Best Place To Purchase Stamps?

I have been collecting stamps for over 50+ years, not seriously but off and on. I now want to get into it more specifically and want to start by completing my US & Canadian albums, can anyone suggest where to start without spending a fortune for clean stamps?

I would certainly consider membership in the APS and get their salesbooks. Like having a store in your home!

The APS would be the fast track way to go...Unless you can find a dealer you trust who will work with you...i get the APS circuit books and the prices are all over the map...some members price their material way too high...others seem to just give the stuff away at 15 or 20 percent of catalog..so its still buyer beware !!

For what countries does the APS have circuit books? What are the requirements and cost to be an APS member? I assumed that only dealers could belong to the APS.

Yarina, the American Philatelic Society could very well be the biggest stamp collectors club in the world; it is open to most everyone. You certainly do not have to be a dealer! The circuit books that the APS sends out are from virtually every country in the world.

I think Bidstart is also a good choice. The fees there are modest, so sellers, many of whom are collectors selling off their duplicates, tend to price things pretty attractively. Also, most sellers keep shipping fees pretty modest as well. It's very easy to search by Scott number there, unlike ebay. There is also a good discussion board there where you can ask questions.

Having said that, I wouldn't want to discourage you from joining the APS. It does amazing things to help promote the hobby, puts on the best national shows, and publishes a great monthly periodical. But, personally, I never found the sales circuit books to be very helpful. When I was subcribed to them, they were very hit and miss, in terms of filling the holes in my collection, plus, when you are new to a circuit, you are the last one to get the books before they're returned to the APS. So things may have been picked over by the time you get them. You build seniority over time to work higher up the routing list. .. However, the APS also now has an online stamp store (they didn't have it when I did the circuit books), which I think is a more efficient way to shop than the circuit books. Shopping the online store also requires having an APS membership, but you could browse online first to see if you think it might appeal to you.

I would supply links to BidStart and the APS Stamp Store, but since punishment seems to be harsh here if you don't follow the rules, so I'm going to assume that I'm not permitted to post links.

(In the interests of full disclosure, I should add that I have in the past been a seller on Bidstart, selling off my Japanese duplicates. I'm paying to keep a place for a store there, but it's not open for business, for at least several more months, and I wasn't selling US or Canada. -- I know when I'm looking for a stamp, I look at Bidstart first.)

-- Dave

I would encourage you to join a stamp club,
along with the above advice.
Like minded people with swags of duplicates at usually good prices.

I agree with Rod about finding a local stamp club.

Also, there are small stamp shows, 1-2 days long, usually in a motel or hotel or Masonic hall or the like, depending on where you are located. I'm one of those people who used to just do everything by mail order, requesting dealer price lists, etc. Finally I started going to local shows, and found myself seeing a broader range of material offered, learning a lot from dealers and from other collectors, and often enjoying the camaraderie.

If you can let us know approximately where you're located, or near what metropolitan area, we can probably help you track down a local club or show.

-- Dave

Just a point of clarification. Yes, your name starts at the bottom for the first circuit, but it moves up the routing list with each circuit sent out. After about ten circuits, your name is at the top of the list, then, on the following circuit, it moves to the bottom and the cycle repeats.

I used the sales circuits for many years, then started a family, and couldn't devote the time to go through the sales books. I used the sales circuits to fill holes in my Germany and U.S. revenue collections, and other areas.

I recommend membership in the APS and taking advantage of the sales circuits and APS StampStore.

Cheers, Robert

Philatarium (love the name!),

Once you reach 50 posts of a more or less quality nature, you are allowed to post links, as long as they do not interupt any revenue streams for the site, or have viruses or suchlike in them.

In order to promote your own site or auction site name you need to be a financial supportor of this site also. See the Rules, button top right.

American Philatelic Socisty (APS) Store:
http://stamps.org/Stampstore

BidStart auction site:
http://www.bidstart.com/

I only recently started buying from http://kmphilately.com but have been very satisfied with their stuff as it is much more affordable compared to ebay.

Puzzler: Thanks!

I think joining the APS would certainly go a long way to helping fill in your collection. The annual dues are around 45.00 but not only does that allow to get in the circuits you get a great monthly magazine and access to many other services and programs.
Nick