Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
I am a new member and am seriously considering listing in the approvals and the auction some fairly recent ( from the 1970's up to last few years ) mint n/h GB machins / commemoratives / booklets / panes etc.
Would face value be acceptable for those that have no particular premium and a third to a half of catalogue ( I have a recent Scott and GB Concise etc ) for the fine used?
Any and all thoughts would be appreciated.
I have looked through the current listings on the auction and cannot find any mint never hinged items.
Best wishes,
Brian.
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Hi Everyone;
@ Everyone;
Happy Thanksgiving, and may you survive yet another day of over-eating, without a coronary event, or indigestion. 
@ Brian;
I have noticed a wide range of prices on here. Some have listed commemoratives that are fairly recent and common, that are from 10¢ to 18¢. And I have seen some that list everything at 5¢ or 6¢. But on closer examination, the cheaper stamps vary in quality from fine to not-so-good. And the pricey ones tend to be more consistent in quality.
People who want to unload all their duplicates quickly, are not selling to help buyers, but to help themselves clean up the clutter in their hobby area. They sell very cheap, because they cannot afford the time to grade and sort. There is nothing wrong with buying from them and they are just as honest as the next guy, but you will receive stamps that will be of less quality than you expected.
On the other hand, if you buy from the guy who is selling them for twice as much, you should expect, and probably will receive nicer copies, with better centering, and nicer cancels. Even MNH stamps are not pretty if the centering is off a lot. This type of seller is taking a lot of time to ensure that you'll be delighted with what you receive. He is the guy who is selling not to help himself, but to help the beginner and intermediate collector build a collection of nicer material. The pricey seller is probably also providing better scans, so you can better judge how they look, before you buy.
You kinda' get what you pay for. If you do not want to waste time sorting several stamps to get a nice looking copy, then expect to buy from the pricey guy. Also try to establish a relationship with your buyers and sellers, to learn what level of quality they prefer to buy/sell at.
Be sure to consider how much time you are putting in to list your stamps, and be sure that you don't sell for too little. The sellers that give up and quit are probably the ones who didn't do this and got discouraged and quit selling. If you just want to unload them then sell for whatever you will find acceptable.
Lastly, look at what others are selling for. Are their books mostly sold out? If so what is the level of their quality/price point compared to other sellers. It is fun to look at what others are doing on here. You may also recognize several members who have sold a lot of material on other sites as well. Many people from Wensy.com came here after the demise of that site.
Sorry for writing yet another novella to answer just a simple question.
TuskenRaider
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Good Answer, Ken.
I would add that prices depend also on the popularity of the country you're selling and the years offered. Think about what most people are missing in their collections and you'll have an idea which items to price up a bit. Super common material can sometimes be almost impossible to give away. Here in the USA some eras of mint sell way below face.
Just FYI, I have listed approval books with both mint and used material. I haven't had much luck selling the MNH, but used priced at 10 to 20c per stamp sells very well.
To test the waters you can post a "sell" under the buy-sell topic. You can briefly describe what you're selling and see if anyone is interested. You could offer to negotiate price.
Good luck! I try to have fun with the selling - try to enjoy yourself and don't turn it into a big chore.
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Tuskenraider, I usually agree with most of what you so profoundly speak about here on the DB, but, I must say that I take offense to the following statement: "People who want to unload all their duplicates quickly, are not selling to help buyers, but to help themselves clean up the clutter in their hobby area. They sell very cheap, because they cannot afford the time to grade and sort." How can you possibly know that people cannot afford the time to grade and sort stamps, in the first place? All stamps are scanned and buyers can see what they are buying, so it's not a pig in the poke. Secondly, how much time do you spend sorting and grading stamps that will sell for a nickel? Not long I'm sure, no matter how much time you have on your hands.
I do admire your opinion and you have every right to say what you want, but I think you are out of line with that statement. That of course is MHO!
Brian,
In response to your question, most of our buyers are looking for the lesser expensive stamps, be it MNH or used, not that doing so is wrong, but that's just the way it is and I mean no offense to anyone that may be offended by that statement. We have a lot of buyers that are looking for the better quality, higher priced stamps, but they are mostly in the minority. I have no idea of the highest price received for a stamp here on SOR, but we sell thousands of penny, nickel and dime stamps weekly.
Mike
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I'll have to agree with Mike on this one.
I, and I know other sellers here do the same, lower the prices of the stamps in their approval books when the books are close to selling out. That is intended to sell out the remaining stamps. It has nothing to do with the condition of the stamp.
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Hi Everyone;
"Secondly, how much time do you spend sorting and grading stamps that will sell for a nickel?"
I Don't sell stamps for a nickel. Any stamps that are only worth a nickel I kiloware them and sell in bulk. Sometimes I don't even bother to soak off of paper either.
"How can you possibly know that people cannot afford the time to grade and sort stamps, in the first place?"
Maybe I can't know how much time they will take, however they will not take as much time for 5¢, as for the same stamps selling at 10¢. Those sellers know that there are collectors that want a little better centering or cancellation, and are willing to pay more for it, and are more than happy to cater to advanced or specialists wants.
"All stamps are scanned and buyers can see what they are buying, so it's not a pig in the poke."
Just because "All stamps are scanned" doesn't mean those scans are of any use or show the items very will. Never said it was a "pig in a poke". I just looked at your auctions and they have decent scans that are very clear. Your scans are not everyones, and more than one person has complained on the discussion board about terrible dark & out-of-focus images.
"you have every right to say what you want, but I think you are out of line with that statement."
My remarks were generalizations to be sure, and as such can be misread by some and cause hurt feelings or misunderstandings, and for that I apologize. But I stand by what I said.
@ michael78651;
My post said nothing nor has anything to do with lowered or reduced prices to help close out an almost-sold-out book. That is a whole other topic, and has nothing to do whatever with the intent of my remarks.
Sellers may set their own price points based on what they feel their buyers are looking for. Yes there are collectors with limited budgets (I'm one too) that are looking to fill as many spaces as possible, for a few bucks as possible. But with a lot less spaces that I need to fill, after collecting for all these years, I sometimes want to pay a bit more. I'm really tired of removing less attractive stamps from my albums, just to upgrade to a better copy. I'm sure most (there is that nasty generalization again) advanced collectors feel much the same.
As an aside, from this topic, I'm just now sorting classic British stamps, Victorians & Edwardians. I noticed that the prices from the 1999 catalog to the 2009 have gone up by ten-fold in some cases, and generally several hundred percent in most cases. Any thoughts on this trend? You are the resident catalog expert, and just thought you had a theory.
@ Brian;
I apologize to you Brian, for turning your simple question into a rant and a novella. Please don't be put off from asking questions of the members, just because of my opinionated remarks. I tend to say what I think and don't always consider how it sounds, to others.
TuskenRaider
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I'm not sure we have a "resident catalog expert" per se, as most of us know how to read and use a catalog, but the prices between 1999 and 2009 may have been wonderful for the British stamps, but unfortunately most of those higher value stamps took a nose dive after that era. The amazing contradiction to those losses are the lesser value stamps remain stable or even increased in value.
As to the phrase "stamps that will sell for a nickel", it was an arbitrary figure, but we have or had several sellers that did sell stamps for a nickel, or less.
Mike
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Thanks to everyone for their responses to my original question.
I will do some sorting of material I have to list and hopefully get some approvals and / or auction lots up in the next week or so.
Best wishes,
Brian.
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03:10:01pm
Brian
As you are a new member, I believe I should caution you about promoting your auctions or approvals on the discussion board. A general announcement that you intend to publish approval books or post auctions in the future is OK, but nothing further. An announcement that you have published books or posted items on the auction board is deemed self-promotion and should be avoided. Send a private message if you want a member to review your items for you, do not request opinions of your items on the DB.
Bobby
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Dear Bobby,
thank you very much for your clarification of the rules.
It is much appreciated and I will make sure that I adhere to them.
Best wishes,
Brian......AOP2B
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12:31:13am
" ... more than one person has complained on the discussion board about terrible dark & out-of-focus images. ..."
But apparently the worst offender at putting up miniscule or out of focus scans is oblivious to the complaints.
Yes, complaints !!!
Even if my eyes were as good as when I was young, certain scans are not a credit to the seller.
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this post
Hello everyone,
I am a new member and am seriously considering listing in the approvals and the auction some fairly recent ( from the 1970's up to last few years ) mint n/h GB machins / commemoratives / booklets / panes etc.
Would face value be acceptable for those that have no particular premium and a third to a half of catalogue ( I have a recent Scott and GB Concise etc ) for the fine used?
Any and all thoughts would be appreciated.
I have looked through the current listings on the auction and cannot find any mint never hinged items.
Best wishes,
Brian.
2 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
re: Fair price in approvals / auction for unmounted mint fairly recent GB.....
Hi Everyone;
@ Everyone;
Happy Thanksgiving, and may you survive yet another day of over-eating, without a coronary event, or indigestion.
@ Brian;
I have noticed a wide range of prices on here. Some have listed commemoratives that are fairly recent and common, that are from 10¢ to 18¢. And I have seen some that list everything at 5¢ or 6¢. But on closer examination, the cheaper stamps vary in quality from fine to not-so-good. And the pricey ones tend to be more consistent in quality.
People who want to unload all their duplicates quickly, are not selling to help buyers, but to help themselves clean up the clutter in their hobby area. They sell very cheap, because they cannot afford the time to grade and sort. There is nothing wrong with buying from them and they are just as honest as the next guy, but you will receive stamps that will be of less quality than you expected.
On the other hand, if you buy from the guy who is selling them for twice as much, you should expect, and probably will receive nicer copies, with better centering, and nicer cancels. Even MNH stamps are not pretty if the centering is off a lot. This type of seller is taking a lot of time to ensure that you'll be delighted with what you receive. He is the guy who is selling not to help himself, but to help the beginner and intermediate collector build a collection of nicer material. The pricey seller is probably also providing better scans, so you can better judge how they look, before you buy.
You kinda' get what you pay for. If you do not want to waste time sorting several stamps to get a nice looking copy, then expect to buy from the pricey guy. Also try to establish a relationship with your buyers and sellers, to learn what level of quality they prefer to buy/sell at.
Be sure to consider how much time you are putting in to list your stamps, and be sure that you don't sell for too little. The sellers that give up and quit are probably the ones who didn't do this and got discouraged and quit selling. If you just want to unload them then sell for whatever you will find acceptable.
Lastly, look at what others are selling for. Are their books mostly sold out? If so what is the level of their quality/price point compared to other sellers. It is fun to look at what others are doing on here. You may also recognize several members who have sold a lot of material on other sites as well. Many people from Wensy.com came here after the demise of that site.
Sorry for writing yet another novella to answer just a simple question.
TuskenRaider
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re: Fair price in approvals / auction for unmounted mint fairly recent GB.....
Good Answer, Ken.
I would add that prices depend also on the popularity of the country you're selling and the years offered. Think about what most people are missing in their collections and you'll have an idea which items to price up a bit. Super common material can sometimes be almost impossible to give away. Here in the USA some eras of mint sell way below face.
Just FYI, I have listed approval books with both mint and used material. I haven't had much luck selling the MNH, but used priced at 10 to 20c per stamp sells very well.
To test the waters you can post a "sell" under the buy-sell topic. You can briefly describe what you're selling and see if anyone is interested. You could offer to negotiate price.
Good luck! I try to have fun with the selling - try to enjoy yourself and don't turn it into a big chore.
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
re: Fair price in approvals / auction for unmounted mint fairly recent GB.....
Tuskenraider, I usually agree with most of what you so profoundly speak about here on the DB, but, I must say that I take offense to the following statement: "People who want to unload all their duplicates quickly, are not selling to help buyers, but to help themselves clean up the clutter in their hobby area. They sell very cheap, because they cannot afford the time to grade and sort." How can you possibly know that people cannot afford the time to grade and sort stamps, in the first place? All stamps are scanned and buyers can see what they are buying, so it's not a pig in the poke. Secondly, how much time do you spend sorting and grading stamps that will sell for a nickel? Not long I'm sure, no matter how much time you have on your hands.
I do admire your opinion and you have every right to say what you want, but I think you are out of line with that statement. That of course is MHO!
Brian,
In response to your question, most of our buyers are looking for the lesser expensive stamps, be it MNH or used, not that doing so is wrong, but that's just the way it is and I mean no offense to anyone that may be offended by that statement. We have a lot of buyers that are looking for the better quality, higher priced stamps, but they are mostly in the minority. I have no idea of the highest price received for a stamp here on SOR, but we sell thousands of penny, nickel and dime stamps weekly.
Mike
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
re: Fair price in approvals / auction for unmounted mint fairly recent GB.....
I'll have to agree with Mike on this one.
I, and I know other sellers here do the same, lower the prices of the stamps in their approval books when the books are close to selling out. That is intended to sell out the remaining stamps. It has nothing to do with the condition of the stamp.
Login to Like
this post
re: Fair price in approvals / auction for unmounted mint fairly recent GB.....
Hi Everyone;
"Secondly, how much time do you spend sorting and grading stamps that will sell for a nickel?"
I Don't sell stamps for a nickel. Any stamps that are only worth a nickel I kiloware them and sell in bulk. Sometimes I don't even bother to soak off of paper either.
"How can you possibly know that people cannot afford the time to grade and sort stamps, in the first place?"
Maybe I can't know how much time they will take, however they will not take as much time for 5¢, as for the same stamps selling at 10¢. Those sellers know that there are collectors that want a little better centering or cancellation, and are willing to pay more for it, and are more than happy to cater to advanced or specialists wants.
"All stamps are scanned and buyers can see what they are buying, so it's not a pig in the poke."
Just because "All stamps are scanned" doesn't mean those scans are of any use or show the items very will. Never said it was a "pig in a poke". I just looked at your auctions and they have decent scans that are very clear. Your scans are not everyones, and more than one person has complained on the discussion board about terrible dark & out-of-focus images.
"you have every right to say what you want, but I think you are out of line with that statement."
My remarks were generalizations to be sure, and as such can be misread by some and cause hurt feelings or misunderstandings, and for that I apologize. But I stand by what I said.
@ michael78651;
My post said nothing nor has anything to do with lowered or reduced prices to help close out an almost-sold-out book. That is a whole other topic, and has nothing to do whatever with the intent of my remarks.
Sellers may set their own price points based on what they feel their buyers are looking for. Yes there are collectors with limited budgets (I'm one too) that are looking to fill as many spaces as possible, for a few bucks as possible. But with a lot less spaces that I need to fill, after collecting for all these years, I sometimes want to pay a bit more. I'm really tired of removing less attractive stamps from my albums, just to upgrade to a better copy. I'm sure most (there is that nasty generalization again) advanced collectors feel much the same.
As an aside, from this topic, I'm just now sorting classic British stamps, Victorians & Edwardians. I noticed that the prices from the 1999 catalog to the 2009 have gone up by ten-fold in some cases, and generally several hundred percent in most cases. Any thoughts on this trend? You are the resident catalog expert, and just thought you had a theory.
@ Brian;
I apologize to you Brian, for turning your simple question into a rant and a novella. Please don't be put off from asking questions of the members, just because of my opinionated remarks. I tend to say what I think and don't always consider how it sounds, to others.
TuskenRaider
Login to Like
this post
re: Fair price in approvals / auction for unmounted mint fairly recent GB.....
I'm not sure we have a "resident catalog expert" per se, as most of us know how to read and use a catalog, but the prices between 1999 and 2009 may have been wonderful for the British stamps, but unfortunately most of those higher value stamps took a nose dive after that era. The amazing contradiction to those losses are the lesser value stamps remain stable or even increased in value.
As to the phrase "stamps that will sell for a nickel", it was an arbitrary figure, but we have or had several sellers that did sell stamps for a nickel, or less.
Mike
Login to Like
this post
re: Fair price in approvals / auction for unmounted mint fairly recent GB.....
Thanks to everyone for their responses to my original question.
I will do some sorting of material I have to list and hopefully get some approvals and / or auction lots up in the next week or so.
Best wishes,
Brian.
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They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin
29 Nov 2014
03:10:01pm
re: Fair price in approvals / auction for unmounted mint fairly recent GB.....
Brian
As you are a new member, I believe I should caution you about promoting your auctions or approvals on the discussion board. A general announcement that you intend to publish approval books or post auctions in the future is OK, but nothing further. An announcement that you have published books or posted items on the auction board is deemed self-promotion and should be avoided. Send a private message if you want a member to review your items for you, do not request opinions of your items on the DB.
Bobby
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this post
re: Fair price in approvals / auction for unmounted mint fairly recent GB.....
Dear Bobby,
thank you very much for your clarification of the rules.
It is much appreciated and I will make sure that I adhere to them.
Best wishes,
Brian......AOP2B
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
01 Dec 2014
12:31:13am
re: Fair price in approvals / auction for unmounted mint fairly recent GB.....
" ... more than one person has complained on the discussion board about terrible dark & out-of-focus images. ..."
But apparently the worst offender at putting up miniscule or out of focus scans is oblivious to the complaints.
Yes, complaints !!!
Even if my eyes were as good as when I was young, certain scans are not a credit to the seller.
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