Recommended And Trusted Sellers

I've seen too many "bad seller" threads of late. I'm hoping to start a more helpful and positive thread to help newbies and others who are looking for sellers that are recommended/trusted by other experienced forum members.

Please feel free to list those dealers or sellers with whom you have had multiple positive results, both in the quality of their materials. customer service, and business ethics. Please list the person's name and business - whether an eBay/Hipstamp/etc. store name and/or a website so others can find them.

Here are my recommended sellers of US singles, pairs, and plate blocks. Most of these are APS members.


Bob Jacobs
ebay store: https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_so...ieldauctions

Kang Chen
ebay store: https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_so...ssn=ckstamps

Gary Goldstein
ebay store: https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_so...sn=gsquared7

Stuart Katz
ebay store: https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_so...ukatz-stamps

Gregg Nelson
ebay store: https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_so...n=gnmexstmps

Tim Miller
ebay store: https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_so...rfsotherhalf

Dr. Robert Friedman & Sons
ebay store: https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_so...=drbobstamps

Ed Reiser
ebay store: https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_sop=10&_ssn=emr47
website: http://century-stamps.com
High-end US singles & pairs, mostly certified and/or graded on website

Steve Crippe
Website: http://gradedstamps.com
Certified and/or graded singles & plate blocks on website

Great thread.

Clark Frazier
ebay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_so...kphilatelics

Ken Srail
ebay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_so..._ssn=srailkb
http://srailstamps.com

Edit; Fixed

Just a caveat that one person's experience may not necessarily mirror others'. For example, there is at least one name listed in the posts above that is on my "avoid like the plague" list.

Don, my ebay userID is srailkb. I don't have anything listed there right now, but occasionally put a few auctions or BIN's up (basically just enough to maintain my top rated seller status...why, I don't know LOL)

Winston Sinclair
ebay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_so...nclairstamps

This is totally American. We have some good sellers who are international......but I do not want to highjack this thread (that is not under US only) !
Personally I do not buy American because of the exchange rate, shipping fees etc but there are good sellers !

Renden: this thread is not limited to USA-based sellers. Since I started the thread - and since I only collect US stamps from USA-based sellers - I could only recommend USA-based sellers.

If you or others want to recommend international sellers with whom you have had multiple positive experiences, please feel free to do so.

I think a more meaningful list would be like a poll where you can have all dealers and then let people vote for the ones they endorse. This avoids a "bad" list.

Trying not to be negative but there are two in the OP that give me pause. They are frequently mentioned on Stamp Smarter. Revenues especially poor.

I have very good results in my specialty with US Stamp Shop.

redwoodrandy: I agree: I have had 4 good results with Gary Greenberg at us_stamp_shop.

Please email me with your concerns and we can discuss it off-list. Maybe I've just been lucky, as I rarely buy revenue stamps on ebay, preferring specialty revenue dealers who have their own websites. I don't have much confidence in my ability to vet revenues.

I use Stampsmarter's Seller Detail Report a lot to vet - or try to - every new seller where significant dollars are involved. I also try to remember that the more exposure (sales) you have, the greater your liklihood of a negative opinion from a buyer. I also pay attention to the seller's percent of Corrected Listings to his Total Reviews, especially when the number of Total Reviews exceeds 10. It's not a perfect system, but it helps - me at least.

As always, with any recommendations - Caveat emptor. YMMV.

Pooling ignoranance, or polling ignorance, are not substitutes for asking privately for the opinion of an expert dealer in the your field about who they can recommend.

Richard: you are correct. However, not everyone knows an expert in their field of interest.




Angore: I like your idea! but that's potentially going to be a HUGE list of names.

Let me suggest you email Don or Bobby first to get their in-put and then you could start the topic.

That begs the question: Are we talking about professional DEALERS or ebay SELLERS? The two are not necessarily the same, both in terms of expertise and service. Expectations can be very different for either.

A recommended DEALER is someone you might establish a relationship with, seek guideance and/or mentorship from.

A recommended online SELLER is simply someone who delivers what they promise in the listing and won't rip you off (at least I don't expect anything beyond that from an ebay seller).

Which in a nutshell why I feel the trend of more and more buying from ebay sellers is leading to a more ignorant collecting population.

Buying on ebay makes you ignorant.... allrightythen. I'll ignore that distasteful swipe at collectors for the moment.

With the increasing demise of brick & mortar and show dealers, what are collectors supposed to do? You either buy online or you don't buy.

Furthermore, most people who are used to buying online also know where to find philatelic resources online. So not having access to traditional dealers doesn't prevent one from becoming knowledgeable.

I would also posit that the "ignorant collecting population" to use your term has been with us all along; the Interwebz just makes it more visible.

uboatnut,
I was hoping that this thread would evolve into a good reference list online sellers in which folks have had positive experiences with; that we could make it 'sticky' and direct new collectors to it as a way in which help them make better informed online buying decisions.

I am willing to compile some of the more 'philosophical' posts (i.e. wisdom concerning dealer vs seller description, defining what a 'good' seller is, etc.) into a single, introductory post if desired. Or I can split this thread into two if you think that might help.
Don