What Would You Do If Facing This Situation?

Being on just SS I can really not afford the 200 any more !

Peter

My first assumption would be that it is stolen and I would ask a few pointed questions to find out if the seller was the owner.

Yep, Germania. Same here.

If something seems too good to be true, it probably isn't legit.

As an ex-cop, my radar is starting to generate warnings. I would want to know which of my acquaintances suggested he contact me, and I would confirm that with them before proceeding any further. If he can't tell me, or it doesn't check out, I'd decline the opportunity to buy.

I think I might take a more proactive stance. Surreptitiously snap a photo of the seller, part with the $200, then go to the authorities to begin a search for the true owner. This assumes, of course, that I can afford the $200 hit.

I'll have to remember not to offer anyone in this chat room a good deal on a stamp collection or my picture will end up on a wanted poster on a post office wall somewhere.

Since I am not a expert in everything philatelic and have been fooled on other purchases ......I pay them $200.00 for those items I know,the $200.00 is for those items I want which are in that album .

It happens all the time ,if you tell me these stamp buyers are honest people your dreaming or have no experience in the real world .

Then you also need the "FLOORTRADER C-Y-A-P" method ,just in case it comes back at a later date . Remove the valueable items and even added some of your junk to it and sell it for $300.00 .


C-Y-A-P stands for" cover your ask plan"

1. Don't know = don't go. If I don't know the person and there is not a known referral, I wouldn't touch with a 10' pole.

2. If you did go. I would ask why he was asking that price and take it from there. The more questions you ask the surer you'll be in where the seller just needs $$$ or the material is "hot" and you need to walk-away.

No sense going to the authorities $3,000 thief is of no interest to them . They don't want to get invouled in your opinions of what you think is a crime .Please fill out the form and they will file it away .

In New York State that's Grand Larceny. So even if this person just swiped the stamp album they've committed a felony.

If there's been a string of burglaries well this could be a bigger deal, and should have already been reported.

Are someone scored at a garage sale and they want to flip it quick.

I forgot to answer the original question. I would call the police and ask if there's been any burglaries or robberies that included stamp albums.

I view and buy collections a fair amount and most turn out to be childrens or beginners collections. I want to meet owners at their residence for security. A few have been much better but the owners were also knowledgeable and knew the collecting terminology and knew their material, where it came from, and value. Especially higher value quality items. If they have any receipts for purchases it also helped. If I had any suspicions or indication of anything odd I put it off to check things out further before I did anything.

One or two sellers had no knowledge of the basics and were almost desperate to dump it. Rang too many alert bells. That is sure signs to walk away with any excuse you can use. I just don't want to spend my cash buying stolen property as you could be left holding the bag. No matter how many years pass. In turn I hope orhers would do the same if my material was stolen.

Edit: this poll needs a third option- do not buy as it may be stolen.

I voted the way I did because I ASSUME it would be hot. If I got the feeling that it was truly due to ignorance, and not felonious, I would probably try to renegotiate. If I couldn't get a strong feel for the story-behind-the-story (and that's probably close to 90% of the time), I would assume it was hot. I would document all I could about the seller and keep my ear to the ground about a stolen collection over the next few weeks/months.

I have pointed out to dealers some unlisted varieties that I know of before making a purchase from them.
Their responses have mostly been that if it's not listed in the catalog, they don't care since the catalog is their authority.
Also, they have responded by saying that since they bought it as a regular stamp, they are selling it as such since they did not have to pay extra for it so that they are not charging any extra for it as well.

Don (and others):

I would try to do the right thing. If I got the "stolen" vibe then I'd report it. Otherwise, I'd negotiate a better price for the seller.

UNLESS, the album had a mint set of 1869 Pictorials, then I'd pay the $200 and run...

Or Canada's Jubilee set...

Or... uh oh...

As I am not a stamp dealer I interpreted the context of "You receive a phone call from an unknown person …" to mean a mutual acquaintance had referred them to me because that acquaintance knew I collected stamps and might be interested. I would anticipate that the caller would begin with "(The mutual acquaintance) suggested I call you", otherwise I would inquire as to how they found me. I had not thought of the possibility of the material being stolen and was rather surprised that several here would hold that as a first assumption.

Of course there can be a lot of nuance involved (how did they find me, their general demeanor, their knowledge of stamp collecting, do they seem too anxious to unload it in a hurry, etc.). Yet, I assume that most inquiries stamp dealers receive about purchasing a collection are from people they don't know. Do dealers automatically assume the material might be stolen goods?

In the past few months I've purchased several collections off eBay (partly in a quest for Citation binders) but I've never spent more than $60.00 (my highest bids were in the $90's) plus shipping, so $200 might be a bit rich for my blood. I might be curious to take a look though, and in any event I would invite them to visit the local stamp club (when we can meet again) and suggest dealers they should consult.

As I was looking through their album, if I happened to notice a Scott US 292 (Cattle in Storm) or a Scott US Q10 (Dairying) … I've worked in the cattle industry for many years so these are of serious topical interest … I'm human, I know I might feel temptation … I would tell them that they have some high value material and would refer them to a reputable dealer.