Impulse Bidding I Can Not Help Myself !

@3Dadeo
Do you sell as you go or wait until you have a "bunch"? How large of a bunch would that be? And, are you successful in selling off what you don't want?
How would I sort smarter with a WW collection? It seems that am always working on the "A" countries, maybe B and some C. Although I must admit that Argentina, Australia and Austria look pretty good...

I mainly focus on early U.S. material so, that by itself keeps me from going too awful crazy bidding. I hate clutter and piles of unsorted stuff so I get that done and out of the way right up front. That way I know what exactly I'm needing and what to look for.

I am good for the time being..since I travelled almost 400 miles each way to Orapex and spent two days there..i figured I better purchase a few things to justify the trip...i will not be trolling ebay for a week or so !!

@Kathey

I have almost all of it divided by regions (e.g. Europe, Africa) and then by country as I attack each region. I am currently working on Europe and placing them in my stock books as I go along. So far I've completed Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, and I'm workin on Bulgaria at the moment. It's been a work in progress as I'm still learning a lot about stamps. But, I seem to be getting better at it. I'm learning new things with each new country and postal entity.

@ISimplyCollectEverything
I love your idea of sorting by region . I never considered that, but it is a great way to get a variety of areas in my collection worked on.
Thanks so much for sharing
Kathey
PS: I'm watching a lot of 800 WW with a great price...I will NOT bid!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has fallen victim to ebay.

At one time I did have grand illusions of making money selling the stamps I didn't need........and aside from breaking down $25 of Liechtenstein kiloware into $60 of stamp packets, the rest of the illusion has gone horribly wrong (then I look at the enjoyment I get out of the hobby and go back onto ebay and search again).

@Kathey,
I think you already got a good answer for sorting WW (by region, etc).
This assumes you only collect stamps (not covers, etc) and that you are not going to delve into varieties, printing versions, etc of any particular issue.

As I collect only Canada, I still have too many categories to do them all justice, but I keep adding to them all (mainly through bulk purchases from professional stamp auctions and ebay.)

I am careful to examine a lot the best I can before bidding to know what I can expect to get back on partial re-sale. Sometimes I will bid on something not well illustrated/described and hope for a find, as these often go for less.

I have begun to purchase single stamps to fill in spots in my main Canada collection as I only need the earlies (I like used more than mint for these, partly due the price difference, but also because they have a history of actually being used for the purpose they were intended - must be a nice cancel and well-centered though.)

As far as making back on re-sale, the key here is knowledge. I have spent money on books that deal with Canadian stamps in order to be able to sell knowledgeably to collectors that are very specific on what they are looking for (eg.paper, plate and perforation varieties.)

It is more than worthwhile as a seller, but I enjoy the research, and not everyone wants to delve that deeply into a specialty - I have done so with at least a half dozen areas of Canadian philately.

I wouldn't do it just for the selling aspect, I enjoy this type of in depth research - it is my hobby. It does help in my selling tremendously though.
I sell through an ebay store - "Rehautala". - hope I'm allowed to mention that.

Hope that helps.

@3Dadeo
Thank you for your insightful response. Your comments/advice do help. I'm an "organizer", but don't want to spend all my time sorting. So, finding tips/suggestions that save redundant practices is always appreciated.
I collect stamps, but I don't specialize in varieties, printing, etc. I collect US, mostly mint, but am working on the Classics. I shop for the quality of the appearance (front and back), so I am picky. I also collect WW, but rather randomly, just for fun and a change of pace.
I guess my next question would be: How much would you spend on a lot/collection of used WW stamps? By "how much" I mean do you have a maximum per stamp price or just whatever because you want the lot? Did I mention that I am a bargain hunter, but not a cheapskate?

Personally, the best bargains I have seen for WW lots are at professional stamp auctions that have "floor sale" lots. That is, lots that are too expensive to ship (weight-wise) for the value that is in them (at least the perceived value -barring any nice finds).
Dealers that sell larger lots get their stuff at these types of auctions.

You can also buy box lots online at their auctions, but then you have to factor in shipping (and tax if applicable).

If I collected WW, that is the way I would go, especially as many of these lots are already sorted into albums and you are not just sorting a pile of mixed up stamps.

A box lot like this might go for $40 or it might go for $200+ depending on the bidders and if there are any obvious nice stamps.

If these are not available in your area, the next best is to try to buy from a seller that is not a "re-seller", that is someone that is wanting to unload an old collection. Or buy from someone like me that will buy a lot if it has good Canada, and sell any WW at a good price just to keep it from accumulating dust (and so it will find a home where it is appreciated).

Price-wise, it depends on what is seen (pictures) more than the number of stamps.If it is a common lot (with duplicates), the price would be less. Then there is shipping cost.