Stamp Catalog/Pricing Questions

What is the best way to price stamps you want to sell? I know catalogs from Mystic are retail, so they are high. Is the Scott catalog the best one as far as pricing? If it is, where can I get one? What would you recommend?

In the United States the Scott Catalogues are used the most in determining retail stamp values.
Dealers usually offer to purchase stamp collections at 5% to 15% of catalogue value; maybe a bit more quick turn-over items.
Scott catalogues are available at many local libraries.
ebay.com and Amazon.com are good choices for purchases.

If you live in the US then you should use Scott as your guidance.
Just don't expect to get full catalogue prize.
It will a fraction of what is written on scott

Ok, I will have to look into one. I am only interested in US stamps. I just want to be clear, the price listed in the scott catalog is the value, and retail price will be higher and wholesale price will be lower?

Scott catalogues are merely a guideline showing a suggested retail price you may expect to pay from a stamp dealer. Condition and centering is critical in establishing value. Example: a stamp with extra fine centering may be worth a dollar where the same stamp with poor centering may only be worth a dime.

Where is the best place to get one? I can't find their website...

Here is the Amos website. Look under Stamp items for the most current catalogs. Most of us buy new ones very 5 years or so, as values have not changed much, and it's a lot of money to pay every year. Good luck.

http://www.amosadvantage.com/scottonline/

I've mentioned this in another thread, but if you're a beginner collector and merely want to review Scott catalog prices, get hold of a copy of the Postal Service Guide to US Stamps. They are available at many larger post offices, or you can order them online at this link:

https://store.usps.com/store/browse...desYearbooks

At $21.95 it's not as detailed as the Scott catalog, but the numbering and values are exactly the same, so you can easily identify most US stamps that you have at only a fraction of the cost of purchasing an expensive Scott catalog. In fact, if you wait until late September/early October, the next latest issue should be on the market by then, so you'll have the most up-to-date information.

Going back to the percentage of Scott catalog values as secondary market prices, I should add one more thing: Many common stamps are shown in the Scott catalog at a value minimum of $0.25. The generally accepted idea is that is what the overhead cost is in a dealer having to keep that stamp in their inventory and a seller going to that dealer to obtain that one specific item. Just understand that should you have 1000 copies of a single common stamp worth the catalog minimum ($0.25), you cannot multiply the quantity times the value and think you have $250 worth of stamps; quite often the stamps valued at catalog minimum, which are typically common stamps, may be worth a penny (or less) in large quantities.

One has to realize that the Scott Catalog is only a Guide. The true market value of any item is what a seller is willing to sell it for and what a buyer is willing to pay. There are situations where a stamp can be "valued" at $100, but secondary market prices may suggest that the stamp is only worth $5 or $10 for resale, especially for relatively common material. The opposite can also hold true if you have an exceptionally nice copy of the stamp that is in exceptional condition or an item that is in high demand.

The same principle holds true when you are buying any other type of collectible, or even an automobile or a house. A seller can ask anything they want; it is up to the savvy buyer to know what the true value of an item really is and that typically determines a mutually acceptable price.

Good information to know. Thanks a lot. I will check out these links and see what I can find. I'm thinking I will make the investment to buy a scott catalog since I will be using it often, and it seems like they last a while.

wt1 - thank you for this post. very comprehensive and good reference for me, the new collector (or should I say re-treaded collector, since I collected 50 years ago as a kid, and am just now looking back over my collection to see what I have! lol)