Counterfeit stamps

[gubby_uk]

Hi,

I have had to pay the postage on an item to get it delivered from the post office, even though I paid the seller for postage. Ity turns out the item was sent using counterfeit stamps. I've contacted the sellar but had no reply yet. How would I open a case to get my £3.50 back please?

[arkwebus]

There is absolutely no way to get the £3.50 back as an individual item.  You could open a "not as described case" [on the basis that part of the implied description is that seller will use proper stamps] and return the whole item but my advice would be to make one almighty fuss with Royal Mail.  Letter to manager at your delivery office [not e-mail, twitter or whatever] and get the Royal Mail Investiagtion Branch involved.  This is what Royal Mail says:

The list of fraudsters includes:

• Any person who knowingly reuses or sells used stamps for postage, whether they have had cancellation marks and envelope removed or not, is committing fraud
• Any person who knowingly possesses, distributes, sells or uses counterfeit stamps as a means of postage is committing fraud and/or an offence of counterfeiting
• Any person importing, distributing, selling or otherwise assisting in the sale of counterfeit stamps is committing offences of fraud and/or counterfeiting

It is no protection for sellers of fake stamps to include a disclaimer such as "not for re-use" when selling used or counterfeit stamps. These sellers are still deemed to be committing fraud and/or counterfeiting if their intention is to distribute or sell fake stamps for use as a means of postage.

@gubby_uk