but this does not mean that we should treat a profile description with indifference. We should put a reasonably effort into it. Because we want our partners to do the same for us.

Also, I would like this club to be a welcoming place for beginning and inexperienced collectors too.

Fantastic (illegal) stamps examples:
http://www.pwmo.org/Illegals/16-WPO-Report-WSS-NY.htm
http://www.pwmo.org/Illegals/UPU-Circular-1996-2003.pdf

@lisabonner: "the joy of this website is to receive an unexpected pack of stamps in the mail".
I created this website for this simple reason. I am not an experienced collector. I thought that it will be simple. But I learned that there are so many differences among collectors. I am trying to find a middle ground where more collectors can met.

Used stamps are stamps that have been on a envelop/postcard/package and that have travelled through the postal system. It's a stamp that has been used for it's intended purpose. There is this romantic idea that this stamps had a life.

On the other hand, CTO stamps have never fulfilled such a purpose. They are still, real stamps issued by the same authority. From what I know(I'm not an expert), in most cases they are the same stamps as the ones that end up on a letter. They are printed in large numbers, some are shipped to the postal offices where they are "used" to pay for sending letters, and the rest of them are cancelled and sold as such. They have a commercial feel because they are produced for the collectors. And this is why some collectors refer to them as not being "real", because they never see a postal office. They travel trough the postal system only inside an envelop as merchandise and not on top where they really belong.

The rules are kept simple because those are rules that most collectors would agree on. The rules don't go into details because it would be a never ending discussion. This community counts a lot on common sense and respect for the other collectors.

Lisa, the question is not in whether the stamps may not meet your criteria/wish-list. It does not matter. It is important that the stamps comply with the main rules of this site (100 used unique stamps in good condition).
I think that you should not send fantastic stamps, because they can not pay postal services and therefore they can not be used.
Look at the example of an exchange - http://100stamps.club/stamps/ES-1015 . Here in the photo you will see those stamps that have never been used by anyone for the postal payment, i.e. they are fantastic, and not real postage stamps.
If you have a color printer, you can print similar images by yourself. Only let's not call these pictures the used postage stamps :)

Hi All... as a new user, I think the joy of this website is to receive an unexpected pack of stamps in the mail! Yes, I agree that they may not meet your criteria/want-list. As long as the stamps are in good condition, you can on-trade them to another user to meet their wants!

My profile is very friendly.

Danubius, please weigh in on this discussion of what is considered a used stamp. I don't consider CTOs as used because the never went through the mail system, but clearly this is a point of confusion for some collectors.

francescpf, I think your new profile is very unfriendly, especially when you say this below:
I will appreciate your efforts. Never a dissapointing comment :) Always friendly ones :)
I love old stamps too :)

You said you loved old stamps and would give a 5 for effort, but I saw on one of your recent sendings you gave someone a 3 that fulfilled your wishes for old stamps (I noticed it is now rated a 4). Not wanting CTOs is not overly demanding, this is common in most trading circles. I have been a part of multiple trading groups, and the expectations are the same: for the most part, you should send good quality commemoratives (and no CTO stamps). This is what I expect to receive in this club and that is what I send to others. I don't totally dislike CTOs and I do hang on to them, but if I said CTOs are okay in my profile, I would probably receive a ton of them. I agree that there are some profiles that I have felt are a little too demanding and I struggle sometimes to find something to send.

Hola Golubko :)
Hello Wolf :)
I think CTO's are a part of philately world. Some people dont like them, but Im sure they did start in this world by CTO's. CTO'S are stamps too.
but Im sure the issue is not CTO yes or not.... Im afraid the thing is about low ratings
Natalia is giving a possitive focus on this and she is right in her arguments.
Profile is optional, not mandatory

wuff67, I think that "so cancelled (First Day) stamps from a year book" are CTO, they normally have glue in the backside and were not used for paid.
Used stamps, for example, are here - https://www.nordfrim.com/kiloware-on-sale-1-kg

A few words to CTO's:
Most european post offices offer their year packs/books mint or cancelled. So cancelled (First Day) stamps from a year book have never been circulated. Are they CTO's?
I use Michel catalogue for collecting stamps. Usually you will find there three columns: one for mint, one for hinged and one for cancelled.
Using these catalogues you will never find out if a stamp is really a CTO or a cancelled stamp from a year book....

Francesc, I am not against CTO stamps. But now we can try to put ourselves on the opposite side. Imagine that you collect only used stamps and just found a site with this name. And for you in reply someone sends the CTO's or fiction stamps. What should you do then?
As an option, we can offer Danubius to make a branch for CTO-exchange, but how many people will be there?

Hola Natalia :)
Briliant idea from you once again :)
I honestly, cannot understand this hate to CTO. They helped many of us in our beginnings. And some CTO are cancelled to order, but sometimes, this makes stamps even more appreciated.
As you mention http://100stamps.club/stamps/ES-1015 , here I make you sure stamps are not junk.
This member asked some very specific questions and we prepared stamps answering to topics of this member. He has not the right to fine low rate, specially, to a 6 years old kid. Sorry, but I keep insisting on this. This is not fair and this does not help to promote our hobby in future generations. Nachopl sent more than 100 stamps, in perfect conditions, matching member wish list (which is not mandatory finall). For all those members making his own rules, I suggest to go to an auction before rating 1 or 2 star to people who took time in sending you good stamps and SPENDING MONEY on it.

Maybe we should think in a better and positive use of "low ratings".

CTO ??? They are also stamps. Not circulated like mint stamps, but stamps finally. Some CTO have much more beauty than some regular stamps. I dont think we can avoid CTO, they are a part of the philately world too.

Take a look and read my new profile :)

Danubius, please, explain me the meaning of the term "used stamps".
By Cambridge dictionary (http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/stamp) "stamp" is a small piece of paper with a picture or pattern on it that is stuck onto a letter or package before it is posted, to show that the cost of sending it has been paid.
The stamps are mint and cancelled ones. The cancelled stamps are used ones and CTO's (Cancelled-to-order). The CTO stamps are not used ones (because they have never been used by post as postal payment mark).
Many conflicts in this club arise because of this misunderstanding.
http://100stamps.club/stamps/SK-172
http://100stamps.club/stamps/ES-1015
Wishes of the club members may be considered or not taken into account. But the basic rules of the club must always be respected. "DURA LEX, SED LEX".
If you think that the CTO's can be sent in exchange, then it has to change the word "used" to the word "cancelled". Even many fantastic stamps may called cancelled stamps (for example, Staffa, Bernera etc. - http://100stamps.club/stamps/CA-893 ) :O)

I will do it ;)

francescpf, thanks a lot for your answer! Your stamps, as for me, are very nice.
"Junk and crap" aren't characterized your stamps, but someone who said this.
"Tastes differ".
Don't take it personal.

Junk and crap are insults. Im sorry.
Would you like to read this about your stamps? ;)

Sets complets envoyes: 
1979: 2516.2518 Esport pour tous 
1979: 2508.2510 Economissez Energie 
1980: 2560.2562 Transport Publique 
1969: 1944.1945 Noel 1969 
1979: 2512.2515 Ecrivains Espagnols 
1981: 2632 Espamer Buenos Aires 

Hello Natalia :)
Not damaged stamps. Probably one or two repeated. I first make choice of 100 unrepeated stamps. Then add 20 to 100 more stamps in generosity. It depende on what I have available. Then come gifts in plural. So Basic rule fullfilled. Within first 100 at es906 you have....

francescpf, may I ask you about ES-906 ?
The rule of this project - 100 (!) used (!) unique (!) stamps in good (!) condition.
You write that you have sent > 125 stamps. But did you fulfil the main rules of the project exactly ?
Are there 100 unique used stamps without damages among these 125 ones?
I see 2 identical german stamps with Bach portrait, I see one stamp (upside-down) without one corner, and I see one unused norwegian stamp. If you remove from your set all the duplicates, unused stamps and stamps with defects, will you get 100 stamps? If there's not, the reciever could give you a negative ranking.
"Junk and crap" are emotions only. Everyone has their own ones, do not pay attention to this. For example, I do not consider this stamp even with additional marks from the both sides and with the cut off corners being "Junk and crap" -
http://www.stampsforum.ru/media/kunena/attachments/65/zne-mb-magenta-cert-f1-web.jpg
:)

I agree Kozou. Im sure that negative rates must be supervise.
francescpf

29 Dec 2017, 01:12:40

Have you seen that?? :) In http://100stamps.club/stamps/ES-906 file 
Do you really think this is 2 star?? Junk and crap?? I dont think so and unless real crap is sent, I would never rate under 3 because this can cause unprestige undeserved to a member. Actually I always rate 5 because I recognise the effort and happiness of each member by preparing their lots. Actually I this picture ES906 you are to see COMPLETE sets, few defiitives and you CANT see the hidden sheetlet Gift I send to everybody in this club. More over I always send at least 125% of stamps required as some stamps maybe, you are not obliged to like.
Thks 2 star rate and comments are very unfortunate. But I understand everybody can have different opinions as Í haber taught at school and at home.

Definitevely friend Danubius... there is a solution to think about. Problably not Being 100% random? Maybe an user can choose small list of users to avoid? Maybe use a random system like Swiss chess system? Its not urgent but it seems our continuity in the club may depend on few members having a bad day. By the way Danubius... congratulations :) you should have here either a donation box orca Premium service. You find in these Forums needs to implement premium services :) I would be happy to avoid situation like ES906

i think nobody can expect to receive 100 commemoratives in these exchanges ...this is not "100 commemoratives stamps club" so im also really sad and disappointed by profiles where they say "no definitives" while they may send out definitives themselves :( a reasonable amount of definitives or cto should be ok for everyone...

I totally agree with you. Im the one In http://100stamps.club/stamps/ES-906 file
Do you really think I deserve 2 stars and those comments?
Do you think I send junk and CRAP?
You see my stamps. Probably not what he is asking.... but not junk and crap

someone wants specific stamps - yes, he can pu a guideline what will make him/her extra happy

but he/she cant expect that all sendings will be that way

(i have specific wishes, i admit - but when i receive something completely different i am OK if stamps are OK
I hate the most - someone states on his profile: i dont want definitives and than he sends 100 definitives - I f*** hate that!)