High Cost Of Recent Year Sets

What drives such a high cost... Just interested to hear different perspectives.

A US 2016 Year Set Commemorative & Definitive Year Set seems to cost around $175...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/US-2016-Yea...192125675765

I believe the face value of that lot is less than $110 dollars. About $50 of that can be attributed to USPS trying to milk collectors out of money (my opinion). $55+ is the seller charging you for profit and the labor of putting it together. You decide how much your time is worth.

Personally, I think the long term result has been more and more current US issue collectors being more selective about what issues they buy (instead of trying to get one of every single new stamp), or even giving up completely on buying new mint US stamps.

I'm one of those who falls into the category of being very selective about what new issues I buy. I've given up completely on collecting plate blocks. And I buy at most a couple of new issues each year. I find the $80-$300 annual face value savings is much better spent purchasing older stamps with minor/major premiums that I'm missing. Again, just my opinion.

Amen to that!


Peter

I just buy the ones I like. I usually buy 2 sheets or booklets each time. One I keep and the other I use for postage on mailings to known stamp collectors so they get postally used versions of modern stamps.

the cost included the stamps all at face value. then the cost of the mounts. it's nice not having to buy a pack of 40 just for one size. If you buy the Comm packet you get the yearbook which is a nice book. you also do pay for the labor of putting everything together and also the frt. to ship. so all in not to much of a mark-up.

This is for USPS Packets only.

I've been noticing prices for year sets as advertised by dealers in Linn's for non-US areas are very excessive. Name most any popular country, Japan, UK or whatever and you will pay $150 or more per year for what is probably just a glassine of stamps with no yearbook. It is utterly crazy and one reason the hobby seems to be self destructing.

By the statistics that are provided on the sales of new issues, it would appear that they are one of the more popular collecting areas. However, if they are not scarce varieties then they are probably one of the most overbought areas where one's returns will be the least on selling. Follow the crowd and get burned as they say.

I did not see it mentioned anywhere in the listing that mounts were included. Where did you see it mentioned?

All I see of the listing is that it is simply a seller assembled year set of stamp, not a USPS branded yearbook or mint set booklet.

All the year packets from the USPS I have ever bought have included Showgard-type black split mounts with sizes for each stamp.

I don't think this is a USPS year packet.

I think this ebay item is from a ebay stamp seller, not USPS.

Sorry I was referring to USPS.

Thanks for the clarification, Diane.

I spent over $200- to fill the Mystic 2016 supplement. That includes the $6.45 Priority, the $23.95 Express, and the two $25- ducks. Ridiculous, as Judge Judy says.

Jack Kelley

I had a thread about this you might want to see...

https://goscf.com/t/6712

I have no problems with people spending any amount of money collecting stamps. I congratulate you Jack on filling your 2016 Mystic supplement. I can feel your pain on the Priority/Express and double dose of ducks. Nevertheless, I'm sure you enjoy the stamps, and that's all that matters in the end. Of course, we all wish we could enjoy our stamps without lightening our wallet too much...