Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
There were two lots I really wanted to get. I adjusted my bids to almost unrealistically high amounts and was shocked to see both of them go for almost twice my maximum bid!
So I kept on bidding on the remaining lots in the little time there was left. I managed to get a lot of Fiji (130 grams) and Grenada (120 grams). Total damage for the two is $107 postage included. The one I wanted to get, which was a 240g lot went for $210 !
Now that I had won something I thought I would examine the images closely and count the stamps in the lot. There were a total of 365 stamps in the Fiji lot, which puts my average cost per stamp at over 15 cents! That is fine if they are all 30 cent stamps but they are not. In fact about 25% would be 5 to 10 cent stamps.
Looking at the bidders, the ones that I outbid had over 8,000 feedback; most likely dealers who supposedly know what they are doing.
So I am left puzzled and convinced that I lost at least $50 of my $100. One thing to keep in mind is that after spending the time to soak the stamps, I can expect a good 10% of damaged ones. The time to soak stamps and re-sell duplicates is another thing.
Do not know what to think of it all, but it is a god thing I bought only these two lots.
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02:24:19am
I can feel you pain, Jules, and am also glad you
did not win the larger lot with proportionally
larger shipping costs. How were the lots pre-
sented in the auction ?
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You see a picture of what you get. Supposedly you see most, if not all of the stamps you are buying, but it is close to impossible to count 400 stamps in a pile with many overlapping.
That $200 lot had 4 images of groups/piles of stamps. I could see a number of torn and creased stamps, missing corners and what not. It is a total gamble what one will be left with.
I am still reeling from the shock seeing someone fork out $210 for 240 grams of this type of material.
In a month I will be able to calculate my own losses to the penny, less my time.
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I feel your pain. I too bid/buy on occasional 'exotic' kiloware mixtures, but the prices easily jump way too high for me liking. I've seen prices go all the way up to 5000€ per 1kg for recent kiloware on some smaller islands etc. 
That is totally insane as for the same money one could travel down there, buy a mountain of more or less recent stamps/kiloware, and mail them back to oneself (or carry along). Of course that does not sound as a bad idea: a warm holiday trip with stamps 
-k-
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Scb, you made me feel good about my purchase!
I definitely cannot fly to Fiji for $50 and then to the Caribbean for another $50.
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02:55:09pm
the Caribbean for another $50.Laughing
Once you get to Fiji you will have no desire
to return to Canada, or the Caribbean either.
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Number 1 son is flying out to Fiji later this month. He goes every year. His partners' father has a timeshare there.
I hope he doesn't catch another marlin. I'm still hearing about the last one.
Every morning he strolls down the resorts beach, catches a few fish then heads off for breakfast. Any fish he catches he gives to the resorts' staff. They call him Mr Fish!!
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"Number 1 son is flying out to Fiji later this month. He goes every year. "
I wonder how I am not buying my Fiji kilowares from you already. Tell your son to pop into the post office to mail you a card between the fish.
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I used to buy kiloware in my early collecting years, but I stopped doing so a long time ago. Yes, every now and then you are lucky and get a goodcselection but often you end up with 10 or 20 different stamps that are ib the lot 50 times each. I still have duplicates from some kiloware lots that I have not been able to trade that I bought 20 years ago. I find accumulations, small collections or stock books that end up in thrift stores much more satisfying.
I did buy a shoebox full of Germany off paper a few years ago. More than 2 kilos, a nightmare to sort. I started taking out the Berlin and semipostals. After that the euro values. Finally I had enough of it. I sold enough of the Berlin and semis to make a decent profit and then sold the remainder for the same price I bought it for to someone else. Good riddance. 
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.
Y'all are leading me to re-evaluate my own reticence to buy badly damaged covers out of the bargain box with the thought that, some day, I might have th courage to soak the stamps I want off of those covers or, if not, at least enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that I've got that lovely stamp SITP (Somewhere In The Pile).
One of the arguments against buying those covers has been "this is a stupidly expensive way to buy individual GPU (Genuinely Postally Used) stamps".
Guess not.
My experience as a lot bidder is that the lunatics come & go. Maybe they run out of cash, maybe they get swamped, maybe they move on to the Next Big Thing ... but do not be too surprised if you see kiloware lot prices - at those same auctions - get more reasonable a few months from now.
You might also consider buying your kiloware from reputable vendors; aside from this forum's auctions & approvals, you can find reliable (if not necessarily inexpensive) kiloware at:
https://www.nordfrim.com ... amongst others
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
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I see the same thing on eBay. USA postage lots that should sell for 40% off face selling for 40% over face. 100 3 cent era plate blocks that I'd pay face for sell for $30. Ya never know why!
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It sounds like somebody is getting rich
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I like stamps from exotic places. Last week I noticed a seller from Germany offering at least two dozen kiloware lots that ranged in weight from about 90 grams to 1.7kg, all from African countries, Oceania, Asia, South America.
There were two lots I really wanted to get. I adjusted my bids to almost unrealistically high amounts and was shocked to see both of them go for almost twice my maximum bid!
So I kept on bidding on the remaining lots in the little time there was left. I managed to get a lot of Fiji (130 grams) and Grenada (120 grams). Total damage for the two is $107 postage included. The one I wanted to get, which was a 240g lot went for $210 !
Now that I had won something I thought I would examine the images closely and count the stamps in the lot. There were a total of 365 stamps in the Fiji lot, which puts my average cost per stamp at over 15 cents! That is fine if they are all 30 cent stamps but they are not. In fact about 25% would be 5 to 10 cent stamps.
Looking at the bidders, the ones that I outbid had over 8,000 feedback; most likely dealers who supposedly know what they are doing.
So I am left puzzled and convinced that I lost at least $50 of my $100. One thing to keep in mind is that after spending the time to soak the stamps, I can expect a good 10% of damaged ones. The time to soak stamps and re-sell duplicates is another thing.
Do not know what to think of it all, but it is a god thing I bought only these two lots.
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
10 Dec 2018
02:24:19am
re: Kiloware lots - the economics of buying and selling
I can feel you pain, Jules, and am also glad you
did not win the larger lot with proportionally
larger shipping costs. How were the lots pre-
sented in the auction ?
Login to Like
this post
re: Kiloware lots - the economics of buying and selling
You see a picture of what you get. Supposedly you see most, if not all of the stamps you are buying, but it is close to impossible to count 400 stamps in a pile with many overlapping.
That $200 lot had 4 images of groups/piles of stamps. I could see a number of torn and creased stamps, missing corners and what not. It is a total gamble what one will be left with.
I am still reeling from the shock seeing someone fork out $210 for 240 grams of this type of material.
In a month I will be able to calculate my own losses to the penny, less my time.
Login to Like
this post
re: Kiloware lots - the economics of buying and selling
I feel your pain. I too bid/buy on occasional 'exotic' kiloware mixtures, but the prices easily jump way too high for me liking. I've seen prices go all the way up to 5000€ per 1kg for recent kiloware on some smaller islands etc.
That is totally insane as for the same money one could travel down there, buy a mountain of more or less recent stamps/kiloware, and mail them back to oneself (or carry along). Of course that does not sound as a bad idea: a warm holiday trip with stamps
-k-
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re: Kiloware lots - the economics of buying and selling
Scb, you made me feel good about my purchase!
I definitely cannot fly to Fiji for $50 and then to the Caribbean for another $50.
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
10 Dec 2018
02:55:09pm
re: Kiloware lots - the economics of buying and selling
the Caribbean for another $50.Laughing
Once you get to Fiji you will have no desire
to return to Canada, or the Caribbean either.
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03:04:20pm
Auctions - Approvals
re: Kiloware lots - the economics of buying and selling
Number 1 son is flying out to Fiji later this month. He goes every year. His partners' father has a timeshare there.
I hope he doesn't catch another marlin. I'm still hearing about the last one.
Every morning he strolls down the resorts beach, catches a few fish then heads off for breakfast. Any fish he catches he gives to the resorts' staff. They call him Mr Fish!!
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re: Kiloware lots - the economics of buying and selling
"Number 1 son is flying out to Fiji later this month. He goes every year. "
I wonder how I am not buying my Fiji kilowares from you already. Tell your son to pop into the post office to mail you a card between the fish.
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Approvals
re: Kiloware lots - the economics of buying and selling
I used to buy kiloware in my early collecting years, but I stopped doing so a long time ago. Yes, every now and then you are lucky and get a goodcselection but often you end up with 10 or 20 different stamps that are ib the lot 50 times each. I still have duplicates from some kiloware lots that I have not been able to trade that I bought 20 years ago. I find accumulations, small collections or stock books that end up in thrift stores much more satisfying.
I did buy a shoebox full of Germany off paper a few years ago. More than 2 kilos, a nightmare to sort. I started taking out the Berlin and semipostals. After that the euro values. Finally I had enough of it. I sold enough of the Berlin and semis to make a decent profit and then sold the remainder for the same price I bought it for to someone else. Good riddance.
Login to Like
this post
re: Kiloware lots - the economics of buying and selling
.
Y'all are leading me to re-evaluate my own reticence to buy badly damaged covers out of the bargain box with the thought that, some day, I might have th courage to soak the stamps I want off of those covers or, if not, at least enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that I've got that lovely stamp SITP (Somewhere In The Pile).
One of the arguments against buying those covers has been "this is a stupidly expensive way to buy individual GPU (Genuinely Postally Used) stamps".
Guess not.
My experience as a lot bidder is that the lunatics come & go. Maybe they run out of cash, maybe they get swamped, maybe they move on to the Next Big Thing ... but do not be too surprised if you see kiloware lot prices - at those same auctions - get more reasonable a few months from now.
You might also consider buying your kiloware from reputable vendors; aside from this forum's auctions & approvals, you can find reliable (if not necessarily inexpensive) kiloware at:
https://www.nordfrim.com ... amongst others
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
Login to Like
this post
re: Kiloware lots - the economics of buying and selling
I see the same thing on eBay. USA postage lots that should sell for 40% off face selling for 40% over face. 100 3 cent era plate blocks that I'd pay face for sell for $30. Ya never know why!
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07:50:15am
re: Kiloware lots - the economics of buying and selling
It sounds like somebody is getting rich
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