How To Sell A Collection

The reason for my concerns about the dealer vs the stamp club guy is very obvious (to me anyway). The guy who volunteered to look over the collection has offered to do so for free. I am not expecting any offers for the stamps, just a fair unbiased opinion. The dealer on the other hand is in business to make money. You know that whole Buy Low/Sell High thing? So in my opinion the guy with the financial interest would look at the collection differently than the guy who has simply offered his opinion.

I did not mean to imply that all dealers are crooks. But let's be honest, in business if a person can get products for less he would be a fool not to try. This applies to used cars, building materials and yes collectibles I would think.

By the way I hope my last post did not come off too snarky, I wasn't trying to be a smart ass with my buy low/sell high comment.

Art Strohmeier

$60,000 catalogue. Do you believe this is what you should get for your collection? If you tell your family that your collection is worth $60,000 they are in for quite a surprise.

Does your collection consist of high-end, desirable material or lots of cheap stamps and post office mint sheets? If the former, you might get back some of your money.

You speak of fire-sale prices. How much have you actually sunk into your $60,000 collection?

It's a great hobby. Stop the obsession with $$$$$$$$$$$$$!!

Consider your collection a write-off. You might enjoy it even more.

If you are a golfer, what is the current value of the green fees you have paid over the years? Are your professional basketball ticket stubs worth anything? Of course not. Fun costs money. If you aren't having any fun don't do it.

DaveinMD

You have received excellent advice from board members. You will probably make more money from the 6 boxes than Stan will ever hope to make from his $60,000 collection of cheap stamps.

You have entered a world where irrationality prevails. Buy mint stamps from the post office and not from dealers. Catalogue values of $60,000 which are absolutely meaningless.

Good luck with your sale.

Yeah I can't thank you enough for all the help. As I said I don't expect much in return, any amount is a bonus and as I said we will offer the wife half.

A lot of what I saw were post office mint sheet and I'm thinking they are not worth much judging from your earlier post. Cancelled stamps, from what I remember, are pretty much worthless right?

Lood:
With all due respect, you're preaching to the choir. I DO enjoy it, and have since I was nine, off and on. I guess you haven't read my previous posts or you wouldn't have had to ask.



Of course not. That's my point. Like you, I enjoy the journey, but I also am ion the same position as Nitrolures, in that I'd like to accumulate some funds to improve the collection.




All of the above; unfortunately, not much of the former and a lot of the latter. I've never had a high expectation as to realizing anything near cat value, but I'd like to have seen a closer correlation between the CV and true cvalues. The reality is, that since ebay and on-line sales, there's been a paradigm shift.



I didn't say it was a $60,000 collection. I said the CV was (over) $60,000. Big difference.
Again, you're preaching to the choir

I don't do golf. Watching overweight ladies and gents traverse a course in golf carts chasing a little white ball seems somehow very disingenuous and a waste of what little energy they're expending.

Who's Stan?

Sir, can we deliver the coup de grace and end the suffering ?

phib

So very sorry to have caused you so much suffering. Sometimes the truth hurts.

Art (Stan)

As I understand from your comments, you know that your collection isn't worth $60,000. That's a relief.

If you own cheap stamps you can't expect to sell them for much. That is the simple reality of this hobby.

Stop thinking. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$


Collectors who buy cheap stamps and mint stamps from the post office can expect little in return for their "investments", but they can still enjoy their hobby.

It seems that people are unable to understand some of my references. My statements regarding golf and tickets to athletic events was to simply explain that there are many pleasurable experiences for which we do not expect remuneration after the event. It was meant as an analogy. Why should stamp collectors expect to make $$$. It's about the joy of the hobby. While I hear people say they collect for the fun, they seem to have a but...but I still should be able to sell my stamps and make money. I suggest you forget completely about the money angle.

Lord:

Like DaveinMD's neighbor's wife, the bulk of my collection transferred to me in exctly the same fashion, except that mine was a dealer's inventory, and contained a variety of material, making it all the more important to get a handle on exactly what was in it. You seem to have a weak spot about the $ thing. Of course it cannot be completely ignored, in a collection of whetever, as well as in life itself.

You also seem determined to make up your mind about your conclusions before they're well-founded.

Lighten up.
'
Art (I don't even know a 'Stan.')

Art

Sounds like the collection went to the right person who appreciated what was given. Perhaps this is the best way of disposing of a collection.

I am not oblivious to the monetary value of my collection. However I have realistic expectations of what it may fetch at auction.

I collect first day covers and other "philatelic" creations but realize exactly what they are worth.

Let me finish with what I think is my most important message:

Collectors, give you families a realistic value of your collection.

What, are you nuts ? if my Wife finds out what my stamps are really worth then I'm a dead man. If she finds out after I'm gone, well then I don't have to listen to it.






I kid...

I am lucky..my wife bids much more than I do..and never a problem going to a stamp show ! I don't feel the pain..but we have chewed this over and over !!

I try to keep that information from my wife .My daugthers have a list to who to contact and take offers from them .Its a short list ,with a British firm at the top because a lot of material is better sold overseas.

This is one of the more enjoyable threads I've read in awhile here.

Personally I agree 100% with


But obviously if stamps had no value then who would collect them.

I've noticed that on all stamp forums there are some who just collect
for the pure joy of collecting and others who seem to be mainly
interested in what their stuff is worth or always hunting on ebay, garage sales etc for that elusive treasure(s).

To each his own but my feeling is that stamp collecting is a
HOBBY not a financial vehicle.
Before the internet we had a few dealers that sold stamps for a LIVING
and that was their business not their hobby.
Now we have every Tom, Dick and Harry trying to sell stamps on the Internet like they're mini dealers.

The idea that cancelled stamps are virtually worthless is 100% WRONG, of course. This is best illustrated by 19th Century U.S., where the average collector can never hope to secure everything in mint condition, not to mention the pitfalls of regumming, reperfing, fakes, and expert repairs, to name a few.

This is why a catalog's essential - it gives you the big picture, especially if you are concerned about getting snookered. A partial remedy for that, as I emphasized before, is to join a stamp club. If you don't have time for that, then you don't have time to market your collection properly either.