Reliable, Trustworthy Sellers?

Is there a list somewhere of reliable and trustworthy dealers, auction houses and ebay sellers? I searched and found a few recommendations here and there but is there a central repository for such information? Having been away from the hobby for a long time I feel woefully unprepared to wade into the ebay marketplace. Unfortunately, where I live all of the dealers I knew and dealt with 20 years ago have either died or gone out of business.

Other hobby forums I have belonged to over the years often have a separate forum for dealer testimonials where folks can post about particularly good (or bad) experiences they had with a dealer. Do we have something like that here? I looked but did not see one. Of course people are sometimes unwilling to post about bad experiences for fear of being sued. :(

I've bought from multiple sources on ebay over many years. I can't recall a negative experience, but I only buy stamps (U.S.) that come with a clean cert from PF or PSE. Primary dealers I've bought from are Ed Reiser of Century Stamps who is emr47 on ebay, Oceanview Stamps who is OVStamps on ebay, and Rupp Brothers who sell on ebay as well, but can't recall what they sell under (ruppbros maybe, or the like). Century has an online catalog that comes out 3 or 4 times a year and a new one is due out in about a week. If you collect foreign.......never mind.

Knowledge is power when buying on ebay. ebay is fine for common items without big financial risk. Even good stamp dealers make mistakes.

Here's a great list of 140 trustworthy dealers:

http://www.ipdastamps.com/member-list-public/

Thank you for your responses. I have bookmarked the IPDA site and will be looking for the ebay sellers mentioned by Howell1018. If other SCFers could list dealers or ebay sellers they have been particularly happy with I'm sure it would be a great help to everyone.

Can anyone comment on the following ebay sellers? gsquared7 (Southwest Stamps), drbobstamps, scrib, CKStamps

Thanks

Anghus

I've never dealt with scrib but have purchased multiple items from the other three without problems of any kind.

Southwest stamps and Dr. bob stamps Seem fine to me, I have purchased nice items from both and was pleased with purchases and service. Can't comment on CK stamps other than I believe they sell consignment lots / stamps.

rogdcam, thanks for pointing out that earlier thread. For some reason I did not find it when searching. I saw a reference there to a dealer/seller list on StampSmarter. I'm heading there now to check it out!

I say be careful no matter who you are buying from. Even an honest, knowledgeable seller can make a mistake. Start small and learn as much as you can so that you can detect problems on your own.

IMO, the worst sellers are those that enjoy a better reputation than they deserve. I am dealing with one right now that is not handling an issue the way an honest or competent dealer would. Here is the story: I found the listing with around 24 hours to go and it was described as a 4 margin gem and I honestly had no interest in the stamp. I messaged him because it was pretty clear to me that the stamp was repaired with an actual added/repared corner. He replied that he dipped it three times and couldn't detect any such issue. I knew better and wasn't satisfied that he was going to let the listing continue. So I bought the stamp and then proceeded to ask him to soak the stamp so that he would "finally" see the problem. I got zero response. Perturbed, I paid for the stamp and got it yesterday. Sure enough, the corner is clearly repaired but very very well done. There is also a tear that has been repaired/sealed that I couldn't really detect in the images provided. I messaged the seller about 36 hours ago to get permission to soak the stamp and I also notified him of the additional repaired tear... no response thus far... very annoying.

What would others do or have done? I have $89 invested in the stamp and I will win, there is no question about that.

sinclair2010, as you are one of the most knowledgeable members of the forum, I find your story stunningly surprising. If you have concerns about the soundness of an item, DON'T BUY THE ITEM. Transactions of this type are not a place for gamesmanship or "teaching the seller a lesson." Moreover, you are legally wrong. Acceptance of goods by a buyer, even in the face of breach of contract by the seller, precludes rejection of the goods accepted, and if made with knowledge of a non-conformity, cannot be revoked because of it ... UCC section 2-607. The Restatement (Second) of Contracts is in agreement. Basically, if you buy something with full knowledge that it's defective, you own it. You don't get to force the seller to take it back. These legal principles exist because people have been trying the game you played for decades and possibly centuries, but judges have said: no remedy.

You're out $89, in any reasonable world. If this was done through ebay and PayPal, of course, you'll probably win, but not based on any sense of ethics.

Beyond the legal perspective, the question of soundness with respect to repairs is often highly subjective. There have been other debates on SCF in which images have been provided and there is a genuine question whether a repair occurred, with one member insisting nothing can be seen in fluid or from the back, and another insisting based on 50+ years' experience that a repair is plain as day. A buyer cannot win such a debate and to pretend that the issue is capable of objective resolution can only lead to disappointment.

Two important postings above from sinclair2010 and cjpalermo1964.

They are worth reading twice, maybe three times.

cjpalermo1964, Thank you for the response! I can take the criticism. I think I protected the underbidder and if I soak the stamp in water the seller will be forced to sell the stamp as it is. He had the opportunity to do the right thing and still does. He would certainly have his buyers believe that he is all about doing the right thing. I am just seeing if it is true.

There is also this, from his one and only reply to me: "In any case, I offer full 30 days warranty on every stamp I sell, including the shipping cost."

I want to make it clear, I am not trying to "teach the seller a lesson" but I do dislike sellers that take advantage of a buyers trust.

"Can't comment on CK stamps other than I believe they sell consignment lots / stamps"
He buys a ton of stuff at auctions and I doubt he has any need to take on consignments.

There aren't any left.