Delcampe Cracks Down Vintage On Passports & Historical Documents
UPDATE:
Delcampe has clarified that historical documents, including passports, may still be listed for sale on the site as long as they are at least 10 years past their expiration date.
Delcampe is the latest marketplace to restrict the sale of vintage passports and documents that had previously been allowed to be sold on the platform.
Passport history expert and author Tom Topol noticed a recent change to the Delcampe terms and conditions that may negatively impact sellers of historical documents.
The policy now states:
Official documents issued by a government, including identification papers, documents containing personal information (e.g. birth certificates). However, certain historical documents will be allowed. The Delcampe teams will determine what is allowable based on the legislation in effect.
While the policy still leaves some room for certain historical documents to be allowed, it is very vague and, as Topol points out, Delcampe may not have the expertise to understand and appropriately apply every law from every country regarding these kinds of documents.
Unfortunately, that means it's likely Delcampe will end up unevenly enforcing the policy or removing listings that don't violate any laws or regulations - just like eBay.
Have you had vintage passports or other historical documents removed from the Delcampe platform? Let us know in the comments below!