Going To My First Stamp Show In Texas - Any Advice?

Hi Friends. Im very excited to be going to my first stamp show in Houston Texas. Since I've never gone was thinking id ask for any general advice. Will it only be a buying opportunity? Or can I bring any of my collection to share? Anything to look out for? Thank you, Nora.

If you are going for the first time, enjoy yourself! I would suggest not to take any of your stamps. At least not until you know what is going on. You might gain some more insight by reading the show's website?


Peter

Hi Nora,

The TSDA Stamp Shows are usually only a buying or selling opportunity with about a dozen or so dealers with tables. It's a great place to connect with the dealers and other stamp collectors. I used to attend the shows in San Antonio and Dallas regularly for many years before moving to Colorado.

The Houston Stamp Show later this year in September will be more along the lines of a big stamp show with many more dealers, exhibits, and educational seminars. I love viewing exhibits as they are usually quite informative and have some great material included. I've been thinking about taking a trip to Houston to attend the show in September as well as visiting my daughter and her family in Cypress.

Hope this helps!

Scott

It's a stamp show, not a meeting of the local stamp club. Who are you expecting to share part of your collection with? Almost everything going on there will be about buying and selling. There may or may not be some sort of exhibit, depending on circumstances. Certainly, friends and acquaintances will meet and talk and share, but shows are first and foremost commercial ventures.
If there are specific stamps you want to upgrade, get another set of eyes on, etc. by all means bring a few in a stockbook or Vario page. But go in expecting nothing more than small talk.

Thank you all - this is really helpful. Appreciate your thoughts. Ill just go check things out.

Let us know what you think!

bring a loupe or magnifying glass

A few disconnected thoughts.

I wouldn't take too much "stuff" because you have to police it. That said, if you need light or magnification, consider bringing your own. Magnification is often, but not always, available, and at a busy table someone else may be "hogging" it. Same can be said for tongs. But police them...if you set them down anywhere but right in front of you, someone may grab them, thinking they are the dealer's and for community use.

Bring some money but set a firm, and smallish, budget for the first show. You'll see lots of things you've never seen before, but by the time you've been to your second or third show, you'll realize that there is always more material out there. You should definitely go home with something, though.

I'd walk around and see what's going on before settling in at a dealer's table.

Before you ask for material to look through, ask how they price their material. It's common for a dealer to put a catalogue value on a card, but then sell at some percentage of catalogue. Some dealers sell at the price on the card. It can be a big difference. If you're buying things that multiple dealers are likely to have, you might as well shop on price. When handing you the first box or binder, they should say something like, "the CV is on the card, and I sell at half of CV." Not all of them volunteer that information.

Some dealers update the prices on their cards from time to time, and some don't. If you're looking at more-obscure material, the catalogue value might be from a 2010 catalogue, which can also be something to factor in when deciding where to spend your money.

After you've been to a few shows, you might also start to shop on personality, too. Some dealers are just grumpy. It's not you.

If you find something you like, flash your tongs and ask if it's okay if you pull it out of the card. They'll say yes, but it's polite to ask the first time you do it. You don't have to ask the same dealer over and over. And then look at the back. Don't trust the card to have condition issues noted.

Have fun. Report back.

ETA: Bring cash. Some dealers can take cards; many can't (or don't).

Just wanted to add that I am really appreciating all the info and tips you are offering in this thread. I haven't attended any stamp show or club meeting yet as none are available in my surroundings. I am reading this with the same interest as Nora and probably learning as much! I am hoping to make my way to a particular stamp show in April, a couple of hours drive from my home!

Thank you for your time! Truly appreciated!

Just go and have fun. I wouldn't be taking anything along unless you're meeting someone there who wants to see it, or unless you're trying to sell it to a dealer. You're there to see stuff and buy stuff, depending on the size of the show in question. Enjoy yourself, ask a lot of questions, meet a lot of people and just explore. Make friends. Get stuff. That's the biggest reason to go to shows.

All so very very helpful- wish I had read the bring Cash part earlier! It was a smaller State Dealer show but really awesome. I learned a lot for next time. I also would have given myself more time. I did pick up a few nice Hong Kong stamps and France. The Dealers were very nice and helpful. Also met a Dealer who has a Store in the City that I can visit.

I take a pencil small note pad with what I am looking for.
A dozen or so Glassines

Why? In the hustle and bustle you can get absorbed by the excitement.
Also, in Oz, dealers trust you to be honest
You browse through the cards of stamps, with prices below them
you pick out the stamps you want, and jot the price down in your note book
and place them in a glassine.
Tally them up, when finished and give the page to the dealer

(I usually get 10% discount too)

Pair of spade tongs

First time is a lot of fun, and can be exhausting
try and get a chair when finding a good dealers stock books
Bending over those tables can ouch!



Amen to that.

For the future:
•Venues such as fairgrounds and hotels are going to charge you their normal parking rates and may not allow you return privileges without paying all over again. But you probably discovered this already.
•If you can and are awake, having your nose against the door at opening time gives you more time to roam around, more elbow room. I then like to break early for lunch so then Google for likely spots. Your mileage will vary tremendously on food available at the show site. The first day of a show has been better than the last in my experience, not necessarily because of what's available, but that some dealers are allowed to sneak out early on the last day so you may miss them.
•As you have found, you will likely come up with some favorite dealers. Be aware that those with brick-and-mortar stores can be out travelling doing shows with their entire stock so check before dropping in.
•If you see something that's displayed of truly strong interest or need, check it out right then and there instead of continuing to window shop. You can lose track of where it was on the second go-around, and it's been notable how many times such an item has been sold before I've returned or been able to return.

Don't try to do too much. Bring catalogue, tongs, envelope, cash. Be polite and very courteous. These dealers do not know you, and there are crooks at shows. I never say another dealer is selling for less. Get a dealers best price and make your decision. Until you become a pro stick with inexpensive stuff. If you pay $23 instead of $20 who cares, but put some zeroes after that and the game changes. I have made some wonderful friends amongst the dealers, while there are also some dealers I would cross the street to avoid!

I use a rolling briefcase, with a retractable handle, the kind you sometimes see people bring on airplanes, to contain all my stuff: magnifier, battery powered LED light, catalog, printed want list, smartphone, cash, checkbook, pens, etc. That way, when I sit down at a dealer table, everything is secure and handy at my feet, zipped into the compartments of the bag.

I mount stamps in albums. As a backup for my want list, the night before the show I use an iPad or smartphone and take pictures of the album pages with spaces I want to fill. Then I look at the device at the dealer page when making my selections. This keeps me from inadvertently buying stamps that I already have.

Some people print out slips with their name, email address, and phone, which you can give to dealers to add to their mailing lists.

In regards to the comment above about dealers pricing catalog value. Keep in mind that catalog value, like Scott, is for stamps with VF centering and no faults (unless otherwise noted). Also, it's not uncommon for dealers to over-grade their material and write "Gem" or XF, when in reality it may barely be F-VF with faults.

One last thing... don't feel like you have to buy something to gain rapport with a dealer/seller. Of course, they want to sell as much as possible, but only buy if it's something you want or need for your collection.