Buying Stamps On The Internet

To me buying stamps on the internet is like going to a yard sale...i do not expect to pay retail...if someone wants to get rid of something they will price it that way..if they want actual value perhaps they should take out a table at a stamp show !!

philb,

I agree, even at a stamp show realistic value is NOT catalog value for the average stamp. To me, putting a stamp for sale on the Internet is saying either;

"Look, I have something to sell, I don't want it anymore and I'll take the best or any offer"
or
"Look, I have a super good looking stamp, a lot better than what you usually find and I'm selling it but expect more than usual for it because it is so good looking.

The problem then becomes everyone thinks their stamp is so good looking!

Bulk mixed lots or bulk lots of the same stamp should always be cheaper in general whether you buy on-line or not.

That special stamp is always going to cost a lot whether it be on-line or not.

It is always a good feeling getting stamps or a stamp at a good price.

If I can get 100 stamps for 30c and sell a stamp from the 100 for 3c it seems to make everybody happy.
If I can buy the same stamp in a 100 lot and it costs $3 nobody is happy buying the stamp for 30c.

I still think it is very hard to buy on-line and sell on-line. But I am still the new boy on the block.

But in saying this I am agreeing with you philb.
Sometimes on-line selling just does not seem to make any sense at all.

Philb, I think it's a little unfair to say if someone wants to get rid of something they will price it that way. There is always collectors who want 'quality' and are prepared to pay for it, in the long term their money isn't wasted.

Nobody gives away money, scarcer quality items are priced accordingly, plentiful items are priced as you mentioned, imo.

a good example is mystic's stamp site....some are priced outrageously compared to say Kenmore and they're even higher than say ebay or bidstart.

Guys, as usual I only give my opinion..sure my wife has found some real Europa forerunner gems on the internet..but they went for a fraction of catalog value(mostly from European dealers) but when I look at worldwide collections and lots..i have to wade through an awful lot of junk !!

I too wade through a pile of junk in hopes of finding a few nice deals and for me that can all consuming! I like the hunt and will stick a few in my watch list with an idea of it's value and wait until times just about up and bid if it's still a good buy. To me it is just another way for me to enjoy stamps, fill gaps and the thrill of getting cool mail. Just another avenue for fun.

Buying on the internet, either through ebay or here on SCF is my primary source. I don't live near a dealer, I've just joined a stamp club, so it hasn't been a huge source yet (but I'm hopeful) and estate auctions, though fun are few and far between.
And yes you have to wade through a lot of common stuff to get the one you want/need, but again I think that's part of the fun of collecting - the hunt.

Just to repeat myself, it's ebay that got me back in stamp collecting. I can picture myself has some kind of addict when I have cash. I'm not a dealer, i'm a collector. And also a short term to medium term collector. Except for my Europa collection everything I have can be sold eventually either for financial reason or just because I get tired of it. I sell and I start another country or another topic. In the process I lose financially. Just sometime I make a little money. As a kid I cheer so much when I receive stamps with the mail. I think i'm still a kid in a sense. As long as envelope full of stamps keep visiting my mailbox i'm happy. Daniel

You know it's amazing us Members have slight varied opinions on Topic yet we all respect/appreciate opinions given. Truly acting as a family in this hobby.

finches
If someone stay polite and straight forward, people are open for arguments. I remember a member who manage to reach 50 post quit fast to start selling. Then he got frustrated about his auction and a member reply to him telling the whole truth. I don't even know if the winning bidder receive his stamps. The newbie stop posting. I think it's one of the reason why Admin will raise the number of post before selling.

I buy almost exclusively on the internet: ebay, Delcampe, Bidstart and a couple more including fora like this one, where the buying is excellent. Without it I don't think my interest in stamps would have gown to addictive proportions: is that good or bad? I reckon it's good, but I am not exactly objective.

I often consider what some of the people I know spend on their hobbies and I don't feel so bad (my son a while ago spent almost $2000 on a new fishing rod and reel...I grimace at the thought: I could have bought some really nice stamps for that money lol)

To each his/her own.

:)

For our British colleagues,
Oxfam is selling stamps.

Prices look high to me, but see for yourself.

The link maybe a bit dodgy, if you get to the home page
just select "stamps and coins" and click the magnifying glass.

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/search-results?i=1 page=2 q=stamps q1=Stamps+%26+coins show_all=products x1=secondary_cat_1&gid=&owner=

In my experience, Oxfam prices for all sorts of "collectable" items - books, records etc - are quite high, and often seem based on a cursory look at the web - eg abebooks. My stamps from incoming mail, plus scruffier stuff I find when sorting, all goes to charity shop collections.

My thoughts on the topic are simple. This is a hobby and meant to bring enjoyment to those of us fascinated by these little bits of paper. If, at the end of the day, when we are done collecting - either because we're no longer here or have had all the fun we can stand - we are fortunate enough to be able to recoup some of the money we've spent on our collections. There are few hobbies which can make that claim.

For those who want to "invest" in stamps, I say "Have at it!" I'll never own a U.S. C3a or some of the other "investment" type stamps. I do what I do because I really, really enjoy it.

ebay, along with Delcampe, Hip Stamp and on-line auctions, have been the greatest things to happen to stamp collecting - ever. There's no way any one dealer could ever put together all the material which cross the block on these venues. The internet marketplace provides venues which can cater to not just the full time dealers, but the collector as well, giving them a resource to dispose of duplicates, thereby allowing us to turn around and buy more stamps.

However anyone collects, and purchases their stamps, is entirely up to them. There's no right or wrong way to do it; after all it's a hobby and meant to bring a sense of pleasure and accomplishment to each collector.

What may be overpriced to one collector may seem a bargain to another. So, when any collector sees a lot for sale at a price they don't agree with, it's really quite simple - don't bid on it or buy it. If it is truly overpriced, the seller will eventually get the message when it doesn't sell.

Just my thoughts on the matter...

I've been buying European stamps via ebay from a dealer based in Europe. His prices are much lower than Scott value. Also, I'm in sort of a "catch up" mode with USA souvenir sheets from the 1990's-2000's. I pick up those every so often for not much above face value on ebay since many times I end up being the only bidder on the auction. In the back of my head, I always wonder about getting counterfeits via ebay. I saw either a recent post or article about an ebay dealer in California was selling counterfeit stamp sheets. To his defense, I'm not sure if he realized they were counterfeit or not. Probably got a good deal on a stack of them, then passed those savings along. But, I guess that can happen at my local stamp shop or stamp show, too.