Questions On Selling Items

Not sure if this is the correct form - if not , please move. I posted a question in the " Stamp Community Forum Selling Rules" , but got no answer. Was an old topic....

So not sure how this works - I have some items im thinking of selling. In the "post collecting items you have for sale here" topic, can items be listed as highest offer and a not shown reserve? In other words, do I have to list my Reserve Price? Only asking because I do not know whats the norm as I haven't really sold much at auction / online.

Also, coincidently, I recently received a letter in the mail from Spink which read that they were going to be in my area and were looking for items to buy/consign, etc. Has anyone ever used their services in which you brought items to them to buy? I sent a copy to their home office to verify its authenticity but never heard back. So im just guessing its an authentic offer??

The reason I was thinking of them, besides the letter, is because a lot of the items I have to sell in addition to a nice mint Farley collection, are British kings stamps - KEVII, KGV, etc...

Conversely, maybe selling to US house or a US buyer direct is a better return?? British items higher return with a British house or direct US market? Or maybe it doesnt make a difference? Noobie here. Tks for any help, suggestions. Wm.

*** Moved by Staff to a more appropriate forum. ***

ebay is not an option for you to sell?

I've not had good experiences as a seller on ebay.

Hi William,
I am not aware of any forum auction rules which disallow a reserve. I think it would be best to at least mention in the post that the auction has a reserve.

I moved this thread to this category since your other question is about Spink.
Don

@stubebaker51




Thanks Don. But I was really interested in knowing if I have to disclose the reserve amount? Not sure what the accepted way of doing it. I seem to recall one can choose to disclose the amount or not. But, if I do a reserve either way, it would be disclosed that a reserve is applicable.

To clarify - the few times I have used ebay, I've had issues with buyers trying to back out of the sale or trying to get me to reduce their winning bids... BUT, I've never sold stamps on ebay. My issues have been with cars.

One thought - if you're selling here or on ebay, it's probably better to avoid a reserve. Just begin with what your base price. Reserves on ebay inhibit bidding.

As I posted in another thread, I received the same letter and contacted them to see what would be of interest. The reply was that they are looking for lots valued at $1,000 or more, of which I only have a handful. Not interested in country collections unless they are huge/WW or have valuable items. You may get a different response, but that's what I got for what its worth.

If your reserve reflects current market value for those who are buying, then the reserve can be mentioned. But if your reserve is above market then it is unwise to bid. Likewise if you start at a dollar, but you reserve is two dollars, buyer will get frustrated that you are not honest up front with the sell price.

If you sell on ebay, you minimum bid price is your reserve. If you list a buy it now, that too is your reserve price. But again if you set you price above current market at the moment, then no one will buy.

Lastly, the pool of car buyer is a different group than stamp buyers not to mention how vehicles are priced is quite different from stamps.

Edit: I will say out loud what it is you are dancing around. No, what you want your stamps to sell for is not what others likely will be willing to pay. That is generally how it works.

Why on earth would you think it wasn't authentic? The letter is literally nothing more than an announcement of a Spink representative coming to a city near you; at no point does the letter suggest you do anything more than think about what you might have, and maybe make an appointment with said representative to show what you have. Many of us got that letter, I'm sure they send out many hundreds (thousands?).

Thank you for the info. Helpful. Not sure what you mean by ' dancing around ' . I have never bought a stamp that I figured I would end up selling it for more than what I bought it for. And quite honestly, I've never even thought that I would want to sell anything I've got or would sell anything period. I've bought at shows and some auctions, but never on ebay and im not a professional buyer or seller. Just looking for ideas on how it works here and current accepted practices and about selling US Auction House, online here or better to sell foreign in US market or in its home turf.

Its a lot I know and im a little all over the place - but just asking and trying to figure it out.

I was not trying to make a comparison of car buyers vs stamp collectors, but the auction process. The only reason I mentioned car buyers is thats been my experience. The cars did sell. But, it was the hassle after the fact that I didnt like. I think it was 3 different cars at different times and each time the buyers tried either to back out, change the winning bid price or to change the terms after their winning bid. While there may be ways around that now, the ebay route may be more cumbersome than I want now for maybe a one or 2 transaction sale.

Because of all the bogus stuff that goes on all day every day re: scams... Just being cautious as I've never received one of those notices. Also, because they've never answered my query email and copy of the letter I sent them. Without a response from them, I know not where the letter comes from or who the person really is.

This:

Im confused... When did I ask anyone to appraise the items?

Sure you do, it's printed on the letter. Surely, you've gotten postcards from realtors advertising their services? Or plumbers? Do you call them up to verify the legitimacy of those mailings? What's the difference?


OP didn't say he wasn't familiar with Spink, only that he was suspicious that they would actually mail him a solicitation.

re reserves:
I detest hidden reserves. It may be a matter of word choice, but why not just say: "Minimum bid of $x". That way everyone openly knows the "reserve" situation and I know whether to invest any time in evaluating the lots thoroughly, etc.

Along the lines of expectations, for something like a grouping of Farley issues, I recently watched several moderate-sized lots sell on ebay for about 16% of catalog. ebay is still probably the best way to move material due to its broad viewership.