Where To Buy Supplies...

In the USA. can any one recommend a company to buy supplies from?
Books, albums, mounts, etc..


and another thing, what do you use as a magnifier? 2x, 3x, 10x, etc...
my old eye aren't what they once were.

My first choice is a bricks and mortar outlet, so that they might still be there when I need them. If I have to go online, Subway Stamp Shop has worked well for me. Wide selection, good-enough pricing, occasional sales, quick shipping.

Collin

Subway Stamps http://www.subwaystamp.com/
Will

In my neck of the woods, the local (brick and mortar) dealer (there are three here that I am aware of) sells supplies at a reasonable price (cheaper than any internet dealer I am aware of).

the only place near enough to me is 20 miles away..
there is a stamp dealer in town, but they are internet only... won't let you come to their "house" to pick up your stuff.
But I did order some things from subway stamps... and a few ebay stores..

I've always had good luck with ihobb. Good selection, good prices, shipping charges can be high.
For mounts you can't beat Global Stamps. Great prices ang free shipping on orders over $25.

Some dealers simply don't want the foot traffic. They don't want to have to mess around with trying to figure out who is a real customer and who is scouting for a place to hit. Not that many, but I've met more than few like that.

At a stamp show, dealers and regulars can help watch out for problems, but at the store, the dealer is on his/her own. So I can understand why some dealers don't want to deal with foot traffic.

I don't even like my family coming in to my stamp...err, study room. No telling how many stamps may stick to their feet on the way out!

k

har...

I don't know that I have enough stamps for a stamp room. We are using the third bedroom in the apartment as a basement as it is.

third bedroom for a basement????
interesting choice of words.. :)

I mistyped. I have a STUDY room. I don't do anything else in here but study!

I use 2x-6x magnifiers. Anything higher than that, it's hard to get solid optics without paying a hefty premium. If you need magnification greater than 6x, just use a scanner at high resolution and then enlarge on screen. It's a little tedious, but absolutely no eye strain whatsoever. Plus, you have a file for future reference.

Of course, if you are getting too old like me and forget where you put the scanner power cord, then all bets are off.

This has worried me for a while Khj, in Aus, all our power
cords are generally interchangeable, and common as machins.

There is the "figure 8" power cord for peripherals, and
"box" type for computer boxes etc.
A quick howdy down at your it shop, should have you scanning tomorrow.

Yes, I know I could just drive down to the electronics store and buy a replacement (thereby guaranteeing that I find the missing power adapter when I get home).

Now, if I can just find my car keys, I know I put it next to the power cord when I finished moving my scanner back from the other office...

k

yes you also forgot you were going to give spock a 1000 oz gold bar that you hid int he forest along wth some million dollar stamps. :)

Stampvirgin wrote:




Same here, the old eyes surely aren't what they once were.

I use a 3 times handheld magnifying glass which is always at hand. It is almost always useful and helps me to read small type as well as distinguishing elements in stamps.

If there is a greater need to "get in closer to a stamp" I have found that a 6x linen tester which is quite handy. What is also helpful is that it folds up into a small packet and can be easily carried in a pocket.

Beyond that if you really want to get in close, such as if you're into sorting the Washington-Franklin series, I would suggest you go to 30x. The one I use looks sort of like a microscope and at $70 not unreasonable.

All these use ambient light which in my case is a nearby Ott light.

Just my 2 cents and hope this helps.

-Larry

Excellent choice, Larry! (If I should say so myself.) That is one of the 3 magnifiers that I use. Although I bought mine for a few bucks at an electronics store, you can actually find a pretty decent quality linen tester (black folding case and all) at the better DOLLAR stores!! I've seen them when passing through one town once, but didn't buy them because I already had one. Now I regret not getting a few extras!

I also have a philatelic mounted magnifier, which I rarely use (not convenient and not very practical for most cases).

The magnifier I use the most, believe it or not, is a cheapy dual 3x-6x magnifier (probably Chinese-made) that comes with those children's science kits. It's not very big, but I've used this for over 10 years and it still remains my top choice!