Unitrade 2016 Prices

My copy of Unitrade 2016 has just arrived. The previous one I had was 2012. I only collect KG6 and pre 1990 QE2 so I do not need to update each year.

I have been going through the book updating the database I use to keep a track of my collection and have been struck by the lack of change in the prices. A few have gone up slightly and a few have gone down the vast majority have stayed the same.

I do most of my buying on ebay etc as I am in the UK and dealer prices here bear no relation to the global market. I keep a not of what I have paid for mint stamps and it seems to me that the ebay selling prices are getting higher slowly which is at odds with Unitrade.

I do not use S.G. catalogues so do not know if the stagnation in prices in Unitrade is reflected in S.G. I assume that dealer prices in Canada have also stagnated.

I just wondered if any one has any thoughts about the future of Canada collecting of the KG6 / QE2 period and how the Canadian market is going.

One other question out of curiosity. At stamp fairs in the UK unmounted mint stamps typically sell for 50 - 65% of the Gibbons price. What happens in Canada at fairs ??. (I have only ever seen one dealer use Unitrade in the UK and they worked on what ever the highest catalogue value was !!.)

AQ

Well I think a good indicator of the Canadian market is that one of our biggest stamp dealer shows just decided to call it quits. The November 2015 show was the last one http://canadianstampnews.com/a-litt...stamp-shows/

Another good indicator of the Canadian market is that there are very few brick and mortar stamp stores in existence.

The format of the the CSDA show is gone, but the people at Canadian Stamp and Coin News are taking over the organization of new shows. There will be more shows than just two going forward. As for the Canadian stamp market, it is quite healthy for the very rare stuff. Just check out the prices realized from the auction from the last two days at Seigels in New York. Some lots were sold at premiums of more that twice catalogue, and in US dollars. When you factor in the exchange, the house commissions, the GST and shipping, it adds over 50% to the hammer price, landed in Canada. Take for instance Lot # 119. It has a Unitrade value of $120 Cdn. It sold for $450 U.S. plus 15% commission and the associated state taxes. If that is not a healthy market, for premium material, then I am at a loss. In this hobby, nobody gives nothing away for FREE, you get what you pay. You need to understand what you are purchasing, so that you are no surprised on the day, that you eventual have to dispose of your collection. If you paid a % of cat value, there is a reason. Just like paying full cat value for the good stuff.