Would You Borrow To Buy Stamps?

If the right collection worth the right amount came along and it was out of your league but worth far more than asked would you borrow to purchase? Reason I ask is I was just contacted by a local resident about selling his stamps. Initially I assumed an album or some pages but deeper into the conversation I find out he has the type of collection that investments are made of. Now I'm not in any position to remortgage my house or go borrowing for stamps so I'm not even considering it (didn't ask what he wanted yet) but if the right deal came along how many would dig super deep to scoop it up. Also consider how much it would suck if you had to turn around and sell it all even at a profit if you had in your hands that dream collection.

Seems to me you would have to figure the cost of the loan in total purchase price if you did that. I could see borrowing a few dollars from a friend when short of cash, but I would not take out a loan to buy stamps. That being said, I do get a deferred payment plan at the dealership here for larger purchases, so it becomes a no-interest loan.

please dont purchase stamps by borrowing from others. It is a hobby, so it has to done with a limited amount of budget.

warm wishes.

I view stamp collecting as a hobby therefore wouldn't consider taking out a loan for a purchase. My objective is to acquire and enjoy stamps not to turn around and sell them for a potential profit. I have a self imposed upper limit that I won't exceed when purchasing collections. For others who enjoy buying and selling stamps, you should approach this as a business transaction and act accordingly which could involve taking out a loan.

I agree with the previous posts. Don't borrow! There are news articles galore on people who went into the "game" expecting it to be an investment only to be sorely disappointed with the net result. Stamps should be viewed as a hobby. With few exceptions, there are much better investments to make with one's money than in stamps.

would make a difference how much I had to borrow and what was in the collection, but I definitely would want to hear more of the story. (please)

I always figure if you get an entire collection at once, that's acquiring, not collecting. Maybe you could negotiate some choice pieces as part of your payment for helping.

I've done it, and it repaid me handsomely. Although mine was part collecting and part re-selling.

I met a guy who had a room full of albums and, very sadly, knew he was dying of cancer. He refused to auction his stamps off, and wanted them to go to collectors. We got to know each other, and over a period of time he started to offer me albums.

In the end, I bought fifteen albums cram packed with Empire and Commonwealth. I didn't even haggle. He wanted $3k and that's what he got courtesy of my local bank. I took a loan over twelve months.

I kept all the KGV (obviously!) and on-sold most of the rest. I enhanced my collection, and made excellent sales on the rest. The loan was paid back early, and everyone was happy.

Would I do it again? If the circumstances were the same, and my collection would benefit, yes I would.

Please note that this is NOT a recommendation, especially to newbies. There are bad people out there.....................

A smart investment will always pay off. If you plan to flip them quickly for a profit then it's no different than any other investment. If it was to keep them for pieces I've wanted, I would probably wait them out and pick them up as I could afford them

Like I said this is out of my league and he is mostly looking at take all (at least based per country unless specific high value individuals) scenario. Here are a few scans mostly canadian since thats what I said I was collecting but the "highly valuable" US scans are coming if he can find the disc. Also mentioned full sheets of mnh canadian revs/ weights and measures and so on. I've seen alot of images over the past few years and never once seen full sheets of canadian weights and measures. Block of 3 or 4 was max. Even the post scripts I don't think I've seen but again don't have any specialized catalogs to look at either.

ok, now you're just being cruel!

I asked if he minded if I just dropped by for about 8hrs and I promised not to drool.

oh, my ...... ask him if he is married, bigamy and same sex marriage not an obstacle

nitrolures, I looked at your scans and am sure that I can't afford that collection. I envy anyone who acquires same. The only way I would be able to get those high quality stamps is if someone remembered me in their will.

For me stamps are a hobby, so I probably won't borrow. But if it's a piece of land or some high level jewelry being liquidated at a low value due to an emergency, then I probably would borrow and buy it.

All depends on how sure the returns are

It certainly looks impressive. Thanks for showing the pics!

I have to admit, my 2nd reaction was that I was slightly puzzled by the presentation. I am considering the stamps present on a given stocksheet and also the stamps "in between" that are NOT present. It doesn't look like an investment stocksheet because of the "relatively" low value stamps present (there are stamps in there that catalog for <$10), and it doesn't quite look like the typical advanced classic era collection -- at least not the ones I typically have the opportunity to see or thumb through. Maybe the seller "pulled" some stamps to give you a sampling?

I apologize in advance if you or anyone else is offended, but if you have only recently met this person, I think it would be wise to ask this person nicely if they are a current member of any philatelic organization and then confirm with that organization. If you haven't done so already, I would recommend you do what many dealers would do before making an offer on what has been shown -- ask some questions regarding how these items were obtained over the years (you already know what they are) and try to get to know the philatelic background/credentials of the collector.

Just a suggestion.

Thanks again for posting the pics! I especially enjoy seeing CoGH triangles!

k