Mailings From Mystic Stamp

Who said the hobby has been ruined? I'm enjoying it just fine, thank you.

P.S. Mystic has sponsored more APS memberships than any other sponsor... by an order of magnitude.

They're a gateway to the hobby, a modern H.E. Harris.

Hard to tell if this is where you're coming from:



Jim

Companies like Mystics have always been a part of the hobby that I have known. These are the ones that advertised in comic books and other magazines that offered promotions like 100 stamps free with approvals to follow. As people advanced in knowledge they found other sources for their stamps.

They reach people that some companies and societies wait to come to them.

There is room in the hobby for them but I just have not stopped all the mailings. It has been reduced but still I continue to get them.

I will likely order the 2018 US supplement since I have a Mystic US album - still the best deal and value compared to Scott's offerings Of course, this may lead to getting more mailings.

Same here Angore. Except that I always buy most of the stamps that go with the supplement. I find it cheaper because I don't have to buy 12 or 20 stamps when I only need one. I've noticed that you and I almost always seem to be on the same wavelength.

Jack Kelley

I'm of the opinion that Mystic has done way more for the hobby than most, and that the U.S. Mystic album has got to be the best album deal in all of stampdom, and I've said it to friends before! I like to get my stamps from a wide variety of sources, over 40 countries and many different dealers, and sometimes from Mystic and they have always been fine by me.

I have to disagree, the Stamp Smarter free album pages is certainly in the running as 'best deal'! http://stampsmarter.com/learning/Fo...gesHome.html
Don

"It's as if some people work for Mystic Stamps. That is the precise sort of company which ruined the hobby."

Its as if some people do nothing but whine.

edited to make it clear what I was responding to.

Stamp Smarter looks good too! Printing is a challenge, I did an album, Norway, with my girlfriends help it's nice but a lot of work! The printing your own has the advantage of adding things to fit nicely. Could be 2 categories here!

"It's as if some people work for Mystic Stamps. That is the precise sort of company which ruined the hobby."

I defended Mystic, and I certainly don't work for them. And I doubt anyone else commenting here does, either. Do you really think it's not possible to find good things to say about a stamp company without working for them?

As for "ruining our hobby," that's seriously off base. It's probably the only contemporary stamp company which makes strong and repeated efforts to get people to buy stamps -- and to collect stamps in the first place. Who cares if their prices are too high? Don't buy from them if you think that way. Who cares if they mail you ads? If you don't like them, throw the ads away. And who cares if they send you approvals with a purchase? Just send them back and ask them to take you off their approvals list. So easy to do. No need to whine about it.

What Mystic does is to intrigue people into collecting stamps. That's the benefit of their ads and all their mailings. And they make it extremely easy to buy stamps, too, precisely because of their price lists and their excellent color catalogue. How can any collector find fault with this? Some people would complain about having to sign so much paperwork after winning the lottery! Curmudgeonly crankiness is far more likely to kill the hobby than an energetic stamp company.

This came in yesterday. It was an assortment of flyers.

I do plan to order the 2018 supplement at some point.

I defended Mystic as well and I don't work for them, but they did get me started in collecting, so they will always hold a special place in my collecting heart. I agree with Drew M. if you want to buy from them do, if not don't. Their customer service has always taken care of me when I called, so just call and get taken off their list. Done.

I won't buy from Mystic today because of price, but as a kid, I loved them. Getting a mailing, picking out stamps, mailing in $10 and delight arriving, not long after was awesome. They were so reliable and people trusted them reputationally. Unfortunately I was buying all the wrong stamps from a cost benefit perspective, but hey - can't replace fun benefit.

Well said - we often worry too much about whether we got a "good deal", when ultimately its whether we enjoyed the stamps we received that's important.

And on topic, they do fill an important niche, and there's room for all in the stamp biz.

I have called previously but find what is mailed in amazing.