Things You Probably Won't Find At Dealer Tables

Something that hasn't been mentioned: Especially in this hobby where a lot of us are a bit isolated from regular contact with other collectors, talking with dealers or just eavesdropping on their conversations with other collectors, can be very informative. What's selling and popular? What's changing in the market? How is the hobby evolving? What can't the dealer sell to save his life? I try to chat with any dealer who isn't too busy to talk so I can find out more about what's going on out there. It's very helpful, I think, to hear the dealer's perspective and sometimes it points me to a new collecting area -- or away from an overbought, inflated collecting area. And a few times I've completely stumbled across some material I would never have purchased if I hadn't been chatting with someone. So, it's not all about what stamps you can buy. Sometimes it's about information you can learn. Plus, it's fun to talk about stamps and collecting them.

I like the idea of contacting all dealers at a show ahead of time, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say very few people are going to want to make that kind of effort. Most of the local shows I go to have the same old dealers with the same old stuff each time. I don't expect to see much I want to buy. This is one of the main problems with most local shows. The bigger shows are a lot better, of course, but they may require some serious travel to get there -- plus hotel expenses, and so forth.

I think these are two of the main reasons for the huge boom in online stamp sales -- the lack of new material at the local shows that are easy to get to along with the great expense of going to the bigger more productive shows where you often find higher quality material. Plus, of course, the demise of stamp stores.

That's three reasons collectors now buy online so much of the time. And buying online is a lot better than the old system of mail order approvals, even if it's not quite as personal. You can see what you're buying online pretty well, I find. And you can return material you find unacceptable. You can also compare stamps or collections from one seller to another. I love stamp shows both for the material and the conversations, but they seem to be slowly dying just like stamp stores. I'm afraid that more and more stamp buying is going to be almost entirely from online sales like ebay, auctions, and elsewhere and the local shows, at least, may just fade away. As long as they still exist, I'll go from time to time -- and I'll put up with the quirks of dealers as much as I can.

The one line I won't let a dealer cross, though, are what I consider taboo topics in business. These are making sexual or ethnic jokes, especially when they insult women, the habit of general complaining about everything "modern" which gets very tiresome very fast, and any attempt at political pronouncements. The latter I've heard more lately than ever before, and while I agree with some dealers' political opinions, I question their judgement in making them to customers whose politics they don't know. And sometimes I find their attitudes toward people who are different from them, or their political opinions, so awful, so ignorant, that I have to get up and move on. These are surefire ways to lose me as a customer forever -- and they're completely unnecessary. Exercise a little self-control and just stick to discussing the weather, the show, and stamps.

All of my best buys at the Minnesota Stamp Show were from him, none of them German items. He is just a fabulous fellow and I relish the chances I get to talk to him.

I have never been to a stamp show. Probably the only reason I never knew the where or when. However I plan on attending a local one coming up in November in Johnstown, Pa. Another reason may be I don't have any friends to travel or hang with that is into stamps. The local club meets once a month and it is the only date each month I have to be out of town.

I use to buy most of my stamps from brick and mortar stores but may favorite went to all coins a few years ago.

I have one internet dealer that I buy from on a steady basis. In the past I bought and traded with a few members from this site, always the best experience from them.

The rest have come from private collections from friend's who parents had a collection and passed on. Most have been low value but occasionally you get some good things and I'm sure I paid better than most dealers.

Never once did I buy from ebay. Don't get me wrong I have bought other things just not stamps.

So I'm looking forward to my first stamp show.

smauggie- I know we both are thinking of the same dealer. He is up in years now and I will hate to one day no longer see him there. I found a wonderful German 1933 cover in his boxes, the Frederick the Great Issue, used multiples on cover on a decorative envelope to West Africa. Priced at $40. He about fell off his chair but let me have it for the marked price.

I share Drew's aversion to dealers who engage in political comments or even worse, tell sexist jokes. I really think they believe they are on safe ground, they view our hobby as some bastion of male domination or something.

Great discussion here. In a small way I work to make Metropex a show kind of like the old shows. Hard to compete with the Minnesota Stamp Expo, but I try to do a few things are different. My goal for each show is to have at least one dealer that is not at the Expo. I've had good luck for the last couple of years. There should be plenty of covers, the pool of US stamps at 5 cents. It's good to know what collectors are looking for. I can keep my eyes open.

Is Metropex the show in St Paul that usually occurs in the Fall/Winter?

METROPEX
https://goscf.com/t/55586

I've been going to shows, off and on, in my state of residence since the 1970s (INDYPEX in Indiana, RMSS in Colorado). Plus I finally went to an out-of-state show this year, WESTPEX. I have never once heard a dealer at a table make a political statement about anything, even the state of our hobby. I'm always very friendly when I shop; hey, never know when you might get a discount on your purchases. However, I may not hear the political comments since I'm rarely at a show for idle chit-chat. I'm there to do my business and move on--going into a show, I have my want list and the short list of the dealers I want to visit.

WESTPEX was an exception as three of the four specialist societies I belong to; plus APS; had meetings & programs there. But still heard nothing except a few thoughts about the state of the hobby.

For mkfarm, do go to that show. If you are an APS member and get the American Philatelist, or subscribe to Linn's, you can find lists of shows in both publications. Don't worry about not having friends who collect that you can hang with. The same "lack" has never stopped me.

If you are facebook friends with a dealer, you might see some comments. I know one well known dealer who had it clear who he supported by posts and shares.

I got an earfull of political opinion from one well known dealer at the APS show in Richmond.

Political opinions don't bother me. I expect them. After all, as a population, stamp collectors and dealers tend to be old, curmudgeonly, and opinionated... it kinda goes with the territory.

On the other hand, what I dislike intensely is when a dealer badmouths his/her competition. IMO, that is the height of unprofessional behavior.

There are two national dealers I buy from regularly at CHICAGOPEX. I usually end up spending many hours at each table over the course of a show. They are direct competitors with one another and fall at opposite ends of the political spectrum. The one I happen to enjoy spending time with conversationally the most, has an annoying habit of constantly talking down and disparaging the other. It ruins an otherwise enjoyable conversation for me. Conversely, the other dealer never says a word about the former, which IMO is the appropriate route to take.

I don't care what events may have transpired between them throughout the course of history; it's just not appropriate.

Some years ago, I was attending a show held in a hotel undergoing renovations. As usual there was no admission fee, anyone could walk in. One afternoon I noticed a stir among the dealers, some were pulling stuff off their tables, etc. I then noted a few apparently Hispanic guys who'd been doing the work, obvious non-collectors walking through the show area, apparently interested in what it was all about. I heard a few nasty comments. After they walked through the dealer area and looked at the exhibits, they left.No one ever tired that I could see to engage them in conversation, explain to them what it was about.

It was not the best example of inclusiveness I've seen in our hobby. But it sometimes seems typical. Philately has many self inflicted wounds.

Stamps1962: people are often too quick too pass judgement. Years ago, I and some friends were walking up a trail, west of Denver, when we got passed by this big biker dude decked out in black leather. He wasn't packing visible heat, but did have a big knife on his side. We gave him a wide berth. Half mile up the trail, we saw the guy again. He was out in a meadow with his wildflower book looking at the flowers.

revenuecollector... "After all, as a population, stamp collectors and dealers tend to be old, curmudgeonly, and opinionated... it kinda goes with the territory."

HEY MAN! I resemble that remark!

Yup, I'm all stocked up on curmudgeon and opinion...


Jeff

Dan, the dealer who does the disparaging is a former college professor and also a former local town politician. It's his nature to call out what he feels is unprofessional behavior about his opposite number. I am the opposite of you, I find the political views of that other dealer much more offensive then anything that has been said about him by the first dealer.