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 Replies: 8 / Views: 645 |
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New Member
United States
4 Posts |
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I've always grown up using Amazon and eBay and whatnot to buy things, so I am not familiar with mail order. I was browsing through Linn's classifieds, and usually they will have a description of the product, then a physical address, and then mention a certain customer by name (Rawolik?) and say they have positive reviews from them. So do I just write a check for the amount, make sure to write my order in the memo, then put it in an envelope and mail it out with a SASE? How do I know that the recipient won't just cash the check and then do nothing? Are the Linn's Classifieds online the same as the ones in the magazine? When a listing says to "send for" the catalogue, do I write them a letter including my address and ask for a catalog? Is there a template I have to follow for this? Thanks for helping a Gen Z'er  |
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| Edited by simoneatssalmon - 02/04/2023 04:50 am |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
751 Posts |
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Quote:I've always grown up using Amazon and eBay and whatnot to buy things, so I am not familiar with mail order. I was browsing through Linn's classifieds, and usually they will have a description of the product, then a physical address, and then mention a certain customer by name (Rawolik?) and say they have positive reviews from them. E. Rawolik is kiloware spelled backwards. That is the generic name for the reviewers of kiloware and mixtures in Linns. Quote:
So do I just write a check for the amount, make sure to write my order in the memo, then put it in an envelope and mail it out with a SASE? How do I know that the recipient won't just cash the check and then do nothing? No need to include a SASE unless the advertisement requires it. Linns has advertising standards, so there is a presumption that an order will be filled - or the check is returned if the item is out of stock. Make sure that the advertisement you order from is recent. Quote:
Are the Linn's Classifieds online the same as the ones in the magazine? I cannot answer this. Quote:
When a listing says to "send for" the catalogue, do I write them a letter including my address and ask for a catalog? Is there a template I have to follow for this? No template required. Just write a short note or letter, including your name and address. John |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
611 Posts |
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Simon.
It's been several years since I've responded to Linn's classified adverts. (Simply too many other choices nowadays.). When doing so I used the simple postcard. Never experienced any problems re fulfillment or anticipated quality. It was a fun way of acquiring worldwide material.
As a (former) long-time Linn's subscriber, the "E. Rawolik" reviews were one of the first features I would read. Purchasing kiloware was once a popular (and cost-effective) means of acquiring large amounts of world-wide material. Unfortunately the heydays of reasonably priced kw have passed. (Although Nordfirm may still offer selections.)
Wishing you many happy days at the kitchen table. Despite the passage of more than 50 yrs it remains a very enjoyable pastime. |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
2076 Posts |
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Quote:
Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as:
Sending an order form in the mail
Placing a telephone call
Placing an order with a few travelling agents and paying by installments [1]
Filling in a form on a website or mobile app — if the product information is also mainly obtained online rather than via a paper catalogue or via television, this model is online shopping or e-commerce
Then, the products are delivered to the customer. The products are usually delivered directly to an address supplied by the customer, such as a home address, but occasionally the orders are delivered to a nearby retail location for the customer to pick up. Some merchants also allow the goods to be shipped directly to a third party consumer, which is an effective way to send a gift to an out-of-town recipient. Some merchants delivered the goods directly to the customer via their travelling agents.
A mail order catalogue is a publication containing a list of general merchandise from a company. Companies who publish and operate mail order catalogues are referred to as cataloguers within the industry. Cataloguers buy or manufacture goods then market those goods to prospects (prospective customers). Cataloguers may "rent" names from list brokers or cooperative databases. The catalogue itself is published in a similar fashion as any magazine publication and distributed through a variety of means, usually via a postal service and the internet.
Sometimes supermarket products do mail order promotions, whereby people can send in the UPC plus shipping and handling to get a product made especially for the company. Above quote from here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail_order which I suggest you read to learn about mail order. Mail order, RFD and Parcel Post helped build out this country. |
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Valued Member
United States
120 Posts |
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It has been awhile since I last purchased through the Linn's Classifieds, but basically, select the ad (I sometimes cut it out and pasted it to my note) say you want to buy and enclosed the check for the proper amount. If not enclosing SASE, I add some mailing labels with my address (Have a ten lifetime supply and more keep coming). Add a note saying please send catalog (if you do want the other offers). Never had any problems getting the stamps from either LInn's or American Philatelist ads. |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
6583 Posts |
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I sold hundreds of offers thru Linn's classified ads . One big difference you will have sellers hold your order for few days or a week to let your check clear . So give it a couple of days before the seller ships . I had a hard time when Ebay started and buyers wanted their orders shipped the next day .
I would come home from work and find orders in the mailbox and it would be two or three days before I went to the bank to deposit the checks . So that added to the lag of shipping .
The worst was all the NSF checks ,the bank would mail those back to me a month later with a notice my account was debited . |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
598 Posts |
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Floortrader -
I likely answered your ad and bought stamps from you. I answered dozens of ads from Linn's back in the day.
One time, I ran my own ad for $7. The ad said, "Send 100 large foreign stamps, receive one MNH USA plate block." I could buy 3-cent commemorative plate blocks for face value at local stamp shows, so for 12 cents, I was buying 100 large foreign stamps. I was surprised at all the stamps that came in the mail! I received over 17,000 stamps from my one little ad. I used the duplicates for other stamp trades. The power of Linn's advertising was huge back in the day.
Linus |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
2050 Posts |
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I used to order a lot of various mixtures through Linn's classifieds. Still do once in a great while, it's a great way to get a lot of stamps cheaply. If it's just a few bucks or so, I just send cash. Saves the seller the trouble of having to cash a check and wait for it to clear. Never had an issue with cash getting lost or stolen, can't think of a single order where I didn't receive the stamps.
Sometimes I've gotten value that was, frankly, pretty astounding with lots that catalogued at as high as 50-100x or more vs what I paid (and not just in gobs of low-CV stamps, either). I can't recall a single time where, after receiving the stamps, I thought I'd been ripped off or misrepresented, etc. Biggest reason I quit ordering so much is that I reached a point of diminishing returns, since I had acquired most of the common worldwide stamps that tend to be included in such lots. For a beginner, though, there are few better ways to fill a lot of spaces in an album. |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
751 Posts |
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Quote:
One time, I ran my own ad for $7. The ad said, "Send 100 large foreign stamps, receive one MNH USA plate block." I could buy 3-cent commemorative plate blocks for face value at local stamp shows, so for 12 cents, I was buying 100 large foreign stamps. I was surprised at all the stamps that came in the mail! I received over 17,000 stamps from my one little ad. I used the duplicates for other stamp trades. The power of Linn's advertising was huge back in the day. Linus, That brings back memories! I did the same thing back in the day. If I remember correctly, I was asking for both large and small foreign off paper, offering to pay 10 cents per 100 small, 15 cents per 100 large (for undamaged). I got tens of thousands of different WW off paper that way, and when I was contacted by a church charity, things really ramped up. I had to stop the advertisement after a short period of time. I kept buying from the charity, because of the variety and quality. Alas, after a year or two, I had to give that up as well... John |
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Replies: 8 / Views: 645 |
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Posted 02/04/2023 04:28 am
