I Would Like To Be A Full Time Stamp Dealer But...

Here's something that you can fill in the blanks for yourself:

I would like to be a full time stamp dealer but... I am not because I don't have enough customers yet to go into it full time.

There is an old saying that the best way to end up with a million dollars in the stamp business is to start with ten million.

Are you selling on ebay or where? How long have you been selling? What stamps do you sell?

...I learned a long time long that making a business from a hobby is a sure way to ruin it.

it requires one to actually SELL things rather than just hoard everything, which is my nature.

so true Kirk

I spend summer weekends in the early morning going to yard sales in the hopes to find something I'm knowledgeable enough about to flip on ebay. To this point, every single item I've picked up on these missions has remained in my possession. I end up liking it and keeping it. Not a very good recipe for business I'm afraid

... my boss won't give me the time off.

I'm in the acquisition mode too. But that's not really an impediment from buying stock I'm not particularly interested in and selling it. My problem is that I don't see any room left for more adverts in Linn's and APS. Seriously, the market does seem saturated. Except, perhaps, in various micro-niches.

I would not like to be a full time stamp dealer. I know people who are. Stamps to them are a commodity and not a wonder.

Good, and thoughtful, answer, Smauggie.

I was being sort of tongue-in-cheek with my answer, but you have hit a really salient point. To be a dealer would drastically change your paradigm from collector and admirer of stamps.

Kirk

It is hard to serve two masters although I know some who do.

I actually did stop collecting stamps and moved into covers. I can see why smauggie's comment would ring true if I stuck to stamps (no pun intended). However I still find the "wonder" in covers, especially the historical context. I love the thrill of the hunt, discovery and finding out any historical background I can find.

Now to complete that sentence with modifications -

I would like to be a full time philatelic dealer and I buy and sell when I can, but I'm the father of twin girls born December 16, 2014.

KirkS: What means 'sell' in the context of, say, stamps?

Battlestamps: Congratulations!

To be a dealer you would need to stop collecting stamps and just sell them as you get them & there's more historic info to research with covers & old letters. Also with selling if your doing it on ebay you not only need heaps of spare time but you need to cover the cost of the ebay bill each month, you need to be continuously buying in more items so you need $$ to cover that. Buyers like seeing new things listed all the time. You also need to pay for postage stamps as well as packing materials. I think a lot of buyers like getting stamps on their letters in the mail. And you need a good packing area. You would probably need $5000 to do it comfortably but time is the key as well. Good customer service is also key. I would suggest attending big stamp auctions in person to see the big dealers in action.

Hey congratulations Will!

Way more than that!

I would like to be a full time stamp dealer, but I don't have any stamps. (punning)