Standard Returns
If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at info@thephilately.com within 14 days of delivery to arrange a return for a refund, exchange, or store credit.
Returned items must be the same items supplied and remain in their original condition, with any accompanying certificates or documentation.
For returns unrelated to an error in our description, original shipping charges are non-refundable, return shipping is the buyer’s responsibility, and a restocking fee of $0.30 per returned product may apply.
If we supplied the wrong item or materially misdescribed it, no restocking fee applies. We will refund the purchase price and applicable original shipping charges and cover reasonable return shipping costs agreed upon in advance.
Collections, accumulations, and mixed lots are not eligible for change-of-mind returns. This exclusion does not apply to an incorrect item or a material error in our description.
Please contact us before returning any purchase.
Five-Year Dealer’s Guarantee of Authenticity
This additional guarantee applies only to items whose product listings expressly offer our Dealer’s Guarantee of Authenticity. It remains valid for five years from the purchase date and applies exclusively to the original purchaser named on our sales invoice. It is not transferable.
What is covered
We guarantee the authenticity of the stamp and any overprint or surcharge described as genuine, together with the correct identification of any variety expressly stated in the product description at the time of sale.
This guarantee does not cover market value, changes in catalogue prices or numbering, or differences of opinion concerning grade or centering. Subsequent damage or alteration is not covered. An alteration that existed at the time of sale and invalidates a guaranteed identification remains covered.
Independent expert examination
A claim must be supported by a formal written certificate or expert report issued after physical examination of the item by a recognized independent philatelic expert or expert committee specializing in the material concerned.
Accepted authorities include:
- American Philatelic Expertizing Service (APS/APEX);
- The Philatelic Foundation;
- The Royal Philatelic Society London Expert Committee;
- BPA Expertising;
- Members of AIEP or BPP acting within their recognized fields of expertise.
Other established specialists may be accepted by prior written agreement.
An inconclusive finding, including “no opinion,” does not by itself establish a claim. Informal comments, online discussions, and assessments based solely on photographs are not sufficient.
Making a claim
Contact info@thephilately.com within five years of the purchase date, providing your order or invoice number and the expert’s findings.
If an examination is pending near the end of the guarantee period, notify us before the deadline and provide confirmation that the item has been submitted. A claim notified in this manner will remain open until the examination is completed.
The returned item must match our original sales records and photographs. Please contact us for return instructions before shipping it.
Refunds and expenses
If the examination establishes that the stamp or a covered overprint or surcharge is not genuine, or that a guaranteed variety was incorrectly identified, we will refund the original purchase price after receiving and verifying the returned item.
Expertizing and certification fees, including shipping and insurance to and from the expert, are the buyer’s responsibility and are not reimbursed under this guarantee.
For a valid claim, we will reimburse reasonable return shipping costs to us, agreed upon in advance.
Printed guarantee
A signed, illustrated dealer’s guarantee is available free of charge upon request for eligible items. Coverage does not depend on requesting or retaining the printed document.
This document is issued by The Philately as the seller. It is not an independent expert certificate.
These policies do not limit any rights available under applicable law.