To return back to the theme of the OP; will bloviate but hopefully tersely on the "worsening" of the quality of dealers. Maybe more of a bullet point format will help provide some feedback from a buyer with 4,300 or so purchases?
Firstly, I do use Hip as the go-to as their are way less sellers here that really know stamps than on EBay; albeit less inventory.
1. Sellers will find out pretty quickly who the honest dealers are, and will avoid those who aren't. There will be newer collectors who will get scammed or ripped off, and of those I would say that most only get hurt once. They don't forget though.
2. I cannot speak for other buyers, but just don't be an ass, unless your buyer is. I have a couple of sellers I simply won't deal with just based on their responses to my questions about their material, and I really want some of the material! But simply on their responses I just won't buy from them. Ever. Hint: assume every potential buyer might not understand what is commonly accepted terminology. I asked a question to a seller once that I freely admit was poorly phrased; in short I wanted to see photos of what MH looked like on the back of a set of stamps and phrased it incorrectly but his/her response was so arrogant I just never responded and put that dealer on the "sh** list." On the flip side of that proverbial coin I frequently but from a seller who screws up orders all the time, but he is friendly about it and corrects the mistakes and all is good.
3. As a dealer, do your research and keep your listings/descriptions accurate. Nothing worse than getting a "MNH" stamp or set to find them hinged, or even with messy backs. This lowers credibility, and (only from my perspective) indicates that a dealer is really interested in simply moving material out the door in lieu of telling their customers what they are actually buying. Will say that most sellers I've dealt with are good about accepting returns when a mistake is made, but remember this costs the seller return shipping for mistakes.
4. Have an inventory system to track returns/refunds. I've twice this year had dealers who claimed they never received a returned stamp until I pointed out that the stamp I returned was already re-listed. I viewed this as at best simply being disorganized and not aware of your business, and at worst dishonest and hoping I would forget and just go away. Ether way it does not make me want to deal with you again.
5. Lastly; learn watermarks. This goes to #3, but as a buyer if a seller can't take the time to identify watermarks to differentiate stamps that otherwise look identical, you aren't a dealer, and belong on EBay selling "green 1 cent old stamp." As a buyer (same as above) it shows you are simply looking to move anything and everything out the door without even knowing what you are selling. Have returned quite a few stamps because the seller never even bothered to check and it speaks volumes about whether one is a stamp dealer or someone just peddling stamps.
Thanks, Andy, for your comments. I'm just a small-time operator, myself, and have made my share of mistakes. But, I do take pride in what I'm doing, and strive to deliver the best customer experience. I will certainly keep your points in mind. Ted
Hello everyone--I thought I would add to this conversation as a buyer after looking at some Bermuda and Swiss stamps today. I have to say I was stunned at the quantity of poor material out there, and then some of the prices! (ex. a stamp with a cat of $0.50 selling for $3.59?!!) It appears HS is becoming much more like EBay for "Buyer Beware".
Comments
Firstly, I do use Hip as the go-to as their are way less sellers here that really know stamps than on EBay; albeit less inventory.
1. Sellers will find out pretty quickly who the honest dealers are, and will avoid those who aren't. There will be newer collectors who will get scammed or ripped off, and of those I would say that most only get hurt once. They don't forget though.
2. I cannot speak for other buyers, but just don't be an ass, unless your buyer is. I have a couple of sellers I simply won't deal with just based on their responses to my questions about their material, and I really want some of the material! But simply on their responses I just won't buy from them. Ever. Hint: assume every potential buyer might not understand what is commonly accepted terminology. I asked a question to a seller once that I freely admit was poorly phrased; in short I wanted to see photos of what MH looked like on the back of a set of stamps and phrased it incorrectly but his/her response was so arrogant I just never responded and put that dealer on the "sh** list." On the flip side of that proverbial coin I frequently but from a seller who screws up orders all the time, but he is friendly about it and corrects the mistakes and all is good.
3. As a dealer, do your research and keep your listings/descriptions accurate. Nothing worse than getting a "MNH" stamp or set to find them hinged, or even with messy backs. This lowers credibility, and (only from my perspective) indicates that a dealer is really interested in simply moving material out the door in lieu of telling their customers what they are actually buying. Will say that most sellers I've dealt with are good about accepting returns when a mistake is made, but remember this costs the seller return shipping for mistakes.
4. Have an inventory system to track returns/refunds. I've twice this year had dealers who claimed they never received a returned stamp until I pointed out that the stamp I returned was already re-listed. I viewed this as at best simply being disorganized and not aware of your business, and at worst dishonest and hoping I would forget and just go away. Ether way it does not make me want to deal with you again.
5. Lastly; learn watermarks. This goes to #3, but as a buyer if a seller can't take the time to identify watermarks to differentiate stamps that otherwise look identical, you aren't a dealer, and belong on EBay selling "green 1 cent old stamp." As a buyer (same as above) it shows you are simply looking to move anything and everything out the door without even knowing what you are selling. Have returned quite a few stamps because the seller never even bothered to check and it speaks volumes about whether one is a stamp dealer or someone just peddling stamps.
Just one stamp nut's two cents.
Ted