Feedback Requested On A No Reserve Auction Listing (Us #24 VF Mint)

txphl,

All good points. I sell on ebay and I try to be diligent and accurate. There are good dealers like us around. I agree with your objectives. Another thing I'd suggest is to use this forum. No one is an expert in every stamp. There are several times I was unsure and was able to get extremely helpful information from people here that allowed me to create descriptions that were far more accurate. Specifically I got great help in coils which I knew little about and got plating info to ensure accurate identification in some old tricky items. I see ebay as a large unregulated market. That means there are honest dealers, dishonest ones, foolish ones, and outright rip-offs. Learn, disclose everything, and you will build a good reputation and do well.

@revenuecollector: found your post titled 'Suggestions for dealing with "problem dealers" or those with no moral compass'

To expand on that, just because a collector does not perform their due-diligence, does not entitle a dealer to fleece them and then fall back on 'buyer beware.'

To me, it's the difference between doing what's legal and what's ethical. Yes, "legally" you're protected, but if someone falls back on that as an excuse, I won't buy from them anymore or believe a word they say. Goes back to that moral compass. I've called customer-service lines in the past and upfront stated, 'please don't fine-print me.'

Just pointing out that the topic tile of this thread referring to "US #24" is misleading.

With a few exceptions, unused stamps from before 1870 should not be offered without a competent certificate. Removed cancels are ubiquitous, especially on the 1851, 1857, 1861 and 1869 issues. Some stamps, like the one pictured by the OP may show traces of a cancel while others can only be seen under a high intensity multi-frequency light source. Occasionally, dirt or smudges on the front of an unused stamp may appear to be a cancel. Sellers who bother to get certificates for better stamps will almost always achieve higher prices while buyers will receive better value for the money. Sellers offering high value stamps without certificates at low prices assume that most buyers realize that clean certificates would be unlikely. Profitable transactions occur when unwitting buyers pay too much. The philatelic marketplace is built on trust. Sellers who disappoint should be avoided.

To answer the original question: Sellers should offer stamps with clear images, front and back, with complete descriptions. On ebay, the Condition Description should be used. Many sellers are not aware that the Condition Description will display if the stamp, unused or not is marked "Used" in the Item Condition. At one time, ebay supported Item Condition names "Unused" and "Used". When Item Condition ID values were adapted, the ID values 1000 for "New" and 3000 for "Used" did not fit the Stamps category and Item Condition was dropped from being displayed. The Item Condition ID = 1500, would be the correct designation for "Unused" if supported in the Stamps category. For now, marking all stamps as "Used" (ID = 3000) allows the Condition Description at the top of the ebay description to display.

Many ebay sellers fail to provide good listings because of bad images, incomplete descriptions or failure to find or disclose faults. Some ebay sellers believe that they are politicians. Like politicians, stamp dealers are selling hope, but that does not justify telling a whopper. Repeated small profits over and over is better than an occasional large profit without repeat sales.

Finally, describing centering can be controversial. It goes without saying that applying a numeric grade without a competent graded certificate is likely to alienate potential buyers. APS StampStore takes the prohibition one step further by no allowing conventional use of stamp grading terms like "Fine" or "Very fine". As mentioned above, use of Scott grading terms may be a waste of real estate in titles or descriptions, but it so commonly done, that many dealers continue the practice for perceived competitive reasons.

These points are excellent. Don, please consider contacting Clark offline to see if it's OK to add some of these to
http://www.stampsmarter.com/BuyingO...ng_Tips.html.
It would be helpful to expand the StampSmarter "Buying Online" page tree with additional tips that are country-specific and issue-specific, as with Clark's comments here.

Just noticed the title of my post - I did not mean it to be misleading. I truly meant to type 28.

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