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Don't break a USA Federal Law....
WARNING!
Once a postage stamp has been used, it is a federal crime to:
1. Remove, attempt to remove, or assist to remove cancellation marks from postage.
2. Reuse a stamp whether cancelled or not.
If you have questions concerning the reuse of postage, please contact your local Postal Inspector.
Title 18, U.S. Code, Sections 471 and 1720
Poster 5 July 2005
PSN 7690-03-000-9182
__________________________________________________ _____________
Please don't send used uncanceled stamps to swap hosts.
Since they can't use them to send you your returns.
Last edited by Carole Cadek; 05-27-2014 at 08:00 PM.
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Up to one year in prison if you get caught...and with the amount of stamps we all use...that's a good chance!!
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Up to a year in prison if you take a stamp off a letter that's been mailed to you but wasn't postmarked??? Wow.
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Not for taking a stamp off a letter, but for using the stamp to mail something else. What people will try to do is put tape over a stamp when they mail a letter, so the cancelation marks will be on the tape. Then they remove the tape and try to reuse to the stamp to mail a second letter. Post office looks closely for letters that have tape over the stamps.
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Some stamps don't even have cancellation marks anymore, but they look at them under UV light for signs that the stamp has been used before.
And as for the ones printed at the kiosk, they don't need cancellation, all the info they need is in the QR code on it.
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It's also ilegal in the UK. I would imagine it's the same for all countries.
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Wow, learning some new stuff. I won't use a stamp even if it looks like it wasn't postmarked.
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Use it for collage art instead. 
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I'm safe. I only use them for art.
Crafting is my passion!!!
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me too!
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I really like getting ones that have not been franked/cancelled as they look FANTASTIC on cards! But I don't like getting stamps covered in tape as it just doesn't soak off and ruins the look of the stamp in my opinion.
Reusing stamps is illegal in Australia, too.
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Dodged a bullet there i guess! I've Thought about reusing stamps before, but never did cause i was pretty sure it was illegal...
I'm too pretty for jail lol
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This isn't meant to be sarcastic, but how many people are in jail for the crime of reusing stamps? Would ATC members be in there with them? Maybe we could send them a card to cheer them up while they cool their heels in the slammer.
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Yea seems to me, a fine would be more likely than jail time.... but who knows?
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Sometimes participants in my swaps send me stamps that are already on a paper backing like they have been cut off of an envelope. Whether they have been used before or not, the US Post Office will not accept these either if they are taped or glued to your mail. Just send unused, un-stuck to anything stamps, please!
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Originally Posted by
Rogue Gal
Sometimes participants in my swaps send me stamps that are already on a paper backing like they have been cut off of an envelope. Whether they have been used before or not, the US Post Office will not accept these either if they are taped or glued to your mail. Just send unused, un-stuck to anything stamps, please!
ditto!
even if you think it's no big deal. even if you're willing to take the chance yourself... pleeeaasse don't ask a hostess to do it for you! If that hostess happened to get caught and fined for your stamp... wouldn't you feel bad? Whether or not it's jail time or a fine. You should never ask someone else to break the law for you...
Last edited by Kynara; 08-09-2014 at 09:09 PM.
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Several years ago I had a postal employee tell me it was ok to tape stamps on as long as there was some stamp not taped for them to cancel.
As a host it makes me nuts to get stamps stuck on an envelope and someone expects me to reuse it. Too much work taking it off the paper for weight purposes for the value of the stamp.
Until I saw this when it first posted if I received an envelope from someone and the stamps weren’t canceled I would send them back to my player with their swap returns and let them decide what they wanted to do with them.
Haven’t gotten one for quite some time but if I do now I will put them in my box of canceled stamps that I am saving to give to someone I know will use them if I just get myself in gear and get them to them.
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Originally Posted by
Kiara99
Imagine how many ATC you can do in one year in prison ;-)
My luck I'd only be sentenced to 30 days
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Or put somewhere where they would not let us have our own stuff!
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Yeah I don't think "My own art studio" is one of the amenities of the federal or state forced hotel stays....
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