Why?

Robert Kroning

Please explain, somebody: Why do so many sellers/dealers list common stamps for pennies when there are already several, or even dozens, of the same stamp listed? I'm going to ask Amazon people the same question, 'cause they do it also.

John Wagner

Just thought I would pop by and add my two cents worth in the discussion. I'm a collector and appreciate being able to select stamps from among various selections. So with more listings, even of the same stamp, I have more choices. Granted, I've seen some sellers list 50 copies of the same stamp. That may be a little overkill, but still, it provides choice. When I am hunting for specific stamps i do frequently purchase a partial set from one seller and one stamp or the rest of a set from another seller. Which means I pay two shipping charges. It all depends on the value of the stamp I want "to me". I always calculate the shipping charges into the value of the stamp. And if I think a stamp is worth the price (sale+shipping) I will pay it. Sometimes if I find a particular stamp of better quality than one in a set that I have, I will buy it to improve the quality of the overall set. I am extremely happy with the quality of material I have found here, the sellers and their service are also exemplary.

Henry Brooks

I have to ask why is it anyone's business what someone else chooses to sell? I sell a lot, mostly on other sites or to other dealers (and not all stamps).. But I enjoy sitting down once in awhile and going through vast multiples of cheap 19th century stamps for centering, fancy cancels, color shades, flyspecks, etc. I might buy 50 or 100 of a common stamps and I have found over the years there is usually one stamp out of those I ordered that I can resell quickly and get all my money back, sometimes several times over.

Why is it any concern of anyone else that I do this?? If you don't like the way a dealer lists things than don't buy from them. But I don't understand why anyone thinks they have a right to tell someone how to go about making a living or participating in a hobby.

I could go on but fear that my point will be lost on those who need it the most..

Dave Bennett

Michael ---

DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS!

Kurt Lange

I believe they feed on beers in pubs.

Dave Bennett

To excess, apparently.

Luree Hughes

Also, how do I know if you are a collector of circle, wavy line, air brush or even killer cancels? I'm not saying to list each and every one, but a nice selection is, to me acceptable. And on booklets, are you collecting only straight right side, left side, bottom or tops? I just never know what everybody is collecting now a days.

Paul Molloy

If buyers could block certain sellers during specific category searches, then the buyer would be able to avoid the huge quantity of some items being listed in the category, and make the hunt less frustrating.

Paul Cook

Well I think I will only list what you collect and give up $1,000.00 a month in sales. Mark can wait for his money.
God knows it would be easier.
OOp's just got anouther $20 - 60 item order. Can't stop till I fill that one.
Filling 3-400 stamps a day does get old.
Paul

Paul Cook

Then People that buy 200 # 332's (an order I recently filled) is a perfectly sane individual???? People that put little pieces of paper in a book are sane???? Point being everyone collects differently. As a Dealer it is a responsibility to cater to all types of collectors. If dealers only do what they want this hobby will die. Carol Chase was thought to be a Nut when he started Plating the 1851 3 cent issue. He acquired over 2 million copies. At the time a .05 cent stamp.
Paul

Michael Generali

Because when someone is buying stamps, they are usually not going to buy one minimal valued stamp from one seller, and then other minimal valued stamps from several other sellers to where the buyer has to pay all the added shipping for the stamp purchased from each seller. They will buy all they want from one seller at a time.

DEJAVUCOLLECTIBLES

Listing more than one copy of the "same" stamp (actually, they usually are all different from each other in some way) causes problems in filling orders, and may cause a buyer to get an inferior copy, as an honest mistake, which looks a lot like dishonesty. Just list one copy of each Scott #, and replace them as they are sold, with a new scan.

Brent McClintock

It's called competition.

Paul Cook

DEJAVUCOLLECTIBLES
That is about all I have ever been able to make. I can sort and identify 2-3,000 a day then I can list 1,000 items a day then the next day pull 500 items. At .04-.20 it makes about $5.00 an hour. I think I need a real Job. When you get up to 500,000 items it kind of starts it's own momentum, and you stay busy. Also what I need to do is more diversity. I am only trying to get items I don't have listed now.
The reasons for listing cheap items is to keep the interest in the hobby. More stamps are under $1 than over. If collections can not be filled people lose interest. Also beginners buying dime stamps become the same ones buying $100 stamps latter.
Paul

Paul Cook

Lot # 12857494 is a $1,000.00 stamp I have listed. It is curently bid to $6 I think I made more money on the 60 item order.
Paul

Michael Generali

Why would anyone expect a dealer to pay 100% of catalog value? Is a dealer supposed to sell the stamp at a price higher than catalog? The dealer has to make a profit to pay the bills and live. Most collectors are notoriously cheap when it comes to buying, but want top dollar when selling. How many here would buy stamps on this site if all the stamps being sold were priced at full catalog value or higher? Yet, many collectors expect a dealer to do what they won't, and some will wrongly call the dealer a crook when he doesn't. Many collectors need to get a reality check on how retail works.

John Wagner

I'm a collector. I don't have a lot of money to spend on stamps. So when I hear people talk about "quality stuff" and "high end items" it leaves me cold. I would never pay hundreds of dollars for a stamp!

For me, the fun of collecting is in the hunt for stamps, at reasonable prices, that illustrate the stories I want to tell with my stamps. I create my own pages, research the subject, and tell the stories within the topics I collect (Olympics and Space Exploration) on my pages. I don't feel like I have to have every stamp issued, nor every variety of an issue produced (I guess that means I'm not very obsessive compulsive). Meeting and talking to other collectors, sharing my pages online, and making new friends that collect stamps is what this is all about for me.

Because of the internet and the access I now have to sellers all over the world, I am spending more money on stamps than I ever have in my life! Granted, no one will get rich through what I buy. But in the past the only time I had access to sellers was at stamp shows that came through our town, maybe once or twice a year. The local dealers never carried what I wanted.

The problem, Michael, that you are mentioning is true of every brick and mortar store in the country. The internet has brought prices down and through competition, and has made access to products far easier. That's called capitalism. It works for me.

Robert Kroning

Aren't you guys in the wrong scene?

Paul Molloy

Theirs is better.....

Robert Kroning

Ah! So always buy the last one listed, right?

andrew Hellenschmidt

I try to only list one copy of each stamp not to confuse myself. But the more the merrier as folks want selection and lowest prices.

Mark Rosenberg

Just a quick note, when browsing, if you only want to see at most one item (by Country / Catalog Number) per Seller, click this:

Robert Kroning

I wasn't referring to a seller listing multiple copies of a common stamp, but to the seller who lists his copy even though there are already many copies listed.

Michael Generali

I have flat rate shipping, but my point was that people generally don't want to buy one stamp from seller 1, one stamp from seller 2, etc., and then pay separate shipping for each one of those stamps when a single seller may have all of the stamps that the buyer wants.

Also, Luree makes another good point that sellers put up "duplicates", because everyone likes something different, such as a cancel or where that straight edge is on a booklet stamps (I like mine on the bottom, by the way).

Doug Noernberg

I'm surprised one obvious reason hasn't been mentioned yet... In the listing of stores on this site, there is an order of appearance. First by what type of store you have, but for those stores with the same type of store (like a "featured" store), the order of appearance is by how many listings you have, So, there is incentive to have more items in your store than the next guy, because you show up that much sooner when scrolling through stores. To some, there is a bit of competition there to get ahead of the next guy. It may lead to some rather irrational decisions as to what to list. p.s. Although I'm cognizant of this, I do not subscribe this and limit the number of listings for a given number to no more than 5, trying to pick various cancel varieties if possible.

Robert Kroning

I see a lot of copies available, I just don't bother listing. Am I wrong?

Robert Kroning

Maybe little old mom-and-pop stores like mine should be housed in a separate mall, so as not to clutter up the serious action.

Paul Cook

So how many booklet Stamps should I list That are cut at right. Cut at bottom Cut at left or cut at bottom and left. How about cut at bottom and rght. Some booklet issues are cut at top And right and left Combned, Then we have town cancels, Dated cancels. Return cancels ETC>>>>> everystamp is eunique even if you don't collect them. I have sold 300 copies of the same Scotts #. Remember everyone collects different things.
StampsByPaulCook LLC.

Paul Cook

I Justb filled a 200 Pluss item order from a collector that collects all of the position items from booklets. I believe there were only 20 Scotts Cat #'s.

Paul Cook

I have a 99% acuracy and filled a 1500 item order ( no duplication ) with 100 % acuracy. That was 1 month after I started listing this way. I have 10,000 # 301 that I have not listed. I think 10,000 #1580;s is too many. OK I admit over the top and a bit much. Now I only list .50 and up items. Will try to get to 50 of any issue and stay there. OOPs 300 #332's at .15 (45.00 ). sold in one sale ( Never got feedback ).
What I'm saying is you never Know. Those that complain can't do it. I am more than willing to teach how to earn $5 an hour.

DEJAVUCOLLECTIBLES

You know how to earn $5.00 an hour selling stamps?