I really think it is an individual process. We all collect different formats over time. So at some time I do not want what I collected 5 years ago or so(maybe 10). Thing is let it go to add dollars to my current obsession. Something that all must learn or understand, EVERY stamp you have in your collection is only worth what another individual collector is prepared to pay for it, no matter what a catalog value says it's worth. And if one thinks that the stamps in their collection are equal o the value of Scott, SG, or who ever, your dreaming. See if a dealer will give you full Cat. Value of any stamp you wish to sell, won't happen. And I have 50 years experience up my sleeve
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.
Michael, dealers pay absolutely nothing near catalog value. They have to sell at around 30% of full catalog, or we would not buy from them, would we? So I would say the most they would pay is 10%
30 years ago I purchased from a dealer in Sydney, Australia FDC's at 30% of face value. Soaked the stamps off and sold them as fine used. Now lets say 30 years ago ONE cover had a face value of $1-00, I paid 30 cents, what did the seller get? Bugger all
You are correct. And that offers a dealer a very little profit margin to provide money to pay bills for the business earn a salary for the family, and hopefully have something left over to put back into the business to buy more stamps to turn around and sell to start the cycle all over again. Many dealers have gone to direct selling only of stamps with higher values at a decent price, and they quickly bulk sell everything else at a very low profit margin just to keep money flowing into the business.
The internet is killing, actually already killed off most, off the traditional dealers. Collectors selling their own stamps don't need a dealer to buy their stamps. Of course doing it oneself takes alot of time and effort, and the rate of return is generally not that good. Very few collectors sell at full catalog, or even near full catalog. Those who do see very little selling activity, if any at all.
This is where the hobby is, and it will continue to grow in this direction of a collector-based buying and selling environment. There will always be a few dealers around to take care of better items to buy and sell, but they will be a small number indeed. Is this a bad thing? Is this a good thing? Probably a mixture of both. The flood of lower-valued items on the market is precipitated by the internet selling platforms. Since this is happening, values for this cheaper material is dropping. Higher-valued items will pretty much always hold most of their value.
All hobbies are going through this same thing because of the internet. Hobby dealers are disappearing, and manufacturers are doing limited runs of their merchandise. Pre-order, or else miss out on it. Many stamp issuing entities are doing the same, with their stamps mostly going to a small number of dealers to sell to the collector base. Buy the new issues quickly or else you may not be able to find them later on. It is very difficult to find a large number of stamp issues that came out over the past decade or so.
It's an interesting ride, but it isn't an easy one depending on how heavily involved you are in the hobby (or any hobby)..
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.
Works for me too. Technological and other changes have always advanced the way we conduct ourselves both in business and in our personal lives. In the business end of things, those who refuse to adapt get passed over and become a part of the historical record.
Well a few beers doesn't hurt me(TROLL), except for the Troll medically, I am 60 years. No Heroin, Hydro pot, crack, cocaine, Ice, LSD, Morphine, Speed, Amphetamine, etc. Dave, Kurt, you must feel so good being so perfect, Us Trolls bow to you with extreme reverence
Robert, if you are reading from your desktop computer, there is a button at the top of the thread to switch the sort order of the replies from "by date added" to "by votes." On the desktop site, the default order is "by votes." I am on my phone, right now, and that option does not appear, but it appears the only sort order, when viewed on mobile devices, is "by date added."
Comments
We all collect different formats over time.
So at some time I do not want what I collected 5 years ago or so(maybe 10).
Thing is let it go to add dollars to my current obsession.
Something that all must learn or understand, EVERY stamp you have in your collection is only worth what another individual collector is prepared to pay for it, no matter what a catalog value says it's worth.
And if one thinks that the stamps in their collection are equal o the value of Scott, SG, or who ever, your dreaming.
See if a dealer will give you full Cat. Value of any stamp you wish to sell, won't happen.
And I have 50 years experience up my sleeve
They have to sell at around 30% of full catalog, or we would not buy from them, would we?
So I would say the most they would pay is 10%
Soaked the stamps off and sold them as fine used.
Now lets say 30 years ago ONE cover had a face value of $1-00, I paid 30 cents, what did the seller get?
Bugger all
The internet is killing, actually already killed off most, off the traditional dealers. Collectors selling their own stamps don't need a dealer to buy their stamps. Of course doing it oneself takes alot of time and effort, and the rate of return is generally not that good. Very few collectors sell at full catalog, or even near full catalog. Those who do see very little selling activity, if any at all.
This is where the hobby is, and it will continue to grow in this direction of a collector-based buying and selling environment. There will always be a few dealers around to take care of better items to buy and sell, but they will be a small number indeed. Is this a bad thing? Is this a good thing? Probably a mixture of both. The flood of lower-valued items on the market is precipitated by the internet selling platforms. Since this is happening, values for this cheaper material is dropping. Higher-valued items will pretty much always hold most of their value.
All hobbies are going through this same thing because of the internet. Hobby dealers are disappearing, and manufacturers are doing limited runs of their merchandise. Pre-order, or else miss out on it. Many stamp issuing entities are doing the same, with their stamps mostly going to a small number of dealers to sell to the collector base. Buy the new issues quickly or else you may not be able to find them later on. It is very difficult to find a large number of stamp issues that came out over the past decade or so.
It's an interesting ride, but it isn't an easy one depending on how heavily involved you are in the hobby (or any hobby)..
DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS!
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.
No Heroin, Hydro pot, crack, cocaine, Ice, LSD, Morphine, Speed, Amphetamine, etc.
Dave, Kurt, you must feel so good being so perfect, Us Trolls bow to you with extreme reverence
Different culture ?