I always said "Ebay is like Cocaine. You start small, get hooked, and soon you are dealing to support your habit"
Karen, I'd say you are a collector. Selling on Stamporama is pretty much like trading stamps with friends, since most of us take the little money earned and put it right back into our collection.
I'd give the definition of a dealer as someone who buys with intent to resell at a profit.
Exactly, dealing to support your habit, was what I did on e-bay.
What about you? What do you think your are?
Karen
Back when eBay was new and I was selling car memorabilia I started out as a collector selling off duplicates. Once I discovered it was viable, I became a dealer. That is that I bought large lots with the intent of reselling the individual pieces at a profit.
I had a full time job, but this was a time when I had two small kids and a wife at home. So I made this a part time business. I had set hours when I worked, goals of the number of items I needed to sell each week and financial targets. That money came in handy for my family.
I am not a stamp dealer. Like you I sold a few things in the approval books with the intent of reducing my hoard. I've bought large lots and have a bunch of duplicates so I will disburse those on Stamporama or eBay. I will not do any significant volume. Then I still consider myself a collector since I will plow any profit back into my collection.
I am a collector. USA, Costa Rica, Netherlands Indies / Indonesia, Expo '67, 1965 International Co-operation Year, Cardiology on Stamps, and Postal History of North Bay, Ontario.
I am also a dealer, as I am the retail manager for Chris Green Stamp, in Ottawa, Ontario. We are a full-fledged stamp shop.
David Giles
A lifetime collector and as such there's no stamp that I have to "have" so I pretty much stay away from dealers since I rather trade with fellow stamp collectors. Its been a hobby full of enjoyment and I like to keep it that way.
Tony
I have been a stamp collector since 1949...in 1998 i discovered ebay and began listing stamps and covers to offset some of my purchases. I do not believe i have had a year when i sold more than i purchased. But i do enjoy the thrill of getting bids on my stamps and covers.
Brother Phil:
They did. I just renewed my APS membership and will now have been a member for 12 years.
I've been paid (in five dollar increments) $35 for recruiting new APS members.
David
For many decades, off and on, I was a passionate, happy collector, immensely enjoying filling in those empty spaces, completing sets, completing pages. Try as I might, I could not comunicate that passion to those around me, and as I grew older I realized that there would be a disaster if they had to dispose of the collection.
So, I became a dealer, selling off my collection, bit by bit on EBay. I do occasionally bid on auction, but only if some dealer is selling a better stamp then the one I'm offering!
I have been selling off my collection as no one in my family is interested. But as I sell I become more interested in what I see here. So, now I am thinking about becoming more specialized. Only problem is I don't know what in.
Here is to all you StampoRama friends. Happy New Year.
Happy trading, selling and collecting.
The question is do we consider ourselves collectors or Dealers?
For years I know I was just a collector. Then I became both when trying to fill in my collection. Am I a dealer now that I am selling my collection? I don't sell on ebay. I only sell on StampoRama.
(But guess what? I just bought a few stamps I liked here on StampoRama.)
What about you?
Karen
re: Collectors or Dealers?
I always said "Ebay is like Cocaine. You start small, get hooked, and soon you are dealing to support your habit"
Karen, I'd say you are a collector. Selling on Stamporama is pretty much like trading stamps with friends, since most of us take the little money earned and put it right back into our collection.
I'd give the definition of a dealer as someone who buys with intent to resell at a profit.
re: Collectors or Dealers?
Exactly, dealing to support your habit, was what I did on e-bay.
What about you? What do you think your are?
Karen
re: Collectors or Dealers?
Back when eBay was new and I was selling car memorabilia I started out as a collector selling off duplicates. Once I discovered it was viable, I became a dealer. That is that I bought large lots with the intent of reselling the individual pieces at a profit.
I had a full time job, but this was a time when I had two small kids and a wife at home. So I made this a part time business. I had set hours when I worked, goals of the number of items I needed to sell each week and financial targets. That money came in handy for my family.
I am not a stamp dealer. Like you I sold a few things in the approval books with the intent of reducing my hoard. I've bought large lots and have a bunch of duplicates so I will disburse those on Stamporama or eBay. I will not do any significant volume. Then I still consider myself a collector since I will plow any profit back into my collection.
re: Collectors or Dealers?
I am a collector. USA, Costa Rica, Netherlands Indies / Indonesia, Expo '67, 1965 International Co-operation Year, Cardiology on Stamps, and Postal History of North Bay, Ontario.
I am also a dealer, as I am the retail manager for Chris Green Stamp, in Ottawa, Ontario. We are a full-fledged stamp shop.
David Giles
re: Collectors or Dealers?
A lifetime collector and as such there's no stamp that I have to "have" so I pretty much stay away from dealers since I rather trade with fellow stamp collectors. Its been a hobby full of enjoyment and I like to keep it that way.
Tony
re: Collectors or Dealers?
I have been a stamp collector since 1949...in 1998 i discovered ebay and began listing stamps and covers to offset some of my purchases. I do not believe i have had a year when i sold more than i purchased. But i do enjoy the thrill of getting bids on my stamps and covers.
re: Collectors or Dealers?
Brother Phil:
They did. I just renewed my APS membership and will now have been a member for 12 years.
I've been paid (in five dollar increments) $35 for recruiting new APS members.
David
re: Collectors or Dealers?
For many decades, off and on, I was a passionate, happy collector, immensely enjoying filling in those empty spaces, completing sets, completing pages. Try as I might, I could not comunicate that passion to those around me, and as I grew older I realized that there would be a disaster if they had to dispose of the collection.
So, I became a dealer, selling off my collection, bit by bit on EBay. I do occasionally bid on auction, but only if some dealer is selling a better stamp then the one I'm offering!
re: Collectors or Dealers?
I have been selling off my collection as no one in my family is interested. But as I sell I become more interested in what I see here. So, now I am thinking about becoming more specialized. Only problem is I don't know what in.
Here is to all you StampoRama friends. Happy New Year.
Happy trading, selling and collecting.