Investment "Opportunity" Ad In Linn's

Can I get a resume and a financial statement about this person and see if he is licenses by his State and Federal Government to sell investments across state lines , will the money be kept in a segragated bank account . So I need a letter of conformation that their is no co-mingling of funds from his bank .

The contact information (start with name listed in OP) and to a lesser extent the resume is all over the web. He will be the person who can provide the answers re: bank, contract, licenses.

I look forward to your report back.

FYI Jay Smith and Associates does something similar for their clients. Minimum is $2000 and you can get interest on your money or take it in merchandise credits. He's been doing this for a while.

Jackie

Gary Gross (gsquared) has been around for a long time. I remember him as a show dealer in New York during the late 1970s early 1980s. I see this proposition as a relatively straightforward way to find investors to fund tranches of working capital. It's hardly a new or unusual concept, and certainly not for everyone. The devil would be in the details.

I believe his name is actually Gary Goldstein (dba SWStamps)

94000 transactions with decades of experience, and he needs 10k to buy stamps. Hardly inspiring to invest in.

Feels more like a retirement swansong. Find 100 ppl to toss 10k, make something work for a couple of years, and close shop.

I see people regularly buying at auction (even on ebay itself) and 2Xing or more the pieces on ebay.

If you buy dealers stock, like say at the Kelleher auction coming up, you can easily flip and fund a biz in no time if you labor away.

I am always reminded of Regency Superior when I see these things. Something goes sideways in the owners life and all bets are off. And a contract is worthless if there are no funds to satisfy an award.

Not sure he is only looking for one investor.

His current as of 1:40 PM PST 11-21-2021 top four items list (his retail) for $58,895.00. That is no British Guiana 1c magenta price range, but its more than most folks carry as walking around money.









[Edit: Add an "s" to the text.]

That C23c pane is a great example. It has been sitting on ebay since last December. It last sold in 2013 at a Siegel sale for $3000 plus tip. You can bet that is the "natural" price unless someone that does zero research and knows nothing about stamps stumbles along and decides to fork over $14000 in an ebay transaction. If Rupp had that same item it would be sold quickly and before it was ever sent out on a list. That is WAY too long to park that money but if you are relying solely on ebay listings that is where you are stuck at. Of course you could sell it at Siegel but people will see what it already sold for in the past and you will get whacked 10-20% depending upon what deal you cut for commission.

PS: When it was purchased at Siegel it had a CV of $9600. Why did it hammer for $3000? Because there is a very limited market. Posner does the same thing. Scoops up things that do not attract bidders but have high CV. Sits on a lot of stuff ala Lang.

When my wife and I owned a local aquarium shop, we maintained several huge, fully decorated show tanks. They had very costly specimens with price tags that were well north of normal retail.
Why?
First, trying to net one of these high-end specimens almost meant putting on scuba gear and chasing the thing around for 10 minutes. But in reality, these were a 'draw' and we did not care if we ever sold any fish in these tanks. They were marketing aids for the store. They demonstrated the pinnacle of the hobby and what we wanted customers to aspire to (buying their tanks, equipment and other fish from us). These tanks attracted an endless stream of eyeballs. The vast majority did not consider buying huge tanks and/or specimen fish but they made others purchases.
Don

Good point Don. GSquared has sold 30 items between 28 August and his last sale on 14 November. Those are "Buy it Now" listings. Most of his business is auction listings of course and he sells a great deal many more item's that way but we are not talking huge dollar values. I just don't see the collector looking for a $200 stamp to be drawn in by the high dollar "circus barkers". It may even backfire. I however was drawn into a Ford dealership not long ago by the GT500 in the front window.......

Anyone "investing" 10k or upwards must see the financials. No doubt. Who will be first? Floortrader? PPG? Justfella?

Not really interested in investing in anything else,
I have a couple solid investments that I see returns on.
Was just drawn in by the fancy stuff in the window.

uboat is correct about his name.

paulsonja - while it might not be a unique approach, it is one that involves a huge amount of trust. As rogdcam said "a contract is worthless if there are no funds to satisfy an award"

I agree, I was just pointing out that this is being done (funding through customers/investors) although in my example interest is paid out either in cash or merchandise and not on speculation. It's a interesting approach. Jay Smith has been around a long time and he's one of the most knowledgeable dealers in Scandinavia in the US. I don't know the dealer looking for "investors" and I agree that anyone who has been in the stamp business for years shouldn't need investors at $10k a pop. In the business world $10K really isn't much. Many hobbyist spend that in a year on their hobbies.

Like previous poster have said, sounds like he doesn't want to spend his own money anymore buying stock. Perhaps this his version of an IPO :)

Jackie

Sorry ROGDAM ----I don't invest with beginners , I prefer liquid investments like U.S. Treasuries both T-Bonds and T-Notes in the Futures Market .That is my playground to make money . Last week I loaded up in Disney stock also. My stamps are a hobby and a way to relax. I never purchased stamps to see what I can get for it .