That sounds like a contradiction! Let me explain.

Many years ago, I remember an ad from a dealer who offered a lifetime guarantee for any purchases made from him. If you bought a stamp from him and it wasn’t genuine or it had faults that weren’t noted, he would refund your money. It sounds like a sweet deal, huh? I bet he sold lots of stamps. Collectors had it made. How could they go wrong with a lifetime guarantee?

The truth is, this guy was a crook. Sorry folks, crooks happen, even in the stamp world.

This guy was selling regummed stamps as NH. I don’t know if he sold fakes or not, but he probably did. Anyway, I bet he made a bundle of money selling these kinds of stamps.

For the few collectors who noticed, the good news is, he did honor the refund. But for every one collector who complained, how many bought those stamps and never questioned them because they were backed by a lifetime guarantee?

In a few years, this guy was gone from the stamp world. Another big splash (see previous topic) followed by silence.

What about those people holding those stamps? How good is your guarantee now? If you sent that stamp off for a certificate and the stamp wasn’t genuine, who is going to refund your money? Sadly – no one.

Because this happened so many years ago, I’m sure many of the collections that were formed by buying this man’s junk have since been sold. How many collectors took a beating to find out that the stamps they paid thousands of dollars for were worth pennies on the dollar? That lifetime guarantee didn’t help them at all. And the original dealer is long gone with his ill-gotten profits.

Moral of the story? Be careful of the dealers you buy from. And a lifetime guarantee isn’t as long as you think it is!

By the way, I do stand behind the stamps I sell. If something isn’t as described, I offer a full refund. However, I don’t offer a lifetime guarantee. As of this writing, I’m 48. Given the average life expectancy of a male living in the US, I figure I’m going to be here another 35 years or so before I croak, assuming nothing else happens in the meantime. If your stamp isn’t as described, see me soon. When I’m gone, you’re not going to be able to get your money back!