I'm tired of wasting my time trying to give friendly advice to morons and trolls. Nothing worse than asking for advice or help, and then when one receives it come back with smart-ass, "I know better than you", irrational comments made by people who think all they have to do is post their "junk" and the world will come flooding in to buy it all in five minutes..
MOST of my sales are < .45 per item, have gotten order with 70 items. Think of them as convenience items. A buyer buys some better stuff, and as long as he is there, looks to fill some holes in his album
If most one's sales are, say, an average of 0.45 and it takes about 5 min. per listing (to scan, save, compose ad with saved photo, post ad, service sale by printing inventory, pulling the item(s),packing, addressing and mailing), then one is grossing about $5.50 and hour if the listing operation is non-stop. If I was GIVEN the stamp material, I would be hesitant to work for those wages.
Reply to Ron Lenke.I just looked up the top store,has 470,000 listings at 5 minutes a listing would take over 7 years listing for 12 hours a day.I do not think he is working alone lol,the store also has listed 3772 of the USA love stamp.Why!!! if 1 a year sells its doing well
Michael G, ever notice how the people most critical of the successful dealers are often the same ones complaining of their own lack of sales on this good-for-nothing site? Personally, I find it very poor form to be sniping, in a public forum, at other dealers who are guilty of nothing but reaping the rewards (meager as they may be) of their own efforts.
Why this sudden obsession with things that are perceived to be "wrong" ? Prices too low, prices too high, too many of one stamp, no pictures, too many pictures, too little detail, too much detail, and etc.
STOP. Before you start criticizing someone ask yourself two questions. First - does it directly impact you in buying or selling on this site and if you believe that it does is there a simple workaround? Second - is it any of your business and if you believe that it is you need to explain why it is your business.
This need to "regulate" everything is not healthy. It stifles creativity, it stifles competition, it ……. the list goes on …. and on…..
If I want to sell stamps at 5 per cent of catalog I will do so. If I want to price them at 500 per cent of catalog I will do that - it is none of anybody's business but my own.
The negativity being generated by this obsession with trying to control everything others do is tiresome. Why do people feel that they have a right to interfere with the actions of others but reject any criticism directed their way ?
I really don't know why I use the repeating periods (or the hyphens for that matter except that I don't always remember the correct punctuation marks to use anymore). My former students would be appalled. Maybe I need to slow down just a bit?
Oh, I just randomly picked some tidbit out of your comment just to sound like a nitpicking nitwit. I have nothing against your repeating periods in the slightest!
I'm just amazed whether it's this site or the world in general how many people just love slinging mud instead of doing or saying something positive.
Ted, yes, I have noticed that those people have plenty of time to go through other sellers' stores to then attack and criticize those sellers. Then they complain that they can't sell anything. Frankly, I wouldn't buy from these types anyway. One has a 100% negative rating for their business from the Better Business Bureau, by the way. Charming people.
I had written an entirely different response, but decided on just the two words instead. You and Carol said it much nicer than I would have had I posted it. Frankly, I have had enough of the morons and trolls in this forum. The same thing over and over again separated by a few weeks and then restarted by another of that group. I'm going to relegate myself to my store activities from now on. I will not feed those losers.
Ted, I love the part of your comment:"Try Apfelbaum. They're looking for consignments, and I'm sure you'll get every dear penny you're asking for your material." Reminds me, I once submitted a very nice lot stamps and was offered $50.00 by Apfelbaum. The second dealer I submitted the lot to offered $750.00 and asked if I had more of the same.
I'm happy Mark took a chance when he wanted to resurrect a dysfunctional, failing enterprise. I'm happy this site has over 700 diverse dealers and continues to grow. I'm happy Hipstamps caters to the full scope of the stamp collecting hobby. I'm happy that we have forums to engage each other in a multitude of topics and thoughts. I'm happy our discussions tend to be tempered, particularly when contrasted with other comment boards. I'm happy that there is activity both in sales and opinions, indicating our imminent "extinction" may be premature. I'm happy that though prices may be down, those continuing their hobby can now take their collections much farther. I'm happy that in retirement I'm not sitting around grousing over why I ought to be unhappy about something. ........(for Carol).... ;-))
As to your OP,if you look at the seller that actually listed those items (The seller at the top is NOT the original owner of those listings) the man has received over 140,000 feedback and left over 200,000 feedback. (He's back listing again and at the moment has a little over 24,000 listed) and knowing that when he listed the stamps over 95 % of his stock was UNDER $1, there must be a call for those type of items. This site is buyer driven and if the buyers are looking for and buying that type of stuff. And did it ever occur to you that because those type of stamps can be listed here and no where else that that could very well be a way to draw in more buyers because this site has items that can NOT be found on most other sites?
Michael Park: If you can find more than a few minutes you should read "Blocking Specific Sellers" in the Feature Request section. Last entry July17/17. This thread drifted into much of what you are talking about here and you are new here and just trying to learn about Hip Stamps. Look at the thread I suggested and then think of the line from "CASABLANCA" that states "Round up the usual suspects." Have fun while you are here.
I find Hipstamp a slow selling platform for me. I have only been selling for a shortish time but I don't think being an overseas seller helps on this site?
Just a quick question for you Have you ever checked how your items are coming up in the main searches on the site compared to the other sellers on this site? (If you don't understand that the searches here are coming up somewhat differently then they do on Ebay or other sites,you're going to continue to have problems selling here.) And I can speak on this from personal experience. (I had just gone through all my own listings and saw that because of the very way I had them titled they were coming up AFTER everything else including back of the book issues EVEN though I had correct numbers on them. They were fine on Bidstart but it's not working here because of the way the items are being indexed here)
You have to understand this is NOT Ebay and just because something works well on Ebay DOES not mean it will work the same way on another site. (Different people writing the software for the searches etc. means that on some things it will work differently. on 2 different sites) Sometimes you have to adjust things to the site you're working on to optimize your listings.
Whether we are getting more cantankerous as we age, or merely dispelling the idea of the stamp collector as some shy, nerdish milquetoast, it's rather refreshing to hear some spirited banter on this board. My cousin would scoff at my collecting interests, preferring to proudly boast while hunting, to provoke bears into charging, only to plunk them just before they reached him. For added thrill, he would load a single cartridge in his rifle. I should be happy to show him the fruits of my stamp pursuits but I seem to have suddenly lost touch with him over the years as he no longer responds to my Christmas cards.
A lot of this is nothing new. It's just another form of the classic material versus the so called wallpaper stamps that has been going on for as long as I can remember. And the arguments almost 50 years ago were just as spirited as they are now.
I saw it too many times at the shows where parents would bring their kids and they would try to get them interested in collecting stamps but the parents would only allow them to buy classic US and you could see by the looks they had no interest in the US what basically is a bunch of dead dudes on a piece of paper. Yet those same kids would look through the flip folder on the table and their eyes light up when they saw a stamp that looked like fluffy or spot,or they saw a sport they really liked,or they liked space and other colorful topical type stamps and the parents actually discouraged the kids from buying those type of stamps,then you have the sellers wondering why the kids aren't interested in collecting stamps when they were discouraged from trying to collect what they liked.
A collection is always a very personal thing to the person who collects those items.
The problem with some parents, and I have heard them talk to their kids at shows is that they tell them to not go after the "cheap stuff", because the stamps won't be worth anything later on. That's not the right thing to do, imposing monetary value into a beginners mind. It's about, and it should always be, finding the stamps that one likes, and enjoying the hunt when doing so. Kids can afford the "cheap stuff", but some are dissuaded from buying. They can't afford the "other stuff", so they don't buy any stamps. Instead, they go buy Pokemon cards..
I remember some of the stamp clubs that split up because of the long drawn out bitter debates over this issue. And it had to do with the programs that the clubs voted on for the following year. On side were the "purists" that wanted nothing but the programs that dealt with nothing other then stuff like the US Washington Franklin issues and the like and the others that were more into the topical side that wanted to see some other programs that were a bit more light hearted and fun type programs. Then after all was said and done the clubs would be split up and one side saw the side as being the old fogies with the stogies and the other were as those junk collectors who only were interested in "wall paper". And I remember this from the 1970's and I am willing to bet it was going on LONG before that.
One of my favorite things to do was browse through stock books, binders, albums from a lower priced dealer. Way back you could get material at a penny, nickel, or dime. Then the prices were all a quarter and now all these sellers have vanished. By the way if you attend a show the tables doing most of the business have lower priced material. Let's not knock what someone else collects.
Reply to Mark,hooray,my opinion(& that is what a forum is about) did not go down well lol.
Did you really expect anything different when you called many of the sellers on here as "junk" sellers whom also do have quite a following and in essence you insulted both the sellers of that material AND ALSO the buyers whom do happen to collect that stuff? Do you really think that by doing so it's going to help your business to insult the buyers and if so why?
The best advice I can give you is NOT to insult the buyers taste in what they collect. The seller is ALWAYS there to serve the buyer to the best they can and not the other way around.
Comments
I'm tired of wasting my time trying to give friendly advice to morons and trolls. Nothing worse than asking for advice or help, and then when one receives it come back with smart-ass, "I know better than you", irrational comments made by people who think all they have to do is post their "junk" and the world will come flooding in to buy it all in five minutes..
Personally, I find it very poor form to be sniping, in a public forum, at other dealers who are guilty of nothing but reaping the rewards (meager as they may be) of their own efforts.
Ted
https://www.hipstamp.com/store/tatyszka-stamps
STOP. Before you start criticizing someone ask yourself two questions. First - does it directly impact you in buying or selling on this site and if you believe that it does is there a simple workaround? Second - is it any of your business and if you believe that it is you need to explain why it is your business.
This need to "regulate" everything is not healthy. It stifles creativity, it stifles competition, it ……. the list goes on …. and on…..
If I want to sell stamps at 5 per cent of catalog I will do so. If I want to price them at 500 per cent of catalog I will do that - it is none of anybody's business but my own.
The negativity being generated by this obsession with trying to control everything others do is tiresome. Why do people feel that they have a right to interfere with the actions of others but reject any criticism directed their way ?
Yeah, that's what I meant to say.
I think your use of too many repeating periods....... is over the top and further, I think
Ok, nothing but sarcasm here. Purely joking. Just wanted to add a little humor here. I completely agree with everything you said.
I really don't know why I use the repeating periods (or the hyphens for that matter except that I don't always remember the correct punctuation marks to use anymore). My former students would be appalled. Maybe I need to slow down just a bit?
I'm just amazed whether it's this site or the world in general how many people just love slinging mud instead of doing or saying something positive.
I had written an entirely different response, but decided on just the two words instead. You and Carol said it much nicer than I would have had I posted it. Frankly, I have had enough of the morons and trolls in this forum. The same thing over and over again separated by a few weeks and then restarted by another of that group. I'm going to relegate myself to my store activities from now on. I will not feed those losers.
I love the part of your comment:"Try Apfelbaum. They're looking for consignments, and I'm sure you'll get every dear penny you're asking for your material."
Reminds me, I once submitted a very nice lot stamps and was offered $50.00 by Apfelbaum. The second dealer I submitted the lot to offered $750.00 and asked if I had more of the same.
I'm happy this site has over 700 diverse dealers and continues to grow.
I'm happy Hipstamps caters to the full scope of the stamp collecting hobby.
I'm happy that we have forums to engage each other in a multitude of topics and thoughts.
I'm happy our discussions tend to be tempered, particularly when contrasted with other comment boards.
I'm happy that there is activity both in sales and opinions, indicating our imminent "extinction" may be premature.
I'm happy that though prices may be down, those continuing their hobby can now take their collections much farther.
I'm happy that in retirement I'm not sitting around grousing over why I ought to be unhappy about something.
........(for Carol).... ;-))
As to your OP,if you look at the seller that actually listed those items (The seller at the top is NOT the original owner of those listings) the man has received over 140,000 feedback and left over 200,000 feedback. (He's back listing again and at the moment has a little over 24,000 listed) and knowing that when he listed the stamps over 95 % of his stock was UNDER $1, there must be a call for those type of items. This site is buyer driven and if the buyers are looking for and buying that type of stuff. And did it ever occur to you that because those type of stamps can be listed here and no where else that that could very well be a way to draw in more buyers because this site has items that can NOT be found on most other sites?
you said this
I find Hipstamp a slow selling platform for me. I have only been selling for a shortish time but I don't think being an overseas seller helps on this site?
Just a quick question for you Have you ever checked how your items are coming up in the main searches on the site compared to the other sellers on this site? (If you don't understand that the searches here are coming up somewhat differently then they do on Ebay or other sites,you're going to continue to have problems selling here.) And I can speak on this from personal experience. (I had just gone through all my own listings and saw that because of the very way I had them titled they were coming up AFTER everything else including back of the book issues EVEN though I had correct numbers on them. They were fine on Bidstart but it's not working here because of the way the items are being indexed here)
You have to understand this is NOT Ebay and just because something works well on Ebay DOES not mean it will work the same way on another site. (Different people writing the software for the searches etc. means that on some things it will work differently. on 2 different sites) Sometimes you have to adjust things to the site you're working on to optimize your listings.
A lot of this is nothing new. It's just another form of the classic material versus the so called wallpaper stamps that has been going on for as long as I can remember. And the arguments almost 50 years ago were just as spirited as they are now.
I saw it too many times at the shows where parents would bring their kids and they would try to get them interested in collecting stamps but the parents would only allow them to buy classic US and you could see by the looks they had no interest in the US what basically is a bunch of dead dudes on a piece of paper. Yet those same kids would look through the flip folder on the table and their eyes light up when they saw a stamp that looked like fluffy or spot,or they saw a sport they really liked,or they liked space and other colorful topical type stamps and the parents actually discouraged the kids from buying those type of stamps,then you have the sellers wondering why the kids aren't interested in collecting stamps when they were discouraged from trying to collect what they liked.
A collection is always a very personal thing to the person who collects those items.
I remember some of the stamp clubs that split up because of the long drawn out bitter debates over this issue. And it had to do with the programs that the clubs voted on for the following year. On side were the "purists" that wanted nothing but the programs that dealt with nothing other then stuff like the US Washington Franklin issues and the like and the others that were more into the topical side that wanted to see some other programs that were a bit more light hearted and fun type programs. Then after all was said and done the clubs would be split up and one side saw the side as being the old fogies with the stogies and the other were as those junk collectors who only were interested in "wall paper". And I remember this from the 1970's and I am willing to bet it was going on LONG before that.
Quick question for you
You did say this
Reply to Mark,hooray,my opinion(& that is what a forum is about) did not go down well lol.
Did you really expect anything different when you called many of the sellers on here as "junk" sellers whom also do have quite a following and in essence you insulted both the sellers of that material AND ALSO the buyers whom do happen to collect that stuff? Do you really think that by doing so it's going to help your business to insult the buyers and if so why?
The best advice I can give you is NOT to insult the buyers taste in what they collect. The seller is ALWAYS there to serve the buyer to the best they can and not the other way around.