New Collector - Basic Questions On Acquiring Material

Returning to stamp collecting after many years of dormancy - environment has changed immensely over that period.

I have two very general and very basic questions concerning acquiring material, with apologies if these have addressed before in this forum. I have tried searching posts on this forum with little luck (probably my lack of searching skills) so if there have been previous posts that would be relevant, would greatly appreciate your references to them if that's quicker than composing responses, given how basic the questions are.

1) At stamp shows, what is the normal procedure with regard to inspecting material at dealer booths? Does one present a wantlist (in my case, just about anything U.S.) or is the dealer's stock just available to browse through? Is it acceptable etiquette to handle the stamps to inspect them closely or is the material kept in cards or books with only the dealer handling them otherwise?

2) A lot more activity takes place on the internet nowadays versus back when I first collected. For example, I have noticed the Stamp Auction Network with quite a few dealers listed. Would buying through these auctions be a reasonable way to acquire material beyond the beginner's level? Any pitfalls to be aware of? I am disinclined to go to ebay until I get more experience.

Many many thanks to you all for any assistance or guidance that you can provide.

Welcome back! Yes, the environment certainly has changed, the grumpy old men of yesteryear have now passed on, to be replaced by us younger grumpy old men.

With dealers at stamp fairs, yes, you certainly take a good look at their stock. Covers tend to be in cardboard boxes of some sort where you rifle through grumbling at the exorbitant prices being charged until you spot a sleeper which you quietly buy at a tenth of it's worth without saying a word. Stamps tend to be in stockbooks which you definitely peruse, but don't take any stamps out & look at them without asking first, & then ONLY with a good set of tweezers (tongs), and CAREFULLY. With the more expensive material the dealer will be the one first handling the stamp before passing it on to you.
Have a look at what other customers are doing & you'll get the hang of it pretty soon.

The net has seriously affected the way we buy stamps. Just last night my wife asked me what 2 Visa payments were for. Stamps, I replied, they were must-have-items. Hmm, she replied.
If you stick to well-known dealers you should be alright, the major pitfall is not actually having the stamp in front of you for examination, this is where good descriptions & hi-res pix are important. Another pitfall is items being lost in the mail system. I've only had 2 items lost over about 10 years of net buying so I've just accepted it, not happily though.

Yes, ebay has it's sharks that one has to beware of, fortunately I haven't come across any & I've bought many items that way. I don't know your collecting interests but may I suggest Delcampe as a serious adjunct to ebay, their proprietors appear to be a lot more aggressive towards frauds then ebay & the range of material available there will make you just as poor.

This is just a start, I'm sure others will have more ideas for you.

You don't use suitably anonymous prepaid cards?

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

Hello Old Faithful.

1. Make yourself comfortable at a dealer's table at a show. Feel free to examine material as closely as you wish - front and back. If you are seeking special stuff get the dealer list for the exhibition beforehand and email them all asking them to bring samples of what you are looking for.
2. I've been selling on ebay for over a decade and have about 2500 +++ responses. ebay and paypal offer buyer protection so you can always return purchases if they are not as advertised. ebay generally offers a wider selection and lower prices than will a face to face dealer.

Thank you to all for taking the time from your busy lives to reply and provide some very valuable guidance.

With respect to stamp shows, I know it's probably old hat to you more experienced collectors and there's no particular reason to feel trepidation, given the very apparent congeniality of the stamp community, but as a novice, I'm still a little nervous about sitting down at a dealer table with the knowledge that it'll take the dealer about a millisecond to figure out that I'm not someone who's exactly going to make or break his trip to the show. Misplaced concern, probably, since I would assume that the vast majority of dealers would welcome any new member of the community as a fellow stamp enthusiast and a potential new customer to build a relationship with, even if the initial foray is modest. Would be interested to hear about others' specific experiences in this regard.

With respect to auctions, even though I've only perused the catalogues of several of the auction houses for recent auctions, I am beginning to discern the differences, both respect to the material they offer as well as the quality of the information they provide. The latter seems to range from that provided by what looks like a high end house with excellent pictures and detailed descriptions, including noting any flaws in the stamps, to another house whose descriptions are equally impressive for their brevity. It's a good point about being cognizant of the fact that one is not being able to inspect the material in person - I guess I have to tread carefully here until I have more experience.

W/r to ebay, I have to admit that some of the commentary on these boards has made me very wary, but getting my toe wet with smaller purchases until I get the feel of the place and get familiar with reputable sellers is probably not a bad idea.

YeaPolska - yeah, I am definitely a younger grumpy old man, but given my age I think I've only dropped the average age of the stamp collecting community by about a day-and-a-half, lol. As for finances, since my wife and I got married later in life, we still have separate bank and credit card accounts, so it'll take her a while longer to figure out how much I'm spending on stamps. Of course, she might get suspicious when she intercepts the letters from the bank concerning our delinquent mortgage payments . . .

Again, I appreciate your comments and any others that other community members may wish to post. It's a great thing that more experienced collectors are willing to take the time help out newcomers and this board seems to be a great place for someone like myself to become more educated, both by relying on the good graces of other members to address my questions, but also by reading the fascinating posts by what appears to be a solid group of very knowledgeable folks who provide incredible information in a very constructive and friendly manner. With more experience, I hope to eventually be in a position to pay it forward by making helpful contributions to the board.

Welcome to our community, OldFaithful!

Regarding your questions, I will first disclose that I am both a show dealer and sell on ebay and BidStart.

1. The other members have written good advice about shows with respect to just sitting down at a dealer table to ask about areas of interest and browse material. If you happen to know of dealers at a show ahead of time, they can bring material that may be of interest for you.

I welcome newbies as well as seasoned collectors/buyers to my table, and it's ok just to browse, even if you don't buy anything. Maybe we can follow up after the show for some future business.

Generally, a collector can browse and inspect stamps/collections with stamp tongs, use watermark fluid to check the stamps if needed. More expensive stamps may require dealer assistance (depending upon dealer).

If you are attending the upcoming APS StampShow in Hartford, CT, please consider coming by my table (Booth #1001, Paper Antiquarian), and I will be glad to discuss stamps/covers with you!

2. Regarding internet auctions (SAN and directly with auction houses) and venues (eBay, BidStart, DelCampe, etc.), there is a range of quality. Just like going in-person to auction houses, there are good and honest ones, as well as others. If you know of auction houses with integrity and quality, they will be the same on their internet presence. The one drawback, as with other internet venues, is if you can't view stamps/covers/lots in person, you are missing the inspection element to put in your most competitive bid. Once you have repeated experiences with auction houses, you can re-set your expectations.

For internet venues, there are good, bad and uninformed sellers. Not all sellers are dealers, so the marketplace is more diverse. As others have written, there are some very good sellers that you can confidently purchase material that stand behind their merchandise (SHAMELESS PLUG: You may consider my store on ebay: paper_antiquarian)

Welcome back to the hobby, cheers Dave

The stamp collecting market place has changed dramatically over the past several years but it is still a great place to have fun and enjoy your hobby.

Before investing lots of $$$ on stamps, I recommend that you consider the following suggestions:
(1) Knowledge is power. Spend a bit of money on a philatelic library (specialist publications, etc) to educate yourself before you spend the big bucks on stamps (learning hard and expensive lessons).
(2) Join a local stamp club. Included in the benefits will be the knowledge base, stamps at bargain prices, exposure to several aspects of the hobby and contacts that will be able to help you.
(3) Establish a relationship with a professional dealer. Contrary to other opinions, most dealers are very helpful and, since this is how they earn a living, will want you for a long tern client. Dealers get access to the stuff you want.

There are lots of other tips and suggestions out there on the internet. Visit the websites for the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada and the American Philatelic Society. Both organizations exist to serve the philatelic community and will welcome your membership.

Welcome back to the hobby. Have fun!

Best wishes

GJP

Welcome to the forum

There were a couple of decent stamp shops in your area - have you stopped in at either of them yet?

Can't remember the name of either of them though - I'll Google it and comeback if I find them

One of them was S of Camelback and 24th st or so. It was one side sports cards, and the other was coins and stamps. No idea if it's still there. This was 10+ years ago.

The other one I just found - It's BJ's in Glendale - http://www.yellowpages.com/glendale...000325115188

I stopped in there a couple years ago while visiting my brother. It's a nice place, friendly people and prices were pretty good.

Think the other one might be C & C Coin and Stamp.
http://www.yellowpages.com/phoenix-...tamp-2274450
But that's the one I haven't been to in over 10 years. They were great back when I used to stop in there though

Thanks again to all for posting such helpful advice - I really appreciate it.

The 1st Sunday monthly bourse at I-17 and Cactus at the Holiday Inn has some good dealers as well as a few "grumpy ole guys" you can pretty much dig through most of the stock.Always plenty of material, and most dealers will discount. A to Z Stamps on the east side is hit and miss as Mike travels the show circuit,he does do the Sunday bourse when he is available, BJ's on the west side on Bell road is open Monday-Saturday, Barbara has the oldest Store in the area and has a lot of material as well as coins. Her store is retail and she usually sticks to her prices, If you like, message me as I will most likely be going to the Sunday bourse on the 31st of August.

"At stamp shows, what is the normal procedure with regard to inspecting material at dealer booths? Does one present a wantlist (in my case, just about anything U.S.) or is the dealer's stock just available to browse through? Is it acceptable etiquette to handle the stamps to inspect them closely or is the material kept in cards or books with only the dealer handling them otherwise?"

There isn't a one size fits all dealers answer - some are easier to deal with than others.