Using The Golden Rule

The hobby of stamp collecting is one of the greatest hobbies in the world. It brings together people from all nationalities, professions or jobs, and ages. It teaches them much about history, geography, and world cultures. Many events and famous personalities are the subjects of stamps issued by countries from all over the world.

In order for collectors to expand their collections they must contact fellow collectors and stamp dealers. This allows them to acquire more material by either purchase or trading with fellow collectors. These relationships are very important and can provide rewards which surpass just the ability to gain more material to add to a collection. Not only can they form lifelong friendships and acquaintances but they may also gain a lot of knowledge from these contacts about their collecting interests.

However, over the years I have heard many stories told about how a very good relationship with either a collector of stamp dealer eventually took a turn for the worst and ended in leaving a "bitter taste" in the mouths and minds of both individuals. This fact prompted me to remember a phrase that was taught to me early in my life --- "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Of course, this phrase is known as The Golden Rule.


James Cash Penney, who was later known as J.C. Penney named his first store the Golden Rule in 1902. This step and the manner in which he treated customers set his store apart from most of his competitors and developed a thriving business which still continues today. Mr. Penney was raised on a farm outside of Hamilton, MO by his parents. His father was a minister who had taught his son to believe in the practical application of the Golden Rule.

For more than thirty years, I have heard stories about how some dealers have failed to treat collectors in a fair manner and I have also heard stories about how some collectors have taken advantage of a stamp dealer. Other cases of the same type have occurred between collectors themselves. Of course, there are situations in which the individuals involved are attempting to be dishonest or are just plainly dishonest. My experience has been that these situations occur less frequently than those of a satisfactory nature and outcome.

How does one as a collector apply the Golden Rule?

* Provide your dealer with want lists for material that you intend to purchase and can afford
* Develop an open line of communication with your dealer
* Promptly return material to the dealer that does not meet your needs
* Promptly pay for material that you purchase.
* Compliment your dealer on his service if he deserves it

How does a dealer apply the Golden Rule?

* Promptly ship orders upon receipt of payment
* Ship only material that you know or believe will meet the collector's requirements
* Look for additional ways to be of service to your customer
* Always treat customers as if they are right even thou they may not be.
* Always say "thank you" to your customer

Today, there is a lot of buying and selling activity among collectors and dealers done on the internet. These activities can provide a lot of value to both, however they also leave the "personal" nature of the business behind. So no matter whether you are at a stamp bourse, stamp club meeting, active on the internet, or doing business by mail, pause a moment and ask yourself - "Are my comments or actions one's which I would like to receive in a similar situation?"

You will find that the Golden Rule will work for you just as it did for J.C. Penney.

So what do you think?

Curtis

Welcome to the forum curtstamp.

I am in full agreement with what you say. It is good common sense that shows respect for others and creates friendship and trust. The Golden Rule, as we North Americans know it, is of biblical origin and is a trustworthy saying that can be followed by anyone, whether they are Jewish, Christian, other religion or atheist. Though I am relatively new to the forum, I believe I am correct in saying that this forum has members who belong to all four groups I mentioned and we have found common ground and respect for each other with our interest in stamp collecting.

Marty

welcome to the forum

The golden rule

Consider these two situations:

A)
I take some unwanted stamps to a dealer and I'm offered $50 for them. The next time I visit there is one of my stamps for sale at $5000. I feel real upset that the dealer didn't offer me an appropriate value for my stamps - he would have known the value of the stamp when he purchased it from me - he's a dealer!

B)
I'm searching through a pile of covers in a dealers store and find a gem, a rare cancellation that the dealer has missed. I purchase it for the going price of $5 put it up for sale on ebay and get $500 for it. The dealer should have realised the value he is a dealer!

Is one OK and the other not (and which one) - or both are OK - or both bad!

Greetings Curtis

Curtis (curtstamp) ( Bruce Webber )

Quite a nice reading you provided. Very enjoyable. Nicely done!

I like to apply the Golden Rule myself.

And common sense.

And the ideas in the book (and now Cds) Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (CDs by Think Right Now company).

It comes down to the concept that people will treat you as you treat them (generally speaking of course).

If you are friendly, they are friendly, or at least have more of an inclination to be friendly towards you. You trust your friends (usually) and you help your friends (usually!).

I am not meaning that you should fool people into thinking something they don't want to think. I am talking about making your own personal words and actions 'Friendly', actually about really caring about other people. (You have to really and for truly believe this, otherwise it comes across as a lie.)

Thus, because people trust their friends, those words and actions turn out to be influential.

The best way to teach is by actions.

The dishonesty is perhaps a mixture of a lack of skills in this Winning Friends area, a self esteem issue and maybe anger mixed in there also. Lots of factors. Always is. People usually mean to do their best but I think sometimes that their personal motivating factors change what they think is OK to do.

There are probably great sayings and good morals in many religions worldwide. Different cultures and histories may need different ideas to get them motivated. But always people are people.

I have found since I started saying Thanks or Thank You a lot more than I ever did when I was younger that people are more friendly towards me. My own actions influenced their actions.

But the thing is, once you start doing this one thing, you start to to learn to appreciate, more and more, everything and everyone around you. And you actually do mean it when you say Thanks. You really appreciate the little things hey have done. And people can hear it in your voice. It's not fake.

I think another good saying is:
Appreciate what you have while you have it.
(Kind of means everything, people, places, things, stamps!)
Doug

Bruce,

Greetings again!

In your proposed situation A) their are things that would make a difference.
1) Were you happy that you received $50 ?
2) Is it perhaps also a good thing for everyone involved in a buy/sell transaction to have knowledge of the product they are dealing with?
3) Perhaps the after-the-fact realization of the possible worth of a stamp (and the profit realized by a dealer) is a good opportunity to learn more about the stamp or the stamp business. (which I am still and always learning)

Personally I have been in this situation myself. I sold a stamp and later the person I sold it to sold it themselves for 5 times what I received. I was shocked. But then I realized that they knew more about the possible factors of the stamp (paper type, thinness) than I ever did. And I felt OK because I had got what I thought was a fair price for my stamp and my knowledge and so did he. We both did OK.

I received much value from the opportunity to learn more about what I could have known about that stamp (and future stamps!). What is that worth?

In situation B) the same reasoning applies. The opportunity always exists for someone to learn more and thus realize greater profits or return on his investment.

The thing is that it is not just money $$$ involved here. It is the knowledge and the astute application of that knowledge in a situation offering an opportunity to apply it.

I used to get mad about what other people were doing to me but now I am happy I learned something and realized that there was an opportunity to learn something. Now I know more (hopefully). I just have to be ready and willing to apply my new knowledge in situations as they come along.

Not always an easy thing to do. Practice, practice.

There is a seeming Fairness quality that I am intentionally ignoring here.

But is it fair that you (or I) missed out on an opportunity to learn something important and be better and sharper next time? Is that fair? Be fair to yourself too. Forgive yourself for not knowing everything. My opinion.

If you do your best then that is the best you can do. Next time (if you choose to learn from an opportunity) you possibly could do things better (or at least differently).

Another saying I am still mulling over and puzzling out:
Success is the feeling I get when I do my best.

Hi Bruce

I agree with Puzzler.
I am a stamp dealer, but I only deal with low end items. Mostly boxes of stuff for 10 cents a stamp. That's not saying that I don't have experience with other stamps. It's just that I have fun with the "cheapie" stuff.

Anyhow, if someone comes to me wanting me to buy something, I would hope that they knew what they were selling. I wouldn't cheat them if I saw a really good stamp. I would send them off to someone else. But if they came to me and said they wanted, "X" amount for something and I just scanned it and said yes and bought it only to find out later that there was an expensive stamp then I would sell it for whatever I could get for it.

Also I have seen a lot of really experienced collectors going though my 10 cent stuff. They get out their handbooks and magnifiers and ponder over a stamp and sometimes they snap it up. AFTER they pay their 10 cents, I usually ask them what was so interesting about a common stamp to grab their attention. Sometimes it's nothing much, but other times, it's a different perf size or a minor variety.
I figure if I don't take the time to sort though each stamp to find anything of value, then that's my loss and the collectors gain, and I am quite happy for them. Now if they said they found something really valuable for 100's of dollars or more, then I would be kicking myself for not seeing it, but I would still be happy for them.

Also in the few books and 102 cards of stamps that I have, if I haven't catalogued it right and someone finds something of value that's my fault and their good luck.

Good topic...much food for thought..you would be surprised how some large companies who you would think would be concerned with the customer..does not want to know anything once an item is signed for and ordered..well word of mouth works very well..and we will not be bashful when their name is mentioned..but they don't seem to care ! Stamp dealers or car dealers if they act in a decent manner I tend to go back..if not..i guess its their loss !!

The Golden Rule has always worked for me in stamp collecting trades and dealings.




Now that's a laugh!! I guess Mr. Penny was never in Brownwood, Texas (pop. 20 000). When I lived there in 1994-1995 that was the only store that sold "better" clothing than Wal-Mart or K-Mart. Anyhoot, my ex-wife (one of 120 Canadian nurses at the Brownwood Regional Medical Centre) and eight other Canadian nurse co-workers wanted to buy a nice dress, as there was a "Southern Ball" at the hospital in a few weeks.

So they all went ot the only nice store in Brownwood that sold that sort of women's clothing. The women who worked in ladieswear department didn't want to serve my wife and her fellow nurses as they were "taking American jobs". (Hell, the local hospital couldn't get Americans from other parts of the U.S. to work in Central Texas hospitals). At the end of the day, they all went on the hour and one-half drive to Abilene, Texas (pop. 103 000) and bought their dresses at Sears.

To this day, I wouldn't piss on a J.C. Penney Store if it were on fire.

David

An interesting first post Curtis. Very well written article. I hope it's more than just a drive by cut and paste Welcome to the forum.

And welcome Bruce as well. In relation to your 2 situations, knowledge is power. This applies not just to stamps, but anything that can be bought and sold. While I think that in situation A it's unethical of a dealer to rip someone off, it happpens all the time. And while it may be unethical, it's also the fault of the seller for not bothering to obtain the knowledge of the value of the item they're selling. If a person has something they wish to sell and they don't know the value of it, they would be crazy to walk into a store, whether it be antique, stamp or whatever, and just accept what the dealer offers. A fool and his money so to speak.

As to situation B, well I make profit from reselling all the time I'm not a huge seller with a store or anything, but I regularly buy stamps that I know I can resell. This is where knowledge of the market is important, and knowledge of where and how you should sell. Knowledge of rare cancellations or varieties takes a lot of effort to obtain, the reward is picking up these rare items being sold by someone who doesn't share that knowledge Knowledge is everything!

To add another situation, what if you don't realise until after you have the stamp at home? I recently bought a stamp off Stampwants, paying $4 for it. When it arrived I discovered that it was in fact a rarer perforation varity, valued at around $80. The seller hadn't listed the perf. Would you contact the seller to let them know? Or would you buy more off this seller hoping he makes other mistakes?

Balf

Knowledge is power, and buyer beware both seem to come to mind as I read these posts. As Balf said "Knowledge is everything." There are honest people out there and there are people looking to make a buck. Some dealers overprice their items just waiting for the novice collector to come along and grab them up. So knowing what you are buying is the best thing in these situations.

Welcome Curtis and Bruce!

Wish all would use the Golden Rule.
I have been at Stamps shows where a person comes in and shows stamps to dealers and the dealers offer a sum that is way low. Even though they can not see and price each stamp the total price is way less than I would have purchased the stamps for. Lets not fall into that logic.

Of course, another way to look at it is that they were selling the stamps way too high?

k

Where did you go curtstamp?

You started with a great topic.

As I feared (and hinted at in my post,) this appears to be just a drive by spamming advertising his website. This guy is a stamp dealer - checking his profile will lead you to his site, from which this article is a cut and paste.

Not that it isn't great advice and a great attitude to have, but I think the purpose of the post was just to advertise himself as a person who follows the golden rule, so buy stamps from him.

Balf

maybe one of you could write something for me. the world surely isnt a place for dealers who cant advertise themselves :)