Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
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I and several of my collector friends have had good luck with Poppe Stamps. They sell worldwide stamps, and post low-, medium-, and hi-res images of every stamp in their inventory (although I'm sure that they are constantly scanning and listing new offers). They currently list more than two million stamps, believe it or not.
Some caveats:
• Condition details are sparse. They use "study" to describe stamps that, in their eyes at least, are less than perfect. But I have purchased many "study" examples that are just fine in my estimation.
• They use Stanley-Gibbons catalogue numbers, which can be problematic.
• Descriptions are sometimes inaccurate; they occasionally mis-identify varieties and even forgeries. However, they are very open to suggestions, and have even removed stamps from their inventory or re-listed them correctly when I told them about the problem.
• You can't trust the colours of the scanned images. I once ordered three Belgian stamps, at least two of which seemed to be obvious colour varieties. When I received them, all three stamps were identical in colour.
• Mailings are often slow to arrive. Poppe Stamps is in the Philippines, and their packages go through a parcel service in Hong Kong. However, the stamps are well protected, and shipping is dirt cheap, even for registered mail, so I don't complain.
As far as I'm concerned, these are all minor problems. I've never found an on-line store with a larger inventory. The staff is friendly and promptly deals with problems. And I (and my friends) have found stamps that are just about impossible to locate elsewhere.
Bob
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Thanks for your thoughtful response. I will check out Poppe for the hard to find items.
Stan
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I would also love to get some recommendations for good dealers online. Thanks in advance and thanks for the Poppe suggestion. I'll check them out, too.
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Stantoo,
You won't necessarily find what you need, but you may well discover that you "need" something you find! 
Bob
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05:02:14pm
Don't forget to browse Roy Lingen's site (Buckacover.com - see the upper right corner of this page). In addition to a gazillion covers of every description, he has also started expanding his stamp offerings.
Bobby
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And without trying to stir anything up, please do consider your small collector/neighbors at BidStart, some of whom are also members of SOR and participate in these discussion boards. There are many good conscientious and knowledgeable sellers there, both full- and part-time.
I know the original poster said he couldn't find anything there, and I agree that that's possible, but sometimes that search can be a little tricky to use, so perhaps it's worth giving that a second chance, or asking someone else to take a look for you.
Also, if you are looking for something by Scott catalog number, you can create a wantlist notification for it, and the next time someone lists it on there, you'll receive a notice about it.
Other than SOR, there really aren't very many places other than BidStart that are affordable enough for small sellers to list stamps individually.
(Full disclosure: as you can see from my signature, I do have a store on there, but currently only offer a limited selection from a couple of countries (Japan & South Korea).)
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Poppe Stamps can be easily found on BidStart in the stores section.
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The American Philatelic Society (APS) has a website with an online store for its members to buy and sell. Members can also subscribe to sales circuits to get stamp sales books from specific countries/areas that one wants.
The APS Clearance Sales circuit is a fantastic way to purchase stamps at huge discounts from catalog values, and even from original sales prices. Most members who sell stamps through the sales circuits and put their books into the Clearance Circuits originally price their stamps for from 25% to 60% off catalog value. Then they discount those prices by 40 to 60% or more for the clearance!
While in the regular circuits, members can pick and choose stamps from the books. In the Clearance Circuits, a member has to purchase the entire book, but at the large discounts, there will be plenty of stamps to add to a collection, and the leftovers can be traded or sold. Good material to put up for sale on StampoRama in the approval books and auctions.
There's much more available from the APS to its members. To check out the APS, here's the link:
http://stamps.org/
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"re: Best places to buy stamps on line?
Poppe Stamps can be easily found on BidStart in the stores section.
"
Poppe's prices are often cheaper if you just buy from their site...but they are not cheap. And neither is the shipping charge, although they have lowered it from the past.
In general, Poppe's prices, especially at the low end, but also elsewhere and especially at the high end, tend to be on the very expensive side. I use them when I am looking for that elusive missing item that I can find nowhere else, but it sure adds up to a lot of money if you try to build up a collection. I am also shell shocked at some of their prices at the high value end....a bit of a disconnect there, as it is always seemingly above full catalog!
But with 2 million stamps, if you have the time, you may find a bargain or two...lol
...especially for some of the hard to identify stamps 
, or specialty perf variations (lots of patience required 
). Is it worth the search? I found their shipment very reliable, now that they courier the stamps out of the Philippines for shipment out, using other reliable postal services and tracking their shipments.
rrr...
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I meant to mention the prices of stamps offered by Poppe Stamps. Uniformly, they are considerably above catalogue values. However, all of us are aware that common stamps just aren't easily available to collectors. The stamp shops that used to have shelves filled with stock books and boxes filled with display cards have mostly closed their doors and gone on-line, if they still exist. And its a rare on-line dealer that can afford to bother with inexpensive stamps at all, much less show the buyer what they're getting. Besides, if I can get a stamp from Poppe to complete a set, or an exhibit page, or a web page, and I can't find the stamp anywhere else, I'm more than willing to pay a premium to get it.
I've discussed Poppe Stamps' prices with Philippe Poppe; he stated very plainly that if they didn't charge those prices, they couldn't stay in business. It's a family business, with several employees. They must also require a some very high-end computers, scanners, and software — how else could you possibly have a web site featuring more than 2 million stamps, each with three images of different sizes?
I don't think that their shipping charges are at all unrealistic. When I see shipping charges on eBay of anywhere from $5.00 to $20 for a single stamp or cover, now that's unrealistic, and those dealers don't get my business.
Bob
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RRRaphy, since you're in the Bay Area, if you get out to the shows, then A&D is also a good dealer for those elusive items. They tend to charge full catalogue, but carry an amazingly complete and extremely well-organized stock.
To others: they also tend to get to many of the largest stamp shows around the US (including both APS shows). And Sue and Jim are both very nice people.
-- Dave
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Poppe's shipping charges are now quite reasonable, and their prices are in line with their business model...but do they really need to scan 100+ of this generic very ordinary stamp I just junked in my garbage can...and charge $0.29 for it! My say, is that their business model needs to be re-vamped!
Meanwhile look at SOR Approvals, 
, once we get some sanity in WHAT and HOW (it) gets sold on Approvals, (Should we set some standards...an old but very SORE point with me 
).
Approvals could dominate the low cost stamp market...lol I still think it mat be the best way to sell the common stamps that you often can find nowhere easily.
By the way, I do like A & D, and they will be at the ASDA stamp show this week-end in the Bay area, (I will be standing in line for the privilege of working my want list down some more!).. along with several of my favorite dealers...but have you noted that they are all increasing the bottom price they charge for anything....understandable if one wants to make a business out of it.
Here at SOR, I think we are all collectors sharing the passion, so no one computes how much time it takes to put together what you want to sell, and none of us expects much for their duplicates, or unwanted items. Not looking at a business model when I list my approvals, nor do I compute the time it takes me! Sharing the hobby!
rrr...
PS: The ASDA Show is at the Westin Hotel, in Millbrae, near the SF Airport, on Friday July 11 to Sunday July 13.
PS2: For covers, let us be frank...NO ONE comes close to serving the cover collector needs like our hosts at Buckacover! What a terrific service, and range of covers!
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Ralph, do you remember when Poppe first listed stamps to sell on BidStart? They had stamps valued at minimum catalog value at 50 cents. Stamps that cataloged a little above that were listed at $1, and their shipping fee was very high (I don't remember what it was). However, Mark, in his better days, worked with Poppe to convince them to lower their prices, which did begin to generate better sales for them.
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02:46:28pm
Besides Stamporama, what are the best places to buy stamps on line? I buy a lot on Stamps2go and some on Ebay. I have tried Bid Start but it has very limited offerings. I have also tried Delcampe without much success. Am I missing any good sources? Thanks.
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re: Best places to buy stamps on line?
I and several of my collector friends have had good luck with Poppe Stamps. They sell worldwide stamps, and post low-, medium-, and hi-res images of every stamp in their inventory (although I'm sure that they are constantly scanning and listing new offers). They currently list more than two million stamps, believe it or not.
Some caveats:
• Condition details are sparse. They use "study" to describe stamps that, in their eyes at least, are less than perfect. But I have purchased many "study" examples that are just fine in my estimation.
• They use Stanley-Gibbons catalogue numbers, which can be problematic.
• Descriptions are sometimes inaccurate; they occasionally mis-identify varieties and even forgeries. However, they are very open to suggestions, and have even removed stamps from their inventory or re-listed them correctly when I told them about the problem.
• You can't trust the colours of the scanned images. I once ordered three Belgian stamps, at least two of which seemed to be obvious colour varieties. When I received them, all three stamps were identical in colour.
• Mailings are often slow to arrive. Poppe Stamps is in the Philippines, and their packages go through a parcel service in Hong Kong. However, the stamps are well protected, and shipping is dirt cheap, even for registered mail, so I don't complain.
As far as I'm concerned, these are all minor problems. I've never found an on-line store with a larger inventory. The staff is friendly and promptly deals with problems. And I (and my friends) have found stamps that are just about impossible to locate elsewhere.
Bob
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04:28:31pm
re: Best places to buy stamps on line?
Thanks for your thoughtful response. I will check out Poppe for the hard to find items.
Stan
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re: Best places to buy stamps on line?
I would also love to get some recommendations for good dealers online. Thanks in advance and thanks for the Poppe suggestion. I'll check them out, too.
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re: Best places to buy stamps on line?
Stantoo,
You won't necessarily find what you need, but you may well discover that you "need" something you find!
Bob
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They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin
09 Jul 2014
05:02:14pm
re: Best places to buy stamps on line?
Don't forget to browse Roy Lingen's site (Buckacover.com - see the upper right corner of this page). In addition to a gazillion covers of every description, he has also started expanding his stamp offerings.
Bobby
Login to Like
this post
re: Best places to buy stamps on line?
And without trying to stir anything up, please do consider your small collector/neighbors at BidStart, some of whom are also members of SOR and participate in these discussion boards. There are many good conscientious and knowledgeable sellers there, both full- and part-time.
I know the original poster said he couldn't find anything there, and I agree that that's possible, but sometimes that search can be a little tricky to use, so perhaps it's worth giving that a second chance, or asking someone else to take a look for you.
Also, if you are looking for something by Scott catalog number, you can create a wantlist notification for it, and the next time someone lists it on there, you'll receive a notice about it.
Other than SOR, there really aren't very many places other than BidStart that are affordable enough for small sellers to list stamps individually.
(Full disclosure: as you can see from my signature, I do have a store on there, but currently only offer a limited selection from a couple of countries (Japan & South Korea).)
Login to Like
this post
re: Best places to buy stamps on line?
Poppe Stamps can be easily found on BidStart in the stores section.
Login to Like
this post
re: Best places to buy stamps on line?
The American Philatelic Society (APS) has a website with an online store for its members to buy and sell. Members can also subscribe to sales circuits to get stamp sales books from specific countries/areas that one wants.
The APS Clearance Sales circuit is a fantastic way to purchase stamps at huge discounts from catalog values, and even from original sales prices. Most members who sell stamps through the sales circuits and put their books into the Clearance Circuits originally price their stamps for from 25% to 60% off catalog value. Then they discount those prices by 40 to 60% or more for the clearance!
While in the regular circuits, members can pick and choose stamps from the books. In the Clearance Circuits, a member has to purchase the entire book, but at the large discounts, there will be plenty of stamps to add to a collection, and the leftovers can be traded or sold. Good material to put up for sale on StampoRama in the approval books and auctions.
There's much more available from the APS to its members. To check out the APS, here's the link:
http://stamps.org/
Login to Like
this post
Retired Ap. Book Mod, Pres Golden Gate Stamp Club, Hi Tech Consultant
10 Jul 2014
02:33:18pm
re: Best places to buy stamps on line?
"re: Best places to buy stamps on line?
Poppe Stamps can be easily found on BidStart in the stores section.
"
Poppe's prices are often cheaper if you just buy from their site...but they are not cheap. And neither is the shipping charge, although they have lowered it from the past.
In general, Poppe's prices, especially at the low end, but also elsewhere and especially at the high end, tend to be on the very expensive side. I use them when I am looking for that elusive missing item that I can find nowhere else, but it sure adds up to a lot of money if you try to build up a collection. I am also shell shocked at some of their prices at the high value end....a bit of a disconnect there, as it is always seemingly above full catalog!
But with 2 million stamps, if you have the time, you may find a bargain or two...lol
...especially for some of the hard to identify stamps , or specialty perf variations (lots of patience required ). Is it worth the search? I found their shipment very reliable, now that they courier the stamps out of the Philippines for shipment out, using other reliable postal services and tracking their shipments.
rrr...
Login to Like
this post
re: Best places to buy stamps on line?
I meant to mention the prices of stamps offered by Poppe Stamps. Uniformly, they are considerably above catalogue values. However, all of us are aware that common stamps just aren't easily available to collectors. The stamp shops that used to have shelves filled with stock books and boxes filled with display cards have mostly closed their doors and gone on-line, if they still exist. And its a rare on-line dealer that can afford to bother with inexpensive stamps at all, much less show the buyer what they're getting. Besides, if I can get a stamp from Poppe to complete a set, or an exhibit page, or a web page, and I can't find the stamp anywhere else, I'm more than willing to pay a premium to get it.
I've discussed Poppe Stamps' prices with Philippe Poppe; he stated very plainly that if they didn't charge those prices, they couldn't stay in business. It's a family business, with several employees. They must also require a some very high-end computers, scanners, and software — how else could you possibly have a web site featuring more than 2 million stamps, each with three images of different sizes?
I don't think that their shipping charges are at all unrealistic. When I see shipping charges on eBay of anywhere from $5.00 to $20 for a single stamp or cover, now that's unrealistic, and those dealers don't get my business.
Bob
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like this post.
Login to Like.
re: Best places to buy stamps on line?
RRRaphy, since you're in the Bay Area, if you get out to the shows, then A&D is also a good dealer for those elusive items. They tend to charge full catalogue, but carry an amazingly complete and extremely well-organized stock.
To others: they also tend to get to many of the largest stamp shows around the US (including both APS shows). And Sue and Jim are both very nice people.
-- Dave
Login to Like
this post
Retired Ap. Book Mod, Pres Golden Gate Stamp Club, Hi Tech Consultant
10 Jul 2014
08:35:53pm
re: Best places to buy stamps on line?
Poppe's shipping charges are now quite reasonable, and their prices are in line with their business model...but do they really need to scan 100+ of this generic very ordinary stamp I just junked in my garbage can...and charge $0.29 for it! My say, is that their business model needs to be re-vamped!
Meanwhile look at SOR Approvals, , once we get some sanity in WHAT and HOW (it) gets sold on Approvals, (Should we set some standards...an old but very SORE point with me ).
Approvals could dominate the low cost stamp market...lol I still think it mat be the best way to sell the common stamps that you often can find nowhere easily.
By the way, I do like A & D, and they will be at the ASDA stamp show this week-end in the Bay area, (I will be standing in line for the privilege of working my want list down some more!).. along with several of my favorite dealers...but have you noted that they are all increasing the bottom price they charge for anything....understandable if one wants to make a business out of it.
Here at SOR, I think we are all collectors sharing the passion, so no one computes how much time it takes to put together what you want to sell, and none of us expects much for their duplicates, or unwanted items. Not looking at a business model when I list my approvals, nor do I compute the time it takes me! Sharing the hobby!
rrr...
PS: The ASDA Show is at the Westin Hotel, in Millbrae, near the SF Airport, on Friday July 11 to Sunday July 13.
PS2: For covers, let us be frank...NO ONE comes close to serving the cover collector needs like our hosts at Buckacover! What a terrific service, and range of covers!
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
re: Best places to buy stamps on line?
Ralph, do you remember when Poppe first listed stamps to sell on BidStart? They had stamps valued at minimum catalog value at 50 cents. Stamps that cataloged a little above that were listed at $1, and their shipping fee was very high (I don't remember what it was). However, Mark, in his better days, worked with Poppe to convince them to lower their prices, which did begin to generate better sales for them.
Login to Like
this post