APS Stamp Store For Non-Members

I believe the way to look at the $45 membership fee is that it is an access fee. Basically, by paying it you have access to services that otherwise would cost a lot more. These include their stamp ID service, insurance from Hugh Woods, the library, the StampStore, the magazine, news announcements via the e-mail newsletter, the 38-volume reference collection, information about fraudsters, etc. You probably have a credit card with an annual fee; it's similar. You're buying access to a service that otherwise would not be available to you.

Membership also provides an added credential that may help obtain credit with auction houses or dealers.

Yes, I guess that is how one needs to look at it.

I joined ASP 50 years ago for two reasons... the ASP credential when you wanted to bid in stamp auctions and to participate in their stamp circuit sales. If you not using the stamp circuits, you are missing out on a great way to see a stamp first hand before you buy.

Also for all you folks who want to promote the hobby, no one works harder at it than the APS. For $45 you get very high quality service and great value in return. Not supporting the APS is short sighted in the extreme.

Family,

I choose to keep my membership.

Jack Kelley

Not sure why this is upsetting to you? I think non-members should pay a premium as it will encourage increased membership and provides additional benefits for those of us who are already members.

Hmmm. Differentiating in some other way than scalping non-members via an excessive postage cost would seem more appealing. The likely effect here is simply to lose jogil's custom, which helps no-one.

The differentiating costs are not excessive. As a seller, you protect yourself against loss. Selling to non-members presents considerably more risk. And , as has been said, you encourage membership.

Every year, there are decisions about memberships and subscriptions...costs versus benefits. Some things stay, and some go. If it were just a matter of the increasingly irrelevant journal/magazine, I would have "thrown in the towel" years ago. I buy and sell on circuits, and use the APRL from time to time. The deafness of the Board of Directors makes the decision to remain a member after 40 some years a little more difficult.

The buyer is paying for insurance, so loss is covered. I agree that charging more for shipping is excessive. As a non-member I have no problem paying more for the actual item, but not for shipping.

The following matches the e-mail reply you got, and is available before any purchase is made. I found it with two clicks on the site.

http://stamps.org/How-to-Buy-Online

Certainly this is fair notice. Of course, if you joined APS for $45, after 5 stamp purchases you would have covered the delta in their base shipping charge to Canada. Again, not a bad deal.

I feel so dumb and naive. I gave up my APS membership several years ago and assumed as a non-member I could not shop on the site. But thanks to Jogil resurrecting this thread, I jumped on the APS site this morning and bought 10 lots of material! There were several MNH Venezuela Arms sets available that I didn't yet have, and I found needed stamps/sets from Austria, Belgium, French Morocco, and New Zealand as well.

Yes, the prices are higher for non-members. I paid about $24 in fees plus about $8 in shipping. But some of these are items I have been unable to find elsewhere and frankly with a little care I was able to find material less expensively then if I were to try and source the stamps on ebay, BidStart, or Delcampe.

So, I am thrilled. Thanks so much for this priceless tip.

It seems to me sad that so many forum participants on this topic seem unabashed in proclaiming their indifference or even hostility to the American Philatelic Society. It's the only organization I know of that represents all of us as stamp collectors and that provides important services like the stamp store, the circuits, a magazine dedicated to the hobby, and so on. It advocates for the hobby as nothing else does. If collectors don't support it by becoming and staying members the organization will decline and die, and if that happens our hobby would suffer an irreparable loss. I've only been a member for a few years but I'm impressed by the broad array of activities the APS sponsors. Forty-five bucks isn't chopped liver but it's easy to spend that much on a meal for two at a mediocre restaurant; in my judgment, the APS provides far greater bang for those 45 bucks.

Looks to me that the difference in base US/Canada shipping is just an unfortunate result of postal rates. It costs more than $8 to mail a 4-ounce package to Canada, without regard to registration, insurance, or other services. I don't think Stampstore shipments qualify for letter rate postage, because of the sheets that the stamps are sent on and the fact that the packages aren't bendable. $13.95 still seems high but there is presumably a rational basis for it. [and, of course, for frequent buyers it makes APS membership an attractive option for cost savings].

MISSING THE POINT --------Surprise this discussion didn't expand where the APS needs to go . The whole point of the APS Store is to unify all the dealers and members from each having their own website to sell stamps. My guess is that these APS sellers are looking to get better prices for their better material with less risk of fraud . I am sure their lesser material is still going to ebay or other sites . Remember ebay is a flea market site your going to find lots junk to a few gems, your not going to find Zepplein covers for a buck on the APS site but they may be put up on ebay by non-collectors. A lot of experts search ebay for a misidentfied treasures ,very few check the APS stores .
The thing the APS needs to do is combine some of its strong points and not try to compete with ebay on a one on one basis . That is done by using their APS credit card instead of Paypal ,which cost money to everybody . They need to set up once a month shipping of lots with one debt to your APS credit card after your monthly shipping .
They need to look at selling those items that ebay can't compete for like the cheap stamp everyone is looking for but don't want to pay a $1.00 shipping cost per item . For example there are thousands of stamps I want to buy that sell for less than a dollar . If they combine 30 or 50 of these each month and shipped them out with one payment and one package . This would start new collectors and beginners which the APS needs to replace all you old guys .
The APS needs new ideas to sell and connect to new start up collectors and just copying ebay isn't going to do it -----there now I feel better writing this other wise I rather slap someone, then I feel better.

Excellent points floortrader. I won't hold my breath waiting for something like this to happen.

I don't know about uniting. Bu it gives small sellers access to an outlet.




If it isn't practical/economical for a seller to sell cheap stamps on ebay or on their own site, how is it more practical/economical for a seller to fill out APS StampStore paperwork for each stamp, mail then to the APS, then have APS scan and list them????