Poll: Has Inflation Impacted Your Stamp Collecting Efforts?

Inflation hasn't affected stamp prices, so you're really asking if inflation has affected folks' budgets for spending on stamps / postal history.

Believe me, after twelve years featuring the four worst Prime Ministers since Chamberlain, culminating in this week's ritual trashing of the economy, inflation isn't the main challenge here.

Inflation impact for stamp collectors and dealers is more in postage cost due to the Post Office continue raising cost .

It's less inflation more a stupid hot auction market that makes it impossible to find anything for normal prices. By normal I mean a price I won't live to regret. I'm a young guy, gone are the days when one could buy auction lots for a whole month of fun. Now it's all either junk or very slim pickings for very high prices.

I view inflation has being connected to my 'fun' hobby budget and not viewed as 'has inflation increased auction/stamp/supplies prices'.

That said, inflation and 'additional costs' have crushed my family this year. Having to make a 500-mile round trip every week to go back to Duke, including a overnight stay at a motel, has taken an additional bite from our normal monthly budget. Ditto for medications; I went from having no prescription ($0 monthly cost) to now spending $2100 per month for the last 3 months (due to anti-rejection meds for the kidney transplant). I foolishly thought that the 'Inflation Reduction Act would at least help with the current $235 per month insulin cost (not diabetic, need insulin due to other meds spiking my blood sugars) only to find out that the benefit being touted does not actually become available until after 2026.

Inflation has impacted the household budget greatly, so far this year we have spent $1630 more for the food budget through September (compared to last year). To make some of this increased cost up, I have reduced my 'fun' budget.

Lastly, I cannot help but feel that this poll is greatly influenced by divisive politics. So far one team is currently voting one way and the other team is voting the opposite way.

Ideally I would like to hear from those who voted that inflation is not impacting them with some more details. I assume that these folks have enough disposable income to spend on a hobby and are not actually saying that inflation has not impacted them at all.
Don

I don't spend a huge amount on stamps, postal stationery, covers, etc., and I've never gone to a stamp show outside of my local area, so I'm not really feeling the effects of inflation on my collecting habits. If the current economic situation is affecting me at all, it's that I'm buying more Japanese DVDs, because the dollar to yen exchange rate right now is the best it's been for the past 20 years.

Am I buying fewer stamps (etc.) than I was last year? Yes, but for a different reason. I've gotten to the point in my areas of concentration where I've already bought most of the inexpensive stuff, so now I'm at the point where I have to spend more per item, inflation or no inflation.

Case in point: Last year I made substantial additions to my "One Unused 19th-Century Postal Card from Everywhere" collection, because I could still find plenty of things that I needed for under $10 each, including shipping. But now I'm at the point where the things I still need are more expensive, not because inflation has made them more expensive in the past year or two, but because they've always been more expensive. And, in general, harder to find. So I haven't bought anything for this particular collection in August and September, and the two items that I bought in July cost more than the $15-per-item limit that I had previously set for myself. This was going to happen sooner or later, regardless of any broader economic situation.

Like some others have posted, inflation has not really affected me at all, since I live a pretty frugal life and am willing to substitute more inexpensive items for name-brand whenever possible. Also, my home is well insulated, I have solar panels to help with electrical costs, and I drive a fuel-efficient hybrid car.

As far as stamp collecting, the ones that I am missing are both very, very expensive, or very, very inexpensive, yet hard to find. I enjoy the hunt, so that keeps me busy at a very reasonable cost (for the lest expensive items), and hoping for the best (for those really expensive items).

And, to help others out, I have hosted many giveaways for duplicates or items that no longer fit my collecting interests. With such a large community, I would expect others to also try this way of giving back. Cheers.

Don ---- It is sad to read about your health issues . Sounds like a diffucult time for you and the family . Hope and pray things get better . Inflation and health cost looks to continue with the way it is going .

No on inflation, but I'm loving the fact that the USD is up against the Euro.

Agree, has prevented me buying anything of value from the US
in 2 years. (Billigs set the exception)

The latest Billigs on ebay, currently work out at $80 per catalogue
(Price +ship to Oz)

My Food bill has risen this year by $2 a day, (Currently $12 a day)

Yesterday was the first time I have refused to pay a price
Tomatoes were $10.50 for 4 tomatoes in a punnet.

Lettuce is back down to $3.50 from $11

I've never been a fanatic about this stuff, even when I was young. I know what I'm willing to pay for any given stamp or lot and I never go above it. Even on eBay, I just put in my maximum bid and move on. I pay no attention whatsoever until it's over. I either win or I don't. There's absolutely nothing that I have to have right now.

I am a bit the same,
as a worldwide collector, and involved in "swaps"
and, with a request for "junk", it is rather amazing with what turns up.

There is always something I have never seen before.
I am just about to send 1000 or so to Ireland
$15 for the "tough bag of swaps" in shipping
A hell of a lot of fun, for peanuts.

For those with the collecting "gene", I just saw a collection on line
from a Librarian.
Her collection was "Things that people have left in Library books"
It was a real piece of fun.

Is this something US stamp collectors can benefit from? I have never sought out Euro-denominated material but have purchased occasionally from ebay when it shows up in search. I wonder what the best outlet is (ebay, SAN, hipstamp, delcampe, or something else?) to find deals from Europe.

If you mean collectors of US stamps, only if there is US material you want from an auction or seller in a Euro country.

If you mean US collectors of Euro-country or worldwide stamps, most definitely. I buy a lot from auctionhouses in Germany, and the price in USD is now significantly better. For the better part of 20 years, the exchange rate has been between 1.25-1.5 EUR to 1 USD, meaning a €1,000 auction lot would cost me $1,250-$1,500 before fees, etc. Now, they're roughly at parity, so that €1,000 lot costs me a little less than $1,000 before fees.

I'm a big fan of Philasearch, but that's because it's the primary platform for the German auctionhouses. I think most of them are also on SAN.

I just placed an order with Michel for some of their Spezial catalogs, with $ and € almost at par perfect time to fill holes in my catalogue library. Will be doing same with Gibbons to get the hyper-specialized Britain catalogues with $ almost at parity with £.

Anyone in USA who ever wanted to visit Europe should go now with the $ so strong.