My Kiloware Experience!

I bought from ebay and got a lot which was off paper so that saved me time, there were duplicates as expected, and mostly used stamps though I did find a few mint and some valuable ones too.

Hi stamps4life and a big to SCF.

It is great to hear about your excitement about your kiloware buy.

Always Happy Stamping. KGV

Welcome Stamp4life - very fitting name to us addicts

I love a bit of kiloware - I have a drawer with some in and every now and then I pull out a bit for some random sorting. I couldn't agree more - there is always something special to be found.

Looking forward to seeing your finds!

Drew

Welcome to the forum Stamps4life

In the past, I too have bought some kiloware and it is always a pleasure to sift through them.

Still have plenty of stamps to sort from previous purchases.

Chimo

Bujutsu

I love sorting through kiloware on and off paper, I find it strangely relaxing.

Same here. Sorting is a pleasure.

Now, soaking, on the other hand . . .

Tedksi

I have only had experience buying kiloware from one dealer, Swan Philatelics. His packages are a treat to receive; the last one I got was franked with a full sheet of Pixar stamps, still on the backing paper, canceled with his Mailer's Postmark Permit hand stamp, and placed under a protective plastic cover. The sheet arrived in pristine condition.

Has anyone else had experiences with Swan AND any other k-ware dealers that they can make a comparison?

Tedski

Thanks all for the welcome and comments! I have been sorting through one lot today and find it such fun.Picture me sitting surrounded by stamps! I am expecting another lot but this will be more work as they are on paper.
Have any of you any tips on how to get the stamps off the paper in the best way??? Any disaster stories? Any lessons learned along the way? Would love to hear :) Have a great day/night wherever you be!

The disaster stories I can relate to are the S/A (Self Ahesives) stamps from the US, NZ and Australia in partucular. There is a membrane attached to them and they tend to tear the stamp while trying to remove them from the paper.

So far, I have not had any problems with stamps from Canada and GB. Can't relate to other countries because I have not soaked many from others.

Apart from the above, I am generally ok with them.

Chimo

Bujutsu

I've soaked German SA's from 2006 and 2008 and they came off nice and easy (though not on their own, I did have to help with my fingers a bit).

But I'd like to ask if there is a rule-of-thumb or anything like that for pricing. How much is too much for kiloware and what would be considered a bargain?

Thanks Bujutsu for that useful information. So what do you recommend for the S/A stamps on paper? Is there a thread about that on that here?
dim4ik, I am still sorting through my first purchase of kiloware. I find it necessary to leave it for some time and return or I will not enjoy the activity. I suppose "how much of kiloware is too much" would be a matter of personal preference, and what you plan to do with the accumulation of stamps.
I am sure there are experts on here that can tell us how 'soaking' effects pricing. Any takers???

Stamp4life

Though I am not an expert on the S/A stamps, I have been told, and found out personally, that with the S/A stamps, the hotter the water, the better. You will still lose some stamps because of that membrane I mentioned earlier, but not as many.

What I plan to do with the stamps from these mixtures / kiloware I have bought in the past is trade all the duplicates. Heaven knows I have plenty <G>.

Chimo

Bujutsu

For me personally , the hotter the water the better. But I have seen on this forum there are those who do not agree with me and say tepid water works well as long as you leave the stamp in the water for a longer period of time. I guess you have to find what works best for you.

I think the addition of a small drop of detergent aids greatly. Now only will it help to get your whites whiter and your colors brighter, but by lowering the surface tension of the water, the water will soak into the fibers of the paper more thoroughly.

Tedski

Thanks everyone for those helpful suggestions.

Sorry, my question may have been somewhat confusing..

What I meant regarding pricing is how much is too much to pay when purchasing kiloware.. as in cents per stamp? Assuming we're talking about an average lot and no expectations of high value stamps in "unsearched" packs (do those really exist?).