Counterfeit stamps on AliExpress: woman sentenced in Naters

Context

TL;DR

• Woman from Naters convicted over counterfeit stamps
• 100 stamps ordered on AliExpress for 48,59 francs
• List price of the order: 120 francs
• Fine and legal costs: 800 francs

Key facts

• Place → Naters, Valais
• Platform → AliExpress
• Quantity → 100 Swiss stamps
• Face value → 1.20 francs each
• List price → 120 francs
• Price on AliExpress → 48.59 francs
• Fine → 300 francs
• Court costs → 500 francs

A woman from Naters in Valais has been sentenced by criminal order after importing counterfeit Swiss stamps into Switzerland. The purchase began as a search for convenience on AliExpress, but the savings turned into a total outlay of 800 francs.

From the reduced price to the discovery of fakes

The newspaper «Le Nouvelliste» reports that the order placed by the woman on the Chinese platform included 100 Swiss stamps of 1.20 francs each. The list price of the entire order was therefore 120 francs, while on AliExpress the cost was 48.59 francs. The difference, described in the source as a saving of just over 70 francs, seemed to make the operation particularly convenient.

The decisive point came with the shipment. The package, coming from China, was intercepted by Swiss customs. The stamps were not original, but counterfeit. Following the discovery, Swiss Post brought the case to justice.

The reconstructed sequence is precise: the order left from a Chinese platform, the package was stopped at customs and the case arrived before justice. It wasn't just a difference between two prices: the goods were identified as counterfeit, with economic consequences separate from the cost of the purchase.

The amount of the sentence

The criminal order set a fine of 300 francs, to which 500 francs in court costs were added. The total reached 800 francs, a figure much higher than the savings initially sought.

The story is part of an episode already reported in the summer of 2025. After offers of counterfeit stamps appeared on AliExpress, Swiss Post had already filed a criminal complaint against unknown persons with the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland. A spokeswoman had specified that, in the presence of forgeries, criminal proceedings are systematically initiated.

Recognizing counterfeiting, however, is not easy. A philatelic expert consulted by «20 Minuten» at the time had examined the carnets sold on the platform, finding them completely identical to the originals. Copies so accurate that they can fool even a careful eye.

Operational details

The price is not the only cost

The Naters case offers a clear numerical comparison: the savings promised by the offer and the cost incurred after customs intervened belong to two different levels. The source allows them to be reconstructed without adding estimates.

The comparison that changes the result

Looking only at the purchase price, the deal seemed obvious. The price on the platform was lower than the list price and the difference was just over 70 francs. Looking instead at the full story, the cost documented by the source also includes a fine and legal costs. The final result is therefore not a small difference from the official price, but an amount of 800 francs.

For someone living in Switzerland, the case does not justify a general rule about AliExpress. The useful point is the distinction between apparent savings and the economic risk linked to the specific case: the item was a Swiss stamp, the package was intercepted by Swiss customs and Posta brought the matter before the courts. This sequence turned the reduced price into a much higher cost.

The story does not allow us to claim that every online offer is counterfeit. It does, however, show why the lowest price is not enough, on its own, to assess an expense. In the case examined, even authenticity was not easy to verify at a glance: the philately expert had judged the booklets identical to the originals, enough to deceive a watchful eye.

A reference for the daily budget

For a Swiss reader, the practical reference is to keep the promotional price and the final bill separate. To understand the weight of daily expenses, the guide on costo della vita in Svizzera is available. For a monetary comparison, one can use comparatore CHF/EUR without confusing the value of the offer with the outlay that emerged from the case.

The practical point remains the complete calculation: the price requested by the seller, the value indicated for the stamps, and the possible outcome documented by the case. Only the first figure suggested a bargain; the last defined the real bill.

Useful tools to protect your net income

To reduce FX leakage, compare CHF-EUR exchange options and banks for cross-border workers.

Key points

A checklist before ordering

The case makes it possible to build a practical check limited to the facts that emerged, without presenting it as a general procedure. The goal is not to stop at the price displayed on the platform and to consider every step documented in the Valais case.

Five steps to keep separate

1. Start with the value of the stamps. For 100 pieces at 1,20 francs each, the listed price was 120 francs. 2. Record the offer price. AliExpress showed 48,59 francs: the difference from the listed price was just over 70 francs. 3. Consider the shipment’s origin. In the incident, the package came from China and was intercepted by Swiss customs. 4. Do not use appearance as the only guarantee. The expert cited by «20 Minuten» had found the booklets identical to the originals, with copies capable of deceiving even a careful eye. 5. Separate the savings from the documented final cost. The fine was 300 francs and the court costs were 500, for a total of 800 francs.

The value of this sequence is primarily accounting-related. First, measure the advantage promised by the offer; then keep separate the possible outcome that emerged from the case. In this way, 48,59 francs is not treated as the only relevant number, while 120 francs remains the listed-price reference and 800 francs the total amount of the sentence.

The checklist does not make it possible to establish whether another order will produce the same result. It does, however, make it possible to avoid the incomplete comparison between a sale price and a listed price, ignoring that in this case the stamps turned out to be counterfeit after the package was intercepted. The detail about the booklets is decisive: according to the expert, the copies were identical to the originals. Therefore, the eye alone was not enough to understand the situation.

To complete the check of your personal budget, connect the expense to your monthly situation and use calcolatore stipendio/imposte.

Source: tio.ch