Do You Buy Directly From Overseas Post Office?

I would like to know if anyone still buy directly from overseas post office. I used to subscribe to the Japanese new issues, that was a while back.

George

If I collected new issues (which I don't) I would try to buy direct from the relevant postal agency. Fellow collectors who do collect new issues here in Australia tell me they have great difficulty finding a dealer who is reliable.

I was wondering the same thing, but I was told that it's also a currency exchange issue and I think that it would be a language issue as well. How does one communicate through e-mail or letter that you want to purchase the latest stamp issues and hope that you can get someone that can translate it?

Donna

I was considering doing so with Spain. I speak the language, so that helps. To register on their website, though they ask for your passport number. I decided to pass.

I did buy a few times from the Australian Postal Agency. What bothers me with this route is that I had to pay their VAT as well as get nicked with a GST here inCanada. So, having stated this, if given a choice, I would rather get a new issue from a fellow collector in any given country. Bad enough I have to pay my own taqxes let alone foreign taxes as well lol

Chimo

Bujutsu

I buy directly from the Swiss Post and have no problems. They even have an English portion to their website.

WRT English, I also have no problem with the GB Royal Mail website. Easy to order from and quick to deliver.

The Swiss Post is also very efficient, as you'd expect.

In neither case, though, do you get nice stamps on the envelop.

Here in Europe, most Postal Administrations are fairly easy to buy from online or directly.

I have open subscriptions with Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland. All Nordic countries that speak English. From some contact I have had with the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Denmark and Aland, it is the same, and they have pretty good online shops (from appearance since I have yet to order from them).

On the mainland, sometimes there are issues. France and Monaco is pretty straight forward, and possible in French or English.
Never ordered from Spain. Portugal, where I live, is a bit difficult for foreigners since the site is only in Portuguese.
I've only seen the website of Italian Post, and it is available in English and seems easy to manage. The difficulties really started as you head into the northern and eastern parts.
Netherlands, as I've posted elsewhere, is almost impossible, unfortunately. The online shop is only in Dutch and for Dutch residents. The email contact for foreigners is poor and slow (and they know it as I once called to straighten out an issue, and the operator admitted the problems they face to service foreigners).
Germany's site seems to be only available in German. I've tried navigating the page once and it was impossible for me.
For eastern Europe, some postal administrations don't have a very good site in English. Since a few of them are coming to Portugal for the Exhibition next week, I tried to contact some and until now only Romania, Hungary, Croatia and Bulgaria replied. Some former Yugoslavian countries, like Serbia and Bosnia never replied. I am trying to purchase some items from Montenegro and it's already taken me almost 4 weeks to get an invoice.

Because of these difficulties, you see a lot of Dealers out there taking advantage of this and inflating prices. Unfortunately.
It also seems, sometimes, that some Eastern European administrations also take advantage of this to hype up prices.

Stamp collecting can be very difficult and give you severe headaches!

I have had very good experiences with the UK, Switzerland, Iceland, Canada, Ireland, Isle of Man, Sweden, Jersey, Pitcairn Island and Fiji. The only problem I had was with Denmark which didn't use any protective materials in the first shipment and a few stamp were bent. They did promptly replace them and used stiffner cards in the second shipment.
Will

I would deal direct with the relevant postal agency, a dealer who supplies new issues is going to get a commission from the postal agency they represent and charge a margin to you on top.

I only collect dead areas, though.

Hi

When I was in Colombia and Ecuador I checked with the postal administrations about a standing new issues order. It was possible if one had a deposit account with the postal administration. However, once the deposit was used up they would not tell you to deposit more funds and just stop sending issues. So on that note I signed up with Herricks Stamp Company for my new issues and have been buying from them for 20+ years. The only complaint is that if I return a damaged item I may not get a replacement as they get what they need. I found that their markup was not too much over face value.

Jerry B

I regularly deal with the Gibraltar Philatelic bureau with no problems/complaints. I use a credit card which takes care of the currency conversion issues handily. And the service is good. They are also handy because they are beginning to have older issues available and this practice may spread to other agencies.

I've just been informed by a friend in the Netherlands that TNT is closing Post Offices all over the place, like they're bankrupt. Gotta love privatized postal administrations.
Will anyone take a hint?

Hello Smauggie!

I'm registered to Spain Postal Agency since 1 year. I agree the way of registering is quite crazy and they demand to pay on the beginning of registration some money (I've started with 20 EUR also to be on the safer side) and later they always said that if I need to refill I have to send them my credit card data (?!) because they don't save those data in system. They have also requested the passport but I'm not sure if I have give them my ID card data at that time simply because I'm not keeping my passport with me all the time.
But actually they were really helpful (well.... after I found somebody there that knows where to find the traces of the Internet transactions in their system:) ). They are always prompt and they always answered quick by mail to my address exchange, questions about next delivery & so on. And all the philatelic letters and stamps descriptions they've sent me where in spanish,english, german and... I think, french.
I'm more than happy with my decision and... surprise, you can also "fill" your account by paying also from your account via internet banking! :) That I found out by receiving a letter from SPA (most probably from another department). By short: Latin way looks-a-like but -at the end that's what is important- quick delivery&response. Not to forget, I've always spoke in English so it's not really a demand of knowing Spanish even I still think it helps.