The New Packet Of Approvals Has Arrived!

Just when life's troubles had really got me down, I received a fresh new packet of approvals in the mail - worldwide, from a long-time philatelist's collection.

Yay! I was so excited, I brought them to work with me so I could start looking at them over my lunch hour.

Any suggestions from you long-timers about how to go about purchasing on approval? Issues like stamp value, condition, relevancy to my worldwide (mostly used) collection come to mind, but I'm sure others here have more experience buying stamps on approval that they can relate and I would be most appreciative if you could share them with me.

Thanks,
Yirmeyahu

I know the term only because I hear it so often, but don't know exactly what it means. What are "Approvals"?

Brian

As far as I've experienced it, approvals are stamps sent by dealers to a customer for their review. Usually, the customer/buyer picks what they want from the selection of stamps/sets, returns what they don't want and encloses payment for the stamps purchased. The nice thing about approvals is that you can specify your interests to the dealer and then when the stamps arrive you can take up to a week to examine the stamps and decide what you want to keep. I found my current approvals dealer through an ad in Linn's Stamp News.

ha ha I just got 4 or 5 of these approvals in the last few months and returned all of them BUT I did fill out the request sheet and put down the scott numbers that I actually need/want but I haven' heard anything back from any of them yet! lol I guess Scott# 1-120 is a little out of tier range huh? I found it humorous anyways...lol

I_Love_Stamps, what was the basis for your decision to return the approval stamps? Are you solely a U.S. collector?

Well, I looked at my latest shipment of approvals and was really underwhelmed

I bought a handful of sets and unusual used items for a whopping total purchase of $4.45.

I also asked the seller to discontinue future shipments. I think I'll try my hand at a stamp show, of which one is happening in my town this weekend.

Yirmeyahu,

I used to get stamps on approval from a couple of companies. 9 times out of 10 it was stuff I didn't need or want. Having to pay the return postage was also quite expensive. It just didn't seem worth the expense!

I wish you luck at the stamp show this weekend. Maybe you will find enough material to keep you busy for awhile!

Actually, I already have enough material to keep me busy for quite a long time, so I'm wondering WHY I'm planning to attend this stamp show? It's probably because I'm addicted to stamps. Also, I would like to find a good combination light-magnifier and am hoping one of the dealers will have one for sale.

"I_Love_Stamps, what was the basis for your decision to return the approval stamps? Are you solely a U.S. collector?"

Yes mostly however I am open to to the idea of collecting other countries someday like maybe Canada. I just love American history. History is definitely one of my passions in life.

It's been my experience that dealers won't carry much in the way of supplies to stamp shows. You'd be lucky to find a pair of tongs at a stamp show, nowadays. I purchased mine off ebay. $25 + shipping. I frequently see new ones on ebay in the $75 range.

My husband would say the same thing about me.