In the ever-challenging world of online scams and deceitful mailings, we get inquiries from fellow members on how we manage your personal information. The APS has a conservative philosophy for handling personal data, balanced against the interest of our members to get philatelic information that may interest them. We wanted to review the policy and provide helpful information to assist our members in the battle against scams.
Email addresses
APS dealer members and club and affiliate contacts provide email addresses for interested parties to contact them. We advise individuals to use a unique email address for philatelic matters. This protects your inbox long after turning your philatelic duties over to someone else.
In the online world, sophisticated website trackers can harvest information, including emails, based on which websites you use for online purchases. As collectors, we visit philatelic websites or purchase stamps through any number of sites, but those trackers then generate pop-up ads or emails based on your interests. However, the APS will not share members’ email addresses with any individual or group.
I regularly see two specific practices with some stamp clubs that concern me. First, when sending information or newsletters to members, all addresses should be in the BCC field. This option hides the email addresses of all recipients from prying eyes if the emails are forwarded to others. Second, clubs often send member rosters to fellow members, including mailing and email addresses. We are a trusting community of collectors, but those rosters are also valuable in the wrong hands. Some clubs and affiliates ask permission to disclose addresses, which should be a hobby-wide practice. Clubs should also adopt policies that prohibit members from sharing others’ information outside the club or restrict when that is permissible.
Mailing addresses
Every member can elect to receive or be omitted from philatelic mailings at any time. You can use the MyAPS section, select My Profile and request a change under the Member Omission option.
We offer mailing lists for three purposes:
- APS Chapters, Affiliates, or World Series of Philately Shows to promote membership or attendance to a stamp show. These mailings are a valuable service to our grassroots, and many members appreciate the sense of community that comes from it.
- Individual members who are looking to start a club in a specific area or an affiliate in a particular collecting interest. Though we often hear concerns about one club or affiliate closing down, we get regular requests to start a new club or organization.
- Commercial offerings for dealer members or affiliated organizations. Dealer members will purchase a list to find members with specific collecting interests or promote a special event. For affiliated organizations, we limit those to APS Board-approved affiliates if they are not philatelic.
For more information about our mailing policy, please visit our website at stamps.org/mailing-lists.
In all cases, the lists are to be used only once and not become a part of regular mailings to APS members. If you believe a particular individual has violated the one-time use requirement, please report it to the APS Membership Department at [email protected]. The department coordinates all mailing list requests and can confirm if we’ve approved a recent mailing.
You’ve placed your trust in the APS to guard your personal information against scams. Complaints from members regarding suspicious mailings will be quickly investigated. We value your membership and want to ensure you receive information enhancing your membership and collecting pursuits. Thank you for your faith in us.