Stamp Collecting In Reverse

So far, zero responses to this part of the OP:

"About presenting to dealers: presentation matters. I can leave everything mounted in albums. Or I could pull everything and align them in catalog order in stock books. I could also make indexed webpages with hi-def scans depicting the face and (when applicable) an image of the reverse placed in watermark fluid. I can imagine a range of reactions to these thoughts."

What you need is a inventory listing of the better material which may interest the dealer. Don't bother with items which catalog under $50.

Once a dealer or you pull stamps from the album(s) the collection has been cherry picked and the resale value drops significantly. Putting the material from the albums on to stock pages will again present material that will be unwanted. With luck the albums with a honest inventory (as to condition) may get a dealer to offer $1000-$1500 for your material, an offer which you should happily accept.

Edited for a missing "ed."

You might return to your rejected first option. Over the years, I've sold thousands of items on ebay. The "drama" has been minimal. ebay UK's recent abandonment of selling fees for most auction items has created even more daylight between it and auction houses for most material.

22,000 - It is likely then, that your collection has some nice stamps in it. I bet you get back more than you think. If you buy wisely even a collection, you can get your money back if you sell just that collection. For example, lets say you buy a stamp collection for 1000 with BP included and then sell it for 1500 at auction, then you get your money back minus commission.

"Most importantly, my only child (daughter now 24 years old) has pointedly asked me NOT to pass my collection onto her. Fair enough"

This is also fair - You can take the proceeds and go on vacation with it.

Also, you forgot about the future grand kids. How do you know they don't want it. :)

The only way to get 1,500 back on an investment of 1,000 (whether dollars, quid, or loonies) is to buy extremely rare stuff or buy and sell like a dealer. There is no other way.

Getting your money back in a hobby is a very difficult task. You likely bought most of your goods either retail or competing against others in the first place. Some will pipe-in that they have discovered treasures on ebay for pennies on the dollar and while that does occur it is the exception for most. What would make anyone think that they on average bought low? Yes, if you put together a nice collection 40 years ago the items cost more to purchase now but I can guarantee that factoring in inflation you are in the same place if not behind. You really need to collect for the enjoyment. Look at the cost as paying for enjoyment just like a resort vacation.

Original poster wrote: OPTION 1: Set up an ebay account. Understood that the highest returns come from selling in pieces, but I lack the patience for the drama that apparently comes with maintaining an ebay platform.

Response: I recommend that you give ebay a try. You are still young and have the time, and you might find that it can be fun.

You will need to develop finesse in scanning multiple stamps (lots) at once. Try to have great images. If you are new to this, developing speed with images will take a few weeks.

It will take some patience to get used to using ebay's template feature for creating a listing. An experienced friend would accelerate your learning how to use templates, and how to make nice images. Learn how to use the ebay template feature. You will get faster using templates as the weeks pass.

Scan and picture both sides of stamps. Try maybe a dozen lots per week for two or three weeks and see if you like the results.

Price stamps or sets at a generous discount but at a level you can live with. For most lots, you will have two, one, or no bidders. There is a lot of competition out there.

ebay will give you dozens of free listings per month. You would pays fees only when a lot sells. Fees are subtracted from your sales prices and postage.

At first, or perhaps longer, sell only to United States addresses, nowhere else, although some foreign bidders will ignore this and bid anyway. If they buy, mail the lot and charge them foreign postage. Selling to USA only will simplify your postage costs. Pack and ship right away, the next day, so you develop a reputation for a fast shipper. Get sold lots into your mailbox for pickup, before your carrier gets there. Driving to the post office can become a drag.

I always charge minimal postage ($1.50) and make sure that any stamp lot fit into a No. 6¾ size envelope. Use some stiffener, perhaps not thicker than cereal box cardboard, and a glassine hung on the cardboard with a small piece of adhesive tape. Do not overtape: layers of tape will annoy some buyers. Use Priority Mail or other special services for valuable lots, value to be determined by you. I never include an invoice (to minimize my work), and no one has ever complained, buy I always write "Thank you" somewhere inside the mailing and sign it.

With great images and correct description of stamps and any faults, with that description being in words, I have had almost no buyer drama, maybe two returns per 400 sales when selling my pre-1940 United States stamps. Be honest with descriptions. Use words rather than tell potential buyers to look at your images for any details they should know.

Michael - May I ask what percentage of catalog value on average you can expect to net from an ebay sale once fees and expenses are deducted?

Note: I am assuming that there is no hourly cost factored in for your own time.

"About presenting to dealers: presentation matters. I can leave everything mounted in albums. Or I could pull everything and align them in catalog order in stock books. "

Pulling everything and putting it into stock bools would be a huge amount of labor, and I'm not sure why you would want to do it even if it were little labor.

"Getting your money back in a hobby is a very difficult task." - Yes for the majority of collectors it is. But most stamp dealers get their supply at the auction house and they make money. So if your primary buys are at the auction house and you don't over spend, you likely still have some meat on the bone.

Also the stampdragons is notorious for buying it now from newbie sellers on items that sell for double or triple.

There is a myth out there that cheap stamps have no value. Mostly the notion is correct. The majority do except when they are part of a collection. When you watch the big retail auctions on ebay you know what sells for what. For example, I just bought a stamp collection from a dealer clearance for 100 bucks that I know and saw sell for 300-400 on ebay. The dealer even commented to me some poor collector originally paid thousands of dollars for this. "Yup they sure did" I said. That collector lost money and in spades. That is the typical collector. The savy collector buys with knowledge. Rinse and repeat with enough collections or single stamps as the case might be and what you have is a valuable stamp collection when it comes time for you to sell. The big key here is knowledge and discipline. Most collectors lose money because they bought the stamps with the cute dolphin or pretty flower on it. Or they buy accumulations with all the good stuff picked out etc.

You also have to sell like a dealer. It may be possible if items are sold individually on ebay, but sales will be somewhat slow to get prices the dealers get. Dealers know they have to tie up substantial cash to maintain an inventory and need enough margin with each sale to maintain their business. If you have the time, it IS possible to sell like a dealer. But you need a lot of time to find the right buyers who aren't looking for the same bargains you found as a collector. ebay may not be the forum to sell for those kinds of prices since almost everyone buying on ebay is looking for bargains. If they weren't, they would be buying from dealers at market prices.

Selling like a collector- for cash or at auction- is NOT selling like a dealer. Hard to say there is enough meat on the bone even if you bought well. I have my doubts.

Selling your collection on ebay is stupid if your listing it by item .

Let me tell you how dumb you are !

There are people like me out there ......we are dangerous to your collection .

So you think your smarter then me -------ok .

People like me will pay up and bid up what we want .

When we finish your collections has sold the few better items ,that's right the good stuff has been shipped out to me ,that would be the top 5 or 10% of what you listed sold on ebay.

The rest is yours to sell but nobody wants it unless it is heavy discounted


So the brain dead wants you to become a dealer on ebay , 90% of your collection will be ready for GOODWILL .

Please tell me I am wrong and why ?