Why Do Non Stamp Collectors Think Stamps Are Worth Money ?

I really get sick and tired of people who just join because they want to sell off stamps at absurdly unrealistic prices and don't give a damn about collecting stamps at all. We're just here to do all their legwork for them. They can't go to a library and check out the price guides, they can't do online searches, apparently it's our job to price their collections and find them somewhere to unload them.

When did we get hired to do that? Especially for people who have already said they're not interested in stamps at all, they just want a payday. I'm entirely cool helping people who have done their own legwork and still can't find anything, but most of these people have never even tried and just can't be bothered. They don't want to be members, they don't want to collect stamps, they aren't interested in the subject matter, they just want a check.

I pass.

Lots of good postings here and all hit the subject correctly ,so when im going to sell my massive inventory of stamps ,none of you will get a chance at it .
Because im going to start buying old albums,dusty boxes and old glassines and fill them up and sell to all those day-dreamers and want-a-get-rich types who are scanning and dreaming on E-BAY for lost attic treasure .......boy going to make millions and not have to mis-state or deceive anybody ,im selling to the dreamers not philatelist.MONEY WILL ROLL IN .

Yes,I would think collecting stamps would make us a millionaire if we discovered something new from our stamps beside a hobby,just to let you know that I am a collector but not a dealer.

In our economy any good has a value. The offer and demand of that good put a value on it. That is what is call a market. The stamp market is like other market. People have in general an idea of the value of a good. They know in general what a car worth or a stove etc. When they don't know often they will ask "Does it worth a lot?" They ask the same for a stamp collection because they have no clue of the value. But also all that was mention before participate to make people think that any stamp collection is valuable. The media coverage of big events in the stamp collecting world.

I am with Cephus...its most annoying how they find us and they probably expect us to fall all over them to bid on their Grandmothers stamps...leave us alone !!

Timbres667 true every product has value...if I took my 2012 Frontier 4x4 with 873 miles on it back to the dealership and offered to sell it back to them...i could find out what its really worth

Sorry I thought you own an old modified Pinto from the age of dark

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUkiAG0L6BY

In those days a stamp friend of mine own a Pontiac Le Mans
(1979?)

Even if they don't expect us to bid on it ourselves, they still want us to do all the work and the second we tell them it isn't worth what they think it is, they just vanish without so much as a thank you, only to be replaced by the next doe-eyed doofus with a stack of stamps. Lather, rinse, repeat.

That's it !
I'm taking all the good stuff with me.
I don't want to embarrass anyone in the family or make life harder than it already is. I will put together all the decent pieces into a small carton and leave strict instructions it's come in the box with me.

That's it ! No rolling eyeballs from some half-wit dealer in a non-existent shop telling my kids what a load of crap they have.

Job done.
I'll call it the Box for Death.
Yep, that's it !



Londonbus1.....

P.S. Should alert any wannabee grave-diggers lurkin' on the boards !

What do you think we are ghouls ?? even stamp collectors have limits they would not go beyond !

Timbres667 No Pinto, I am not a Ford man...i used to like Chrysler products until they stuck me with 2 lemons in the 70's and 80's then I had Toyotas and all of a sudden I was not going to the repair shop to replace belts,hoses,etc etc etc..it was like a miracle !

i wouldn't mind racing that dune buggy with my 261 hp v6...on the road that is..if he goes into the dunes...forget it !!

Getting back to the subject of this thread, I don't really mind helping a newcomer to the site identify a couple of stamps that he or she may have inherited from a deceased relative or friend. Who knows if the simple response or two may light a fire in someone who would like to keep the collection for their own or to pass down to the next generation in their family.

I totally agree that I would not spend the time and effort to identify difficult varieties or dozens upon dozens of stamps, but for the basic questions that usually start from a newcomer, I'm more than willing to let them know a few of the basics from my experience with the hobby and where they can get further information (either on the internet or at their library).

Granted, the majority of newcomers to the site are often looking for a quick "payday" and are more often than not disappointed to learn that those cherished stamps from their grandparents are only worth a few dollars in today's market (if that). But on the other hand, one never knows if a friendly piece of information, advice or catalog value someone on SCF gives might just light a spark in them to look at the stamp collecting hobby a little more closely or perhaps even keep the collection or pass the collection along to another relative as a cherished keepsake.

Some of us may remember a few newcomers who had collections that were truly "valuable" and contained quality items we seldom see, and as I recall SCF members were all fascinated to see scans of such quality material. While that may be the "exception" rather than the "norm", I'm always willing to freely share my own knowledge with a newcomer as one never knows what we could be overlooking.