Value Of This And Similar Collections Here In Europe

Hello,

I just would like to know what US classic stamps experts and US collectors in general think about this example here:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/USA-Wertvoll...047675.l2557

Is this a price that is much too high or much too low?
what would you pay for such a collection in the USA?

I myself would have paid 200 EUR, but not more as you don't see the rare stamps in high resolution and their back, so the condition of many of them could be bad. So I didn't bid.

stamperix

I see a lot of very poorly centered, damaged and faulty stamps. I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole.

Yes, I think so, too - but wouldn't you buy it for 50 USD? I mean there could be some hidden grills for example.

For these kind of collections in which its a gamble what your are getting because of poor images I would probably either pass or pay 5% of CAT up to maybe 10% depending on what I could tell of condition and whether there was something of particular interest in the collection.

If I want to gamble I think my chances would be better at a casino.

Thank you both - well I really didn't know what experienced collectors would think about such a lot. So I guess here in Europe the people are willing to pay much more for such gambling than in the US. I see often such lots selling expensive here. But I understood that you should only buy stamps where you can see the condition well.

I would not gamble, based on experience !, on any Lot of Stamps and that is coming from a Canadian

Here another (last ) example of yesterday - would such a lot also be gambling for 50 USD?

http://www.ebay.de/itm/USA-/1826527...047675.l2557

The first lot wouldn't really have been a gamble at the imaginary €50 - you'd have had a lot of stamps and entertainment for your money. For the €500 asked, you would need to be much more certain.

It would be overly optimistic to pay $50 for that. And you have to like Belgian classics a lot.

To be blunt, you should be realistic and actually evaluate these lots. That takes a little work. Do you care to do this? Your figuring what to bid is just wild guessing and it shows.

Thank you - I already thought so that those lots are sold too expensive, sometimes I look at them and think about bidding, but normally I don't. Now I just wanted to show two of them here in the forum to get more experienced knowledge about this buying practice. It seems that in Europe and Germany there are many gamblers. I myself look at the lots and if there are better photos I can evaluate.

Here is my opinion...
Do not let stories of ' ebay finds' influence you; there are hundreds of thousands of listings for ebay stamps and any 'incredible deals' are a very, very small percentage. First, many times these lots and albums have been looked through by several generations of collectors and dealers. Second, ebay listings are often seen by many, many other collectors and quality material is quickly recognized and bid up.

There are many very good sellers on ebay but they rarely miss better material or have it listed incorrectly. No high quality collection has ever been built with just found bargain and deals.

One way to help the odds of finding great deals on ebay is to invest many years into becoming educated or specialized in a single area. Then invest a few months into learning how to properly search and filter the hundreds of thousands of listings so you can effectively manage your time.

Stumbling onto a 'treasure' is great and certainly something that attracts some to our hobby. But many people 'burn out' after spending a year or two spending a lot of money for a pile of low quality, nearly worthless stamps. I recommend instead focusing on the educational opportunities and comradery our hobby affords. These two things are easy to find and rarely cause any 'burn out'.
Don

Yes, interesting thoughts you add. For me, I like paper and ink and printing and that's why I look under loupe at many stamps to find out about their printing and sometimes EFO's, not as treasures but to collect them. If there is a treasure among them, very fine of course. So I don't need a complete collection of anything and don't buy rare premium stamps at all. I have two big old albums with so many stamps that I have enough for years. In addition I look at ebay for some kiloware or similar things. The first auction I mentioned were just like a "premium kiloware" for me, but getting too expensive at the end.

Despite the condition there was more than enough there to justify the high bid. Some of the stamps cleaned and properly described up would fit right in on ebay. The seller must have had better things to do than to work on this lot because the poor presentation and failure to separately sell a couple of stamps with significant catalog value helped him minimize his profit. If the lot had been offered on US ebay and described in English it would have sold for more.

Interesting to read that those lots would also find high biddings in the US, for me it would be too expensive though. But for smaller collections I will perhaps consider. Still I think the gambling thing from the other posts above remains correct as also in this lot you don't know whether the stamps with high CV have perhaps all some creases or tears. Of course not all, but perhaps most of them, and this could be the reason why this seller had better things to do than to work on this lot.

stamperix, that 2nd ebay lot you posted actually had a couple of the 19th century Belgian imperfs tucked in between the mostly U.S. stamps. Deceptive practices? Or just incomplete marketing information? The lot was listed under "USA", which, considering the Belgian stamps, would be an inaccurate categorization on ebay. I am very suspicious of sellers who do not take the time to explain anomalies to their prospective buyers.