"Bunny " Kill On E-Bay Depress Whole Philatelic Market

Well it is finally happening now that the big philatelic show in NYC last year is over. We have lost thousands of wacked-out E-bay buyers who over paid and purchase anything and everything on ebay. Now that is not the case with "Bunny" sellers on ebay or as we say here " ebay Dreamers" , there still no lack of wishful sellers who keep listing 2 cent stamps for $5.00 or even to sell at a few hundred dollars.

This lack of big profits for sellers is causing many serious stamp sellers to slow down purchasing because these "bunny" buyers were helping a lot of good dealers increase their business and help them become more aggressive buyers at shows and stamp auctions . But if the garbage doesn't sell and the extra monies are not being made then the whole pipeline starts to back up .

If you watch the collections and dealers lots at the public auction houses like I do and you see time and time again these types of lots start to miss the opening bid or start to sell at the opening bid and lucky to see one or two bids off the opening then you realize there is a problem out there .

Sad news for the SHERIFF down under because this "bunny" stuff was a large part of his soapbox . Oh sure there are still wonders out there with some purchases but it is way down and buyers are picking and choosing their purchases better .

floortrader could what your saying here also have an affect on selling postal history on ebay? I've noticed a severe drop in ebay sales since January. Something seems to have scared a lot of regular buyers & dealers off bidding and the postal history market has not recovered since. Profits are down for ebay sellers to so everyone is buying less?

Glad i'm not in the hobby to money. It's complicated enough without the added twist.

Maybe people are scared their health insurance rates are possibly about to skyrocket.

I thought stamp market was slowing more last 3-4 months of 2016, but then I saw the prices realized at the last run of Siegel auctions just this past month . Holy cow. That collection of bluish papers realized prices I wouldn't even think were possible. Same with those grounded planes And high flying ones in that collection of US air mail. The bluish paper results were mesmerizing. If you want to reboot your confidence,check that out! I have really no interest in bluish paper stamps but enjoy checking them out. I don't own a single one of the wash frank and now I know why

Since most stamp collectors are over 65, I don't think they have to worry much about health insurance... you are all so lucky to be old. I'm looking forward to Medicare 65 (or actually 68 by the time I get there). Since life expectancy for Caucasian males has actually dropped in last 12-24 months, I guess generation X ers like myself will be working until the day we die.

I'm just kidding (or maybe not)

Some truth in the above statement. Not everyone gets to grow old!

Don

Don, It's funny... when I talk to a 90 year old and he says it stinks getting old, I'm always thinking in the back of my mind how lucky he is to make it to 90!!

Have to say I did not understand one word of floortrader's post - and have no idea what a "bunny" is. Maybe I'm out of all loops.

CANADA STAMP ----You're from the North Pole {everything North of the Illinois -Wisconsin border is considered the Arctic if your from Chicago} .It is written in CHICAGOESSE ,that is what you learn when you been incarcerated by the Chicago Public School system for 12 years .

Yeah - I think that's about the line where we Canadians want to build a wall.

A seller savvy enough to prey on bunnies ought to be smart enough to prepare for the famine that follows a feast. In any case, based on the attendance numbers for NY2016, I find that theory hard to believe. There's been no suggestion of it in "American Stamp Dealer & Collector," which is where these issues are sometimes explored.

US tax returns are due in 1 month and "tax season" commonly results in a slowdown in consumer spending, so any reduction you are seeing could be as simple as that. I know I'm on a diet until May. So if you want to boost dealer sales, tell your representative to vote to eliminate the Alternative Minimum Tax.

Chris

I understand what you are saying, more or less floortrader. As an occasional user of ebay I am not sure it is all that germane to my experience. I invite you to point out where you think I am wrong in thinking that if you wish.

Then I might get a better understanding of what you are saying.

I agree with Chris... tax day looming out there always makes buyers with disposable income to spend on hobby a little nervous this time a year.

Get rid of AMT and I would have a lot more dinero to spend on stamps. Pipe dreams

rgstamp: Does the fact that the blue papers each get their full single Scott catalogue number has anything to do with their demand and desirabilty? For many U.S. variety issues, Scott tends to give full numbers that for other countries such varieties get a smaller sub-letter instead.

Of course. Many collectors just target major Scott numbers.
Also, in granting a stamp a major Scott number, that essentially is intended to elevate its relative importance from just a variety, to something more significant.