Doing The Math !

Lets see, if I sell a stamp I get one third of catalog ! If I swap even for the stamp (i rarely swap even..who keeps score ?) I would in theory get 100 percent of catalog..therefore I shouldnt sell any stamps I should wait until a swap partner with duplicates of equal value appears...every blue moon !!

makes sense phil :) better to swap than to sell generally speaking

Seems like a good way to go. Trades and Swaps are good.

Once you find the matching partner...it can surely help build a collection !!

I've been lucky enough to find some great trading partners. And also to have found some great bulk lots on ebay to allow me to do so.
Dianne

I definitely would rather trade then sell. Hey years ago trading and collecting went hand in hand. Today it is getting harder to find a equal trading partner I guess. The best part is when one does find a good trading partner sometimes value is placed on the back burner. What I mean is if you can send out some higher value ones and know that maybe not right now but down the road your return will come. It all will work out eventually doing it this way.

My problem is that I do not have the stock to trade with well established collectors. I probably never will either.

On the other hand I have found some in my lower category that I can trade on a level field.

So I guess I like it when you guys offer stamps for sell.

mkfarm,
I'm in the same boat. I don't have the high value stock to trade. Most if not all is common for my US and as for the world wide I don't know the value, catalog #, year of issuance and sometimes the country.

I agree also

I no interest in selling and I'm not in the know about stamp values. when I trade I let them know this and tell them that if they don't think they're getting a fair deal to let them know.

So far it's been great, I guess the trick is to find trading partners that collect for pleasure like I do. I always send stamps that are of good quality (or at least to the best of my knowledge they are).

Dianne

For sure, I know organized guys that only buy what they need..i am not one of them..like Mac says..things should even out when you swap..i have been doing it for 30 years..sometimes a more advanced collector would want to send me 50 or a hundred dollars catalog when there was little chance I could return the favor and I had to ask them to please slow down..you don't want to get too far ahead or behind the other trader....

I'm all for trading, but I don't have much other than German in bulk and so there aren't many opportunities. It is fun though.

I can remember sitting at a table with four or five buddies when I was a kid. We would trade duplicates stamp for stamp with no idea of value. I wonder how many 'good-uns' I traded for junk?