Canada #7 Cartier Fine Used Stamp, What Is It Worth??

Hi all my attempts to sell this old Canadian Classic Stamp in my new ebay store failed. I think I offered a fair price but can anyone tell me what this is really worth? Or is my listing not good? Similarly with other Canadian stamps I had no luck selling, would like some comments on why no one is looking at the Canadian stamps there

180797836056

You're subjecting yourself to a lot of opinions, but I'm sure you're prepared for the worst :)




My experience with ebay, Bidstart, et al over the past year is one that sellers aren't going to like. Canada stamps are selling well below catalogue value - and I don't just mean common stamps - I mean uncommon and rare Canada stamps.

As an example, over the past year I purchased a 158 (Bluenose) in VF MNH condition for ~$120. A used 65 ($5 Jubilee) in F/VF for $130.

Those two were not unusual for me in the sense of % of catalogue value paid. 10-20% of catalogue value seems to be the norm, in my opinion - even for higher quality stamps.


I would judge your stamp to be in VG/F condition.

Based on my experiences, I think you have a $150-$250 stamp at auction.

Brian

I wanted to add one more thing.

Your comments/judgements on the condition of the stamp will carry a lot of weight with the buyer.

I (generously) judged your stamp to be VG/Fine because the left margin cuts into the design. Once that happens, the catalogue value drops from $2500 (in VF) to $500 (VG).

In the case of this link I'm about to share, the seller gets his grading way wrong. Not only will he never sell at that price, he loses credibility with buyers. In my case, I wrote him off a long time ago.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1855-7-Jacq...em35b0e0ba8a

My point? Know what you have, describe it accurately, and don't inflate the value.

Brian

This may seem a bit picky but I would spell check your listing.
Spelling mistakes look unprofessional.

Thanks all

I am beginning to see that some of these ebay stamps sellers that have actual shops in Canada are guilty of using the full catalog value on a lower grade of the stamp. Absolutely correct Brian with that other seller listing the same stamp for $2400! The stamp has a margin error on it and he graded it fine. Now I reduced my price a bit more maybe not down as low as suggested as I have to make money. I also got rid of that spelling mistake and thanks for spotting it Anthony. I am going to have to be very careful buying and selling these stamps. Thanks everyone for the help. I am trying to start a small home business with stamps but I see it is very difficult to make a buck or two doing it.

I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors!

Additionally, I wanted to give a belated to SCF. There are a lot of Canada specialists here and you will fit right in.

Cheers!

Brian

Thanks for the welcome. This is a great site. I hope I can succeed in selling great stamps. I am going to give it a go full time. I hope to get many happy & satisfied customers. It all takes time I guess. I am going to try my luck selling Canadian FDC in the coming months to.

In your listing you also state a thin. That lowers the value considerably more. Also there appears to be a pen cancel. You should mention that. It also lowers the value.

Also, with a stamp with such high catalogue value you should have a much better scan, and include the reverse too, to show the thin.

I agree with BeeSee. Not even addressing the issue of retail value (since there will be a wide variety of opinions and buying techniques), I think a major issue is information -- or lack of. For a stamp that catalogs $1750 in the 2011 Scott as VF used with no faults, I would expect a much better scan and more information considering your current asking price is US$300+.

For instance, the entire scan is quite "dirty" -- full of paper fibers, dust, lint... I see at least half a dozen areas on the stamp that are either major damage or maybe it's the extraneous fibers/dust/lint -- so many questions, that I wouldn't even bother to ask. I think I see a major scratch or a tear, but maybe that's a long dust fiber. I see a major thin viewable from the front, but maybe that's just part of the cancel. I see lots of surface scrapes, but maybe that's just dust. As a buyer, because of the dirty picture and no backside picture, I would assume it's all damage and not bother to ask, and go ahead to the next item in the search list.

So please strongly consider BeeSee's suggestions. Best wishes for successful sales.

k

Depending on your target audience I think it makes sense to sell in that audience's currency.

Personally, I don't mind any currency, but many do not wish to pay the 2.5% PayPal exchange fee. Many want to purchase in their own currency.

In Canada here I started off in Canadian dollars but I found that my biggest market, people in the US, did not enjoy at all paying in other currencies. Either they did not bid, or were confused by the exchange rate and whole process of the thing.

The idea is to make it as painless as possible for the buyer to give you his money. If that means selling in USD and you having to pay the 2.5% exchange fee, well so be it. Include the fee in your price, and your shipping price also, put that in USD.

Long time eBayers usually do not mind the exchange business, but there are quite a few savvy purchasers out there. I have had people pay after they waited a few days for the exchange rate to move in their favour. Really.


Not taking returns is understandable but does not inspire confidence in the buyer's mind. Take 30 days returns or even say you take 7 days and figure it out in your finances that you have to leave the money in PayPal for 30 - 45 days or more because the buyer's can get their money back through PayPal whether you want them to or not. Nobody likes it but that's the facts.

Make it seem nice and trustworthy (how it presents) to the buyer.

Nowadays you have lots of room in the Title so use in for some words that may catch a passing searcher. And people do search now. Over half of people use the search function.

Say the year, the word Imperf, don't just say V/G but VG-F and spell out those words in the description.

Say Jacques Cartier, the full name and the denomination of the stamp, 10c.

Take out the 'Good CV' in the title. You can put that in the description. People know in their own heads what they are going to pay for something before they look at your listing and you telling them what the catalogue value is may be good for a side reference but that's all.

The word Good in the title leads buyers to think, oh, the stamp is good. It is better to Not state the grading on a stamp. To some buyers this stamp will be AOK, but to others it might seem below their expectation of what they would like to have.

Grading is mostly subjective so let them do the grading mostly. Any suggestion by you of whether the stamp is really good or beautiful or wonderful or anything of your opinion in there at all will affect how people look at the listing and sometimes it gets them thinking that they don't like your ideas. Don't get them going that way.

Just state the facts, and it is best to state what exactly is wrong or right with the stamp. In the description. Tell people about the thin, whether small, hardly noticeable, etc, but keep it factual. Tell them about the side partially cut into. Really. That is if there is a thin, maybe you meant the margin is thinner on that one side?

Tell them about the blue (deep blue?, royal blue?) pen cancel but tell it like it is a good thing and adds value to the stamp. It is a benefit (or feature) to have the excellent royal blue ink pen hand cancellation. You see?

All that extra describing helps buyers to see that you are honest (which you should be) and trustworthy (worthy of a higher payment than non-trustworthy folks) and that you care and friends care for friends (unwritten statement assumed by buyer).

You want to sell and continue to sell then your name is all important. Your reputation. Even on ebay.

Suggested title (my opinion only of course):
Canada 1952 SC #7, 10c Jacques Cartier Imperf Stamp Used Pen Cancel

Also repeat this information in your description. Really.
(The Year might need changing, I might have that wrong.)

Has this been checked for a stitch watermark? If so say it has one or no. Simply say No stitch watermark present. You saying this makes it official and adds to your expertise and trustworthiness in a way also.

Is it thin or thick paper? Any re-entries?

I agree totally on Bee See's suggestion of including a scan of the back. 200 dpi and then reduce it down a bit and use a photo editing program (perhaps Google Picassa) that allows you to rotate the stamp by a few degrees at a time to straighten it up.

Rule on ebay, when you include more pics other than the first one, it increases you chance of a sale by 17%. That's big enough for me.

Please don not use the word Rare anywhere. Use a different word and then only if their is something special about this stamp. Like a reentry or something and then use the reentry word as people will search for that or that will grab their attention.

Take out the PayPal Only Please. I know it's polite and all that but if I want to know payment details I will click on the shipping tab. Don't mess up your presentation by telling people what they can't do. Tell them what they can do. Buy your stamp.

Say Thank You for Viewing This Item. DON'T USE CAPITALS Please. I know people say it is attention grabbing and it does do that but I don't feel it is in a good way.

Be friendly, professional and businesslike.

A side note, don't go all fancy with fonts and colours. That seems like a good idea to some but I think it just messes up the points you are trying to make. Keep it simple.

Say something like this in every listing:



That is a very nice request to commit and purchase, veiled in a nice statement that people like to see about what you see is what you get (don't say it that way!). Put it in a smaller font size than the rest so it doesn't stand out too much.

Picture is OK but I haven't seen alternate scans to compare. I noticed that the stamp is tilted to the right, using the top edge as a guideline in this. For some reason that makes people subconsciously get really serious with whatever they are looking at. Tilt it a tad to the left and the whole left brain / right brain thinking and image processing changes to hey, that's a nice stamp (or whatever). Believe it or not (most don't believe me, but try it).

There is, I believe, a lot more to selling a stamp on ebay than meets the eye.

All the above given in a well meant fashion. It's what I would do, on a good day.

Oh, you can also say at the bottom, something like Good Luck Bidding or such like.

Good Luck Listing!

Most interesting post there Puzzler... Useful things to keep in mind for those of us that are still considering the world of ebay selling.

Learned over the years plus reading books plus willing to learn and try new things once in a while, when my brain could take it.

Selling well takes effort. I am always struggling.

Also consider the geographic area you are planning to sell it in (North America) and make it so your auction ends between 7 & 10 PM when most bidders will actually be in front of their computers in the buying mode as it will hopefully increase the amount of bids and bidders.

Hi Puzzler

Wow a lot of info. Thanks so much! Okay I am editing the listing. One thing is I cannot notice any pen mark, only what appears to be a light cancel. Now at the top of the scanner the camera is picking up something but the stamp has no tear that I can see. I include the back of the stamp where I see hinge remnants. Your comment on the back please. My edit now looks like this

Canada 1852 SC #7, 10c Jacques Cartier Imperf Stamp Used Light Cancel

Very Good - Fine used stamp

The left side margin slightly cuts into the stamp design

Thank You for Viewing This Item

Please see my ebay store for other great items

Much better pictures!

See how much more attractive your stamp looks now!

So instead of being suspicious of lots of surface scrapes, I now see a stamp with solid colors.

Someone mentioned something about a "thin". Hard to tell for sure, but if it's there, I would guess it is in the upper left corner(?) [upper right corner when viewed from the BACK of the stamp].

However, there remains one thing that would concern me (in addition to the margin problems at top and left) -- there still appears to be a sealed tear from the top of the stamp extending down to the last "A" in "CANADA". If there is a sealed tear, it should show up pretty clearly when you dip it in watermark fluid and view it face down in the watermark tray.

Hi KHJ I can't see a physical tear in the stamp how ever a close scan pics up what looks like a tear. Exactly where you pointed out. Very strange. I examined closely and no actual tear can be found. I don't know what to make of it. There is no thin I meant to say margin was thinner on one side. I still cannot see any pen mark. Just a light cancel. Now is there a re entry position? Comments on the back of the stamp please. Does my ebay ad look better now thanks to puzzler and everyone else here at SCF? ebay item 180797836056

It looks like I cannot change my listing from Aussie dollar to USD:(