Is It Just Me, Or Have Stamp Prices On Ebay Gotten High?

There are 2 types of shipping found on ebay. First is the regular first class mail. I've seen sellers charge 46 cents to $3.50 cents for a one ounce letter rate. Then if you are a TRS you have to ship via first class small packages with delivery confirmation. I've seen sellers charge $2.00 to $6.00 for that. That of course doesn't include the ones that offer free shipping. It really doesn't seem right for ebay to charge a fee on shipping costs but they do. Also there is a minimum fee imposed by Paypal of 35 cents. Nitrolures is right, find someone you like, trust, and is accurate in their descriptions. Also if you don't see what you are interested in the current offerings ask them. Most dealers have good supplies and would be happy to list items they know someone is interested in.

Battlestamps..same here..there's a monthly stamp and coin bourse here in Ottawa Canada that I recently found out about..been to the last two..and already have become friendly with a few dealers and come home happily with packets of stamps to add to my collection for far less then I would have paid for on-line...added bonus..no sales tax, Paypal or shipping charges.

Selling, buying and socialising online is great stuff when you are isolated one way or another.

I missed out on a couple of lots recently. A France #2 on piece which if genuine is $1k+. As on obvious fake this sold for $25.
A dozen or so French imperfs which cat. at €50+ each went for $30 so I think it is a good time to buy at the moment.
I did manage to buy a stockbook of nearly 1000 mnh France from 1970s-1980s where I was short for £60.

What's the minimum dollar-and-cents denomination to be considered "high value"?

graphis: On the flip side, I've found a few online dealers (not ebay) that I've bought larger cover lots for a lot less cheaper than my local stamp show which had some much better items, still didn't pay any tax, no paypal used and the shipping was a very, very small fraction of what it would take in gas prices to go out there and get the material. And I saved a lot of time. Both the physical market and the internet have their place.

"Is it just me, or have stamp prices on ebay gotten high?" I can't say I've noticed this. As 1847Bill indicated, prices can be very erratic on ebay.

Some great posts here. Was away a few days and missed a lot.

Someone mentioned "flaw" vs "fault", point taken. I'm just a lazy typist (flaw has one less letter ) A "flaw" can in some cases be a good thing in a stamp (as in - a collectible variety)

The shipping issue has been addressed well, but my take on buying is this (apart from shopping around) -

- I include the cost of shipping in the price I am willing to pay for a given stamp (as if it does not exist as a separate thing).
So if there is a nice stamp I can get for $1, but shipping is $2.50, I ask if I would pay $3.50 for this stamp from a dealer in person.
If yes, then why not? If no, then I look elsewhere.

I really don't like to think in terms of "this seller charges too much shipping", especially as I buy from overseas as well as North America. Yes, they may be able to ship for less, but they need to make some money (after fees,etc) so I just look at the total price (combined shipping is something I take advantage of as much as possible as well.)

Regarding the sellers that use "Best Offer"; as a buyer I will make an offer if it is something I want. I won't insult the seller with something unreasonable, but as a rule of thumb, most accept 10% off the asking price automatically.

If your offer is more than a 10% discount off the asking price, they may accept or counter offer, just like in person. I have to want the item enough that I am willing to buy it in whatever the price range is. I wouldn't offer $20 for something listed at $50. I would look around and decide if I can get it cheaper elsewhere (ie. seller is overpriced) or make a "reasonable" offer.

Last: regarding the "specialist" price list. My thinking on this is to use research (shopping around) to get a feel for the market in any given area/at a given time. Specialized price-lists would become obsolete quickly.

For buyers, consider also that quality stamps (scarce, in very fine condition) have brought good prices (catalog and above) for a long time (even in poor economic times).