Australia Stamps Sold 2011

In the last 12 months I have tried many ways to sell Australia stamps.
I have also found out that what I think will sell does not work at all. I have found out doing the opposite works really well.

Lots of 20 to 30 high value stamps, includes international post stamps, sell very slowly at 30c-25c per stamp.
List them as single high value stamps and they sell well at 69c-$3.99+ per stamp.

Same outcome with KGV's, packets of a 100 stamps at 25c per stamp are very slow to sell. The same stamps as singles sell well for 99c + each.

Packets of 500 different, all sets and lots of high values, at 2c per stamp they would not sell. But a set of 5 letter rate stamps in the packet are 10c per set. As single sets sell well at 99c + per set.

State stamps sold well in lots of 20-30 stamps, 40c per stamp.

I am definitely the odd one out when it comes to buying stamps.

So single stamps with a good image and a correct description is the way to go. I hope it is the same for 2012.

Interesting Post John.

KGV Collector,

Your observations are absolutely amazing since they contradict the way many collectors view their own way of buying stamps. While looking for a "good deal" or a "bargain" is what collectors say they do, in real life (i.e. your experience as a seller) they prefer to pay more.

I truly wonder why....

And in any case thank you for sharing...

Very interesting observations - Food for thought - One view might be that a lot of people are only after certain stamps so just look at and for small lots that fill their specific needs (it just maybe that lot of people have fairly comprehensive collections) - Either way its good for you KGV

I don't buy Australian stamps, but I do buy larger and smaller mixed lots of Indian States, so I suspect my approach may be similar to that of buyers of other countries.

When confronted by a large lot of stamps, I look at the seller. Is the seller knowledgeable about these stamps? If yes, I assume the lot has been thoroughly picked over, and doesn't offer any possibilities of finds. I probably won't give the lot more than a quick once-over, especially if the scans aren't very large, and/or the stamps are overlapped.

In a small lot - of say half a dozen stamps with good-sized scans - I may see something of specialised interest I might overlook in the large lot, or couldn't see at all in a small scan. To take an example, this CTO copy of Bhor SG 1



is pretty ho-hum. I wouldn't bother bidding on a lot, just because it contained this stamp. A genuinely, commercially used copy of SG 1



is a totally different matter. I could well miss it in a mixed lot of 50 or 100, but I won't in a lot of 5.

This is one possible explanation for the seemingly counter-intuitive behaviour of the buyers of Australian material.

Somewhat along the lines of what Tony has just said, very nicely too, I think that John is experiencing that buyers usually like to see very clearly what they are potentially buying unless they are worldwide collectors out for a treasure hunt.

When you get what you want then paying a little bit more for a well photographed or scanned item with perhaps a good description and title also means you are paying for the gathering, identifying and presenting abilities of the seller, more or less. It saves you time sorting and hunting through loads of mixtures and wrong stamps and that is worth something it seems.


I would be interested in knowing, John, if you have had a lot of repeat customers or if most customers are of a one purchase type.

My idea of how you (as a family) deal with customers is top rate and I wouldn't be surprised that just that has something to do with your sales.

A seller's attitude comes over in how he deals with people, whether he tries to hide it or not, and I have always had an impression of honesty and good will from you all, whether your listing titles and descriptions are top rung or no, by my standards.

The best in 2013 2012 too (oops) to you all also!

edit: no need for me to speed up the clocks is there?!

Thanks for the comments. An example of what tony has said. I think Tony has nailed it.

Yes I can see that it is cheaper in the long run to buy singles.

A person from Canada won 13 single sets at $13. I contacted this buyer and said I have a packet of 500 different that includes all the sets and heaps more good stuff and you can have the packet for the same cost. His reply was that stamps with faults go into packets so the damaged stamps can be hidden. With the single sets their is a good image and I can see every stamp that I am buying.

I agree that this is a significant factor. I think that this happens at stamp clubs too. I remember one auction where there was only one bid on a lot by the fellow sitting next to me. When he got his purchase he pulled out one stamp from near the back and said, "I'll get most of my money back on this lot. I would have paid that much for this one stamp." Many people would not have noticed it.