The APS Report On Resurecting The Hobby

That's the problem. Nobody does. It's just an assertion but not a demonstration. I want to see the actual data and right now, no one can offer me a way to do so, even though they keep claiming it's true. That doesn't make it true.

I have spoken with a few dealers who claim to know some of the demographics of their on line customers. They also claim to sell to much material for it to only be "old timers". I tend to believe them. I also find it hard to believe that it's only "old timers" buying everything on ebay. If that were the case, we would all be buying a lot more than a lot of us do.

The age distribution of ebay users is available information. Google, ' ebay use by age group'. However, the details as to what is being purchased in the various categories and by which age groups is not. It is known only to god and ebay.

I just find it hard to believe that there is this sizable, untapped pool out there of younger collectors. Philately requires disposable income that younger people tend not to have in large supply. That is if we define younger as 30 or under. This is all so vague.

Housing costs are very high whether renting or buying and a record number of young people live at home with Mom and/or Dad. Inflation has had a serious impact on lower income people the most. Credit card debt for the same demographic has exploded. New and used cars prices are at record highs. If you are a college grad or attending, those costs, whether through a loan or paid out of pocket, those costs are also at record highs.

I bring up the cost of living because it impacts disposable income and young people are mostly at their lowest earning point.

Of course, you could assume that there are many younger people collecting on small budgets, but then why would they fork over a yearly membership fee to the APS.

None of this adds up.

We could expand the definition of young to people in their 40's but aren't we then bleeding into the demographic already in the pool.

I'm not kidding when I say the biggest issue with collectors under 30 is that very few have actually *used* a postage stamp.

They're familiar with them conceptually, and getting the occasional holiday/birthday card or wedding invite means people know what they look like. But I'm serious when I say this: I'm in my mid 30s, and friends of mine who are a decade younger don't even know how to address an envelope.

In the old days, people would get tons of first-class mail delivered to their house on a daily basis. You came into constant contact with stamps and letters, and if you wanted to send a message, that's how you did it. Not so anymore. Stamps were so ubiquitous that it made sense that kids were bound to collect them. Many fell out of the habit, but some didn't.

So it's hard to get people interested in collecting something they're only vaguely aware of.

The recent silver boom has brought out a million social media posts on "Silver Stackers" - and it is a much younger demographic. Sneaker collectors trend younger. There are over 5000 ebay listing for Air Jordan's that are listed for over $1500

So the world is not entirely made of impecunious spotty teenagers.

It does help if a collector is not in a vacuum. Increasing the social aspect of collecting breeds new and stronger collectors. But I don't see the youth joining a national society. It is still beneficial if the society fosters the interest until youth matures to society joining age.

As someone under 40, I can tell you young(er) collectors definitely exist (and buy material).

It's true that younger people haven't dealt with stamps in their day-to-day lives, but to be honest, many younger people I know haven't dealt with cash or coins much either (and that hobby is doing pretty well).

I too was skeptical of this move when it happened 20 or so years ago, but I thought the building and improvements were paid for and the note retired? Is maintaining the facility a big cost relative to the personnel and other costs?

Though it's a good time to be shopping for commercial office space in just about any city maybe this is just water over the dam and a sunk cost at this point?

All this talk about fixing what ails the APS but no one is talking about what they offer. So let's take a look, shall we?

What value, or what services does the APS offer that would draw-in new members? Looking at the APS website ...

- Buy and sell through the mail or online?
My 9yo granddaughter knows how to buy stuff online, so where's the value in this?!?

- Library?
Nearly every philatelic publication ever printed is available on ebay, so that's of little value to a new collector.

- Stamp authentication?
The single most outrageously expensive authentication service known to man? No thank you!

- Community?
Define the APS community? There are no APS forums and most young people don't have time to participate in a local stamp club.

- Learn?
Who the hell needs to be told what to collect or where to find stamps for sale? Have questions? Google it. More than likely, they will find their way to SCF.

Remind me again why anyone would want to pay to be a member? (I let my membership lapse many years ago).

Brian

Although I am sure that many philatelic publications are available on ebay, many are not cheap. And many are not available. So why should people spend money for something that they can borrow from a library? I can't imagine why anyone would think that a better idea.

Rileysan - Don't hold back, tell us what you really think.

Also, if your membership lapsed many years ago, why list your APS number in the signature below your posts?

The main reason I am APS member is because of the magazine. It is nice to have a magazine arrive every month. I basically view APS as a magazine subscription, and other services nice to have available if I ever need them.

Can somebody tell me the difference between Linns and AP. It seems Linns has more fans on this forum but I have never read Linns so not sure what the difference is in terms of content. Isn't Linns digital only now? So there is one benefit of AP at least if you like receiving stuff in the mail.

$500,000/year in the latest budget which I posted earlier in this thread. The facility costs are second only to personnel cost in the budget.

As experienced and advanced collectors, you and I might have good reason to want access to the APS library, but we are not the target demographic of the APS, which desperately wants (needs) to grow. What books do new collectors need access to beyond a Scott catalog, which is readily available at any public library for free? How long is the average collector in the hobby before wanting access to specialized books on any philatelic subject? I know many elderly collectors from my local club who have been collecting their entire lives and have never opened anything other than a Scott catalog. This, with the Northwest Philatelic Library sharing the same building as our clubhouse!

It is my opinion that the APS library has far less value to most collectors, new or old, than implied. And as the hobby continues to shrink, philatelic books will be even easier to acquire on ebay, etc., and for cheap enough there will be no reason to pay member dues and library fees for books that must be shipped back to the APS.

Brian

Absolutely agreed and it's always been a terrible deal. Back when it was sold on Stamps.com, APS members didn't get discounts for what was sold, non-members just paid a premium. Members weren't getting benefits, they just weren't getting shafted. Now that it's part of Hipstamp, APS vendors are just vendors and because Hipstamp takes care of all of the safety issues, it doesn't matter if they're part of the APS or not. I just buy whoever is cheaper for the same stamp.




Agreed, you're not going to get a lot of value out of it as a beginner, which the APS desperately needs. Even as an expert, I can't imagine it being all that useful.




Just like the online sales, that's not a benefit, it's a curse. It is absolutely not competitive to other services on the market.




What's the difference between the supposed APS community and just posting right here? I don't need an APS-specific community. I've got stamp forums, which is better than the APS has.




It's a question I ask myself every year in December and I haven't come up with a good answer yet. I still subscribe, but the excuses I make get less and less convincing over time. A magazine that I read an article or two out of every month? I don't know that makes it worthwhile.