Amos Advantage Backordered Items

The Palo-to-Scott comparison is apples and bowling balls.

While the paper criticisms can be valid, and if you personally dislike Steiner-like layouts, ok, but that's a you thing.

Want ANY country's pages in Scott order (albeit without Scott numbers printed)? Palo does that.
Want the pages printed in color? Sure.
Want the pages printed in black & white instead? Sure.
Want either of the above pages hingeless? Yep.
Want just pages 7 & 8 from set X for a duplicate set/varieties/cancels? Sure (albeit at a higher per-page cost).
Need just page 17 of your hingeless set replaced bcause your coffee spilled? Yep, no problem.

Any of those options delivered in in 2-4 weeks.

Not the same.

They cater to different needs. One company is seemingly flourishing, the other not so much.

Al - I'd hate to disappoint you.

I understand that Palo may appeal to US collectors (I think European distribution was abandoned because the collector interest wasn't there) and is responsive in a way that many if the established comoanies aren't. To me, it's still lipstick on a pig, and Chanel-price lipstick at that.

I just do not consider Steiner a pig! If Steiner is dull so is some Davo albums.

Most pre-printed albums are expensive if purchased new. Palo is no different.

It isn't just dullness - it's the inability to design an attractive page, with imaginative framing of stamps of different shapes and sizes. I understand why he doesn't bother with such frippery, but I shouldn't like my stamps displayed like that.

Most of the readers here started and grew-up with the H.E.Harris series of albums . Since they followed the Scott Catalog and Scott Album line . It was natural for them to stay inline with that organization for album layout .

Palo albums are awesome. The only drawback is the cost.
Lighthouse albums are awesome. The drawbacks are cost and country selection
New Scott Specialty albums are pretty good. The drawbacks are country selection.

I had never really heard about Minkus when I started seriously collecting. I only collected US with a Harris Liberty and not sure why I did not consider worldwide too.

I have had items on order since end of September 2025. They finally released a bunch of mounts from this order just a day or two ago. STILL waiting on a new 3-ring Scott binder (I am told end of January now) This has to be the single worst company for backorders I have ever dealt with, not to mention it is possibly the slowest website I have ever used. Not sure what the reason(s) are for these delays but it's so frustrating. 3 and 4 months is totally ridiculous. Never an update given, unless you ask.

Simple answer ---- They don't want to carry a inventory and they don't want to sell inventory wholesale to a retail store . They need all the profits for themselves .

People can cry about Steiner Pages , but waiting months for Amos to deliver a Scott Album of Italy for $250.00 ,when I can print my own pages and have them in the next two hours is how the hobby has changed in the last 15 years . my cost for printing , binder for less than $35.00 and one hour of time .Most of those two hours is washing the floors in the house and vacuming my car and just watching the printer to add paper .

Agree with Floortrader and add that the market for pre-printed pages is becoming one catering only to collectors who don't want to spend time printing themselves and don't care about cost. That is a bad place for Scott because in the brand cache hierarchy they are well below Lighthouse and the others. The ONLY thing Scott has is their stupid numbering system. If not for those numbers it would have been toast long ago.

This is the price list of the person licensed to sell printed Steiner pages in US.

The paper alone is $75 (15c x 500 sheets) but print cost is just 5c per page. He must want to make his profit with paper.

This is true of most printing projects now, both commercial and private: the paper makes up far more of the cost than the printing or labor.*


* Unless you are doing complicated diecutting, embossing, foil-printing, etc.