Unitrade Pricing Oddities..?

Hi...I was looking up my Scott #582 - #585 mini sheet...as you can see from the picture below it is 16 stamps..Unitrade prices a block of 4 stamps as $12.50 each block...Times that by 4 and you get $50.00...Now, if I have the whole mini sheet which is in fact 4 blocks, Unitrade prices it at $35.00...According to Unitrade, it would be more financial for me to break them up....Dosent make sense, does it..???

Unitrade has been trying to watch for these kinds of pricing 'problems', and have fixed them as they are found. It is very easy to change a price of the singles of multi-unit stamp and then neglect to change any related items.

Contacting the Editor directly would ensure that these kinds of items get corrected for the next edition (in case he misses seeing something on this or other forums). His e-mail address is noted on the first page of the Introduction.

Thanks studystamps...will do that soon.

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It does to some people..if a fine catalogue like Unitrade does not keep up with the true prices..then who will..???

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I really want to argue, but I can't. My experiences with Unitrade catalogue prices and real world prices are miles apart! For that matter, the difference between Unitrade and Scott are miles apart.

I welcome anyone to give a rational explanation for Unitrade's prices vs Scott prices (Let's pretend that $1 US = $1 Cd).

Brian

The wisest words ever spoken anywhere about anything. IMO

This pricing problem is one reason why I don't go out and buy the new issued catalogue at full price. Another, is that I am not really interested in new issues so that I don't need a new catalogue to keep track of them. Also, there are some stamp varieties or differences that the Unitrade Canada catalogue does not cover even though they are very legitimate and collectible.

The idea of priced catalogues comes from the day when there were retail stamp stores in abundance. There was some serious overhead for the retail dealer in those days such as the cost of purchasing inventory, identifying and classifying each item, packaging, pricing and storing individual stamps, insuring the inventory then waiting for a collector to walk into the premises and buy a stamp. While the dealer was holding the stamp in stock, he was paying rent, business tax, insurance and all those expenses that are incurred in any small retail business. No wonder the catalogues set the minimum price for any stamp at 25 cents (or whatever). The business environment has changed dramatically, but the idea of a retail catalogue with prices based upon the sale of single items or sets lingers on. What the catalogue now gives us is the relative prices of stamps but the realistic and actual price of stamps can only be determined by observing an "arm's length" transaction between a willing vendor and a willing buyer. Be advised, however, that the negotiating skills involved in one transaction will likely not be transferred to the open market.

Bottom line: no catalogue will ever totally satisfy any vendor or buyer situation!

A supplemental bottom line is that no catalogue will ever be able to list every stamp variety or error.

Irrespective of shortcomings, a good specialized catalogue remains an essential tool for both collectors and vendors. It should be up to each of us to stop criticizing the shortcomings of a catalogue and to continue to submit positive feedback and information to the editor. We won't get paid for contributions, but the catalogue will continue to improve for the benefit of all.

That is my opinion for whatever it's worth. I guess this can become the opening chapter of STAMP MARKETING 101

gjp

Very true gportch and big time dealers set prices for unitrade

It hasn't always been so.

As gportch mentions in his post, the brick and mortar stores had to make money to pay for expenses and some profit and they love high prices shown in catalogues.

I can only go from my experience in the sixties buying stamps
from the dealers in Toronto.
They all charged full catalogue and a lot of the stuff they tried selling me was poorly centered and the odd perf missing.
Guess they took advantage of me being a kid.

Foreign new issues were at least double the face value and sometimes more.

Most were grumpy old men who didn't like kids in their stores
and thought kids would steal or damage their stock.

The exception was Maresch&son on Yonge street. The old gentleman
who I believe was the grandfather of the ones running the auctions now
was always nice to me and my buddies when we visited his store.

It's hard to believe that there were so many stamp stores in Toronto
(and other cities of course) for so many years and they made money
or at least survived for so long.

Mainly thanks to the super highly inflated prices of Scott catalog.

When I was after some real desirable stamps that I wanted and could afford with my meager allowance
I would always try to buy them before the next catalog came out.
Dealers just loved those new catalogues with their new higher prices.

It was their bible and the prices in them were gospel.

"My advice is to stop associating a stamp or cover with a dollar amount."

Well I for one am extremely envious of whoever lorddenning sells his stamps to, since dollars mean nothing to him!

It seems to me that CV's simply provide a standardized reference point. I think those reference points are essential for conducting philatelic commerce. Without a reference point one has no idea of relative value and whether, in the act of buying or selling, one is receiving a relatively fair exchange. The accuracy of those reference points is another matter.

The fact that CV's are inaccurate does not mean there is no sense in the practice of valuation. I for one find the whole topic of valuation fascinating and a part of the hobby that enriches the experience for me. For instance, I am currently studying the change in CV's between mint and used over the last 20 years because I find it fascinating and perhaps indicative of some otherwise invisible trends in the hobby. I find it fun. I also find it rewarding when I "discover" some stamp that has a high CV. It's about as close to treasure hunting as I will ever get. And that is not to say that a common stamp with a gorgeous postmark is not a treasure either. I find both rewarding, and I would encourage people not to feel guilty about it if you do too. There are no rules when it comes to collecting and what you should enjoy or not enjoy.

IF, however, the issue of CV's causes you distress and anxiety, and starts to rob the hobby of its joy or its richer rewards, then I think lorddenning's advice is worth considering - relax, stop focusing on it.

gportch - I think Robin Harris, Editor of the Unitrade SCoCS would appreciate criticism and feedback. She has a vested interest in improving the value and usefulness of the product, and if people are doubting the integrity of one of the key components of the catalogue (pricing structure and the methodology for determing pricing) then they should speak up.

Ok..So dollars are not the ultimate..but, I bet everyone here has some sort of stamp catalogue...What purpose do any of you use it for, if not for pricing...And be honest, when you see a stamp in a catalogue that is worth a little more than the stamp before it or after it, bet you pay more attention to that particular stamp..Am I correct...??..And if I am, are you not doing the same thing as I do..look at money value..??

I tend to agree with you wert.

One thing I hadn't considered is that values can be important guides for us when deciding what to collect. If I want to specialize, it would be really helpful to know that collecting mint classic stamps is going to be rather expensive before I get started.

And I do not take anything away from Unitrade...They put out in my opinion the BEST Canadian stamp catalogue..bar none...I have found mistakes that proof readers have missed as in coin catalogues that I use...But if anyone here tells me they don't FIRST look at the price of the stamp, they are lying..(OMG.. did I just say that..haha)..really not being ignorant guys, just trying to state a fact.