Not A Stamp Collector / Advice For Selling On Ebay

I see most of you are experts and I want to sell a stamp collection that was given to me by an Uncle. I am seller of other items on ebay and was going to attempt selling these stamps. But, honestly even with all my research of prices, I do not know how to price them. Maybe just a .99 cents and let the buyers bid?

I have tried to uploaded a few photos but site upload does not work for me.

Thank you for any advice.

shawndra, please try again to upload images here. People inheriting stamps frequently find that the stamps are valued far lower than they hoped, and that could affect your selling strategy.

Pricing them all at 99 cents means either wasting alot of time on 1 cent stamps that will never sell, or depending on the market to realize the value of each stamp for you, which may or may not work that well for you..

Thank you, I have researched some and all stamps are before 1934. An example of my lack of knowledge is I have a Franklin 1c green 1903. Below when trying to identify my stamp this is where I get stuck.

perf. 12 - Your stamp is Scott #300
perf. 12 vert. - Your stamp is Scott #318
perf. 12 horiz. - Your stamp is Scott #316
imperf. - Your stamp is Scott #314

shawndra,

Perf 12 means it has perforations on three or four sides. Perf 12 vert means it only has vertical perforations (the top and bottom are straight edges), and so on. If you haven't been there yet, the below sites may help with identification. If you can't post images, try to identify the oldest ones:

http://www.1847usa.com/

Or this one:

http://www.theswedishtiger.com/

Classic Coins,
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! for the information you have helped me.
I have a # 300 off centered to the right. The Swedish tiger site is a wonderful tool for me.
This is going to keep me very busy.

shawndra,

Nice ad and images, with the Scott number correctly identified, but incorrectly called imperforate. Imperforate means straight edges on all four sides. The reverse image shows partial gum, which helps the mint designation. The damage on the left side may make this a hard sell. If it doesn't sell, I would recommend grouping it into a larger lot of similar-era stamps.

To add to what Classic Coins said (which was correct about it not being an imperforate stamp, and being damaged, the stamp is also toned (darkened hue) around the edges, which further detracts from the value. In addition, the stamp is very poorly centered (the perforations on the right side cut into the design of the stamp) again lowering it's value. So what was a $12 catalog stamp (according to my 2008 catalog) is now a $0.05 cent stamp. Just some things to look out for when examining your stamps.

I did change the mistake I made on the # 300. I have a 100% feedback on ebay so it does make me nervous being such a novices selling these stamps.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...321399122527

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...321399106175

I see that you've opted into the Global Shipping Program, so shipping out of the USA can be up to $35 You may want to check your settings and opt out of this ridiculous program to attract international bidders.

The first stamp is an image of Benjamin Franklin.

Smauggie.. Thank you. Jenny2U, I changed the global shipping, I do use that for other items so thanks for pointing that out to me.

Great thread. Kudos to shawndra for seeking out - and graciously accepting - advice on listing on ebay; and kudos to smauggie, Classic Coins, and Jenny2U for their excellent - and tactfully given - responses.

I just want to comment on this thread to share some warm fuzzies. :P

Thanks for the warm fuzzies, Zuzu!

Well played Zuzu.