Frequently Asked Questions
We present below some Frequently Asked Questions and our replies. We like to consider our clients as friends-in-the-making and treat them as we like to be treated when making online purchases ourselves.
We also welcome any additional questions you may have. Feel free to use our Contact Us form.
Q: Who manages ForeverStampsAndMore.com?
A: Frank P. Geiger Sr is the owner and manager.
Q: How do I know that I will be treated fairly and honestly?
A: The two most important stamp-related organizations in the US are the American Philatelic Society (APS) for collectors and the American Stamp Dealers Association (ASDA) for dealers. These two groups have strict ethical standards, enforce them and respond to complains from the general public. Frank has been a member in good standing of the APS since 1968 and has been awarded Life Member status. He has also been an ASDA member since 1974 in good standing. These memberships are your best guarantee that you will be treat fairly, honestly and ethically.
Q: How long have you been in the stamp business? How much online experience do you have?
A: Frank Geiger Sr has been buying and selling stamps since 1951! He was amongst the first stamp dealers with online sales starting in May, 2000. Since then he has had over 3000 sales on one small site; he’s at 8,000+ on another site and 20,000+ on his original site. Plus, since the 1960’s, he’s been publishing printed price lists and made over 100,000 sales from them. All-in-all, that experience adds up to more retail business than probably 99% of all other dealers active today.
Q: What is Frank P. Geiger Senior’s background?
A: Frank P. Geiger Senior was given a modest stamp collection by an aunt in 1951. His curiosity about the world and its peoples plus his entrepreneurial spirit led him to a long-standing interest in buying and selling stamps even through college and graduate school. Upon graduation, he officially started Frank Geiger Philatelists and has been a full-time stamp dealer since. One important note: please do not confuse Frank Geiger Sr. of Pinehurst with any other person with the "Frank Geiger" name involved with stamps whether in Pinehurst or not.
Q: Where are you located?
A: We are in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
Q: What’s happened recently with Etsy? Are you still offering stamps on Etsy?
A: Etsy has required that we remove all FOREVER stamps from their site and also remove all stamps issued in the last 20 years. We have complied with their requests and removed over 300 listings in those two groups. Those 300+ listings are now on this site: ForeverStampsAndMore.com. We're happy to still have over 700 listings on Etsy that meet their requirements: all stamps offered there are older than 20 years.
Q: What’s that unusual word for people who collect stamps?
A: “Philatelist” is the word. The general subject is “Philately.”
Q: Do you sell Forever stamps? When were they first issued?
A: Yes, we certainly do. Forever stamps for First Class Mail were first issued in 2007 as a test and became the dominant form of First Class Mail stamps issued by the end of 2010.
Q: Do you sell stamps which are not Forever stamps?
A: Yes, we certainly do. USA postage stamps have been issued with numbered denominations from ½c (yes, a ½cent stamp was issued in 1938 and even a 1¼ cent stamp in 1954!) up to $26.35 so far. We offer them all!
Q: Why do you sell stamps for more than their face value?
A: Our prices are based on the free market. Historically, once a stamp is no longer available from the Post Office at face value, a secondary market develops where that stamp is freely bought and sold at prices that depend on supply and demand. Some stamps (even relatively recent ones) have increased in value by huge percentages while the price increases of others have been more modest. One extreme example is the Graf Zeppelin stamps of 1930 which cost $4.55 at the time and now trade in the $700 to $1500 range!
Q: Do you sell stamps from other countries besides the United States?
A: Yes, we do. The other countries most frequently seen on this site are Vatican City, Japan, Canada, Israel, the United Nations and the three United States Trust Territories in the Pacific: Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau. We are also creating a separate site which will offer the entire “World of Stamps” with over 50,000 listings!
Q: What does shipping cost?
A: The shipping terms are listed during checkout. The highlights are: FREE SHIPPING on orders sent within the United States and anywhere else with a US Zip Code. Insurance, if wanted, costs 1% of the value of the shipment with a minimum of $1. Tracking, Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express service shipping upgrades are all available with their costs shown during checkout.
Q: How long does it take you to ship an order?
A: We pride ourselves on getting every order received shipped within 24 hours of receipt, as long as the Post Office is open. The only exceptions are those orders received on Saturday, which are sent on the next business day the PO is open.
Q: Can I purchase a Shipping Upgrade to get my order quicker?
A: Yes, the shipping upgrade options and details are offered and explained during checkout.
Q: Why are there no estimated transit times during checkout?
A: We don't offer time estimates because these have become increasingly unreliable in recent years. The Post Office quotes the following times for their services under normal conditions, but these should only be taken as very rough estimates and are totally beyond our control:
- First-Class Mail: 2 to 5 business days
- Priority Mail: 1 to 3 business days
- Priority Mail Express: 1 to 2 business days
Q: Do you ship to other countries?
A: Yes, we do ship to many countries outside the USA. Most of the details are explained during checkout. The countries must be approved by our insurance carrier so you may contact us for details. We reserve the right to decline any order.
Q: Are all the stamps you sell valid for use on letters and packages?
A: Yes! It’s a little-known fact that virtually all the stamps the USA has issued in the last 150 years are still valid for postal use at the denomination shown on the stamp. Two groups of stamps which are exceptions are Precanceled, Service-Inscribed, “Pre-Sort” and “Standard” stamps. These special classes of stamps may still be used on mail if a free permit to do so is obtained from the local post office. The user needs to place the Permit Number with an endorsement on the outgoing mail item. Details are available from your Post Office. We have such a Permit and frequently use these special stamps on our own mail without any difficulty.
Q: How will I know if any of your offers require the permit if I want to use the stamps on a letter or package?
A: If a permit is required, we are careful to mention this phrase “Permit Required for Use” in our description.
Q: Why do some of your offers emphasize that the stamps are “genuine”?
A: Unfortunately, there has been a huge surge of fake, counterfeit and bogus US “stamps” offered on virtually every general e-commerce site including Facebook. These offers are mainly Forevers but recent stamps of all values are also popular with counterfeiters. If you see Forever stamps offered well below face value, for example a coil roll of 100 with a face value $60, priced at $40 or even less, those stamps are 99.9% guaranteed to be fake. Using them on the mail is a crime as their use violates federal law and defrauds the Post Office (which already has enough financial problems). The stamps we sell are 100% genuine.
Q: Are the stamps stored in a clean environment?
A: All stamps are stored in a smoke-free and clean office.