Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
As a novice, I wouldn't want to offer stuff that I think is OK, but a more experienced eye would see as totally "misrepresented" or otherwise misleading, by not being able to identify (or overlooking) possible faults.
I know my dupes are very mixed condition, and am not trying to get rich, just out from under a pile of stuff I don't need that someone else might enjoy.
Is it acceptable to put some sort of blanket statement on an approval book that anything inside might have flaws, hinge remnants/marks, etc... ???? I would want people to know that I'm being as transparent as possible, given my limited knowledge.
Any advice would be appreciated, even if that advice is "keep yer junk, kid". I enjoy this platform and its members, and would like to offer anything I have to you all first!
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01:15:14pm
"Is it acceptable to put some sort of blanket statement on an approval book that anything inside might have flaws, hinge remnants/marks, etc... ???? I would want people to know that I'm being as transparent as possible, given my limited knowledge."
I would highly recommend against this. I believe it would be a complete turn-off for 98% of prospective buyers, and will likely result in many complaints from those who just didn't read your disclaimer, or assumed it referred to all the stamps except those they wanted.
Identifying thins, tears, creases, pulled perfs is part of a collector's education. It's not hard. I would also suggest that it is a mandatory (self-imposed) first level of education necessary to become a seller.
Roy
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Agreeing with Roy, don't use a blanket wording, it will stop people even looking at your offering.
Unless it is a reasonably valuable stamp, say over $20 catalogue value, with a pulled perf then ok, everything else dump in the bin or better yet send to Holocaust stamps.
One thing that always annoys me is to find hinge remnants or worse when the stamps arrive.
Take the time to soak the stamps, sort out the bad ones, cuts, tears, creases, pen cancels (unless revenues) and then try and arrange the book in some sort of order, maybe by year or issue. Appreciate with higher values stamps from a set may not all be on one page but it is better than a jumble where the purchaser is jumping all over the place.
Good quality scans, not 'photos, and a background that allows perfs to be seen will help sales, as will reasonable prices.
I'm sure you have looked at various sellers books and seen some that just make you want to use a blow torch. There are many sellers here who do take care and time and get good sales as a result.
Good luck in your venture, will look forward to viewing your duplicates.
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Tom,
I'll amplify Roy's and Victor's recommendations, citing a rule from the approvals books: NO damaged stamps. Damage here means thins, creases, tears, missing pieces. Many of our members are averse to pencil or pen markings and hinges, so you'd do well to ID those, even though we don't call them damaged.
Truly damaged material, unless it's rare and never seen in any other condition, might best be sent to Dave to help with his Holocaust project.
Damaged stamps are allowed in the auction, as long as they have CV of $5 or above and are IDd as such (again, those who are associated with substandard material tend to be passed over, and not in a good old Testament way, with viewers just not bothering ever again), so reflect on even listing damaged stuff.
Victor stressed oranization, and i think many viewers really appreciate it.
I know I concentrated on the don'ts, let us know if you want more DOs.
David
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David, I've just rushed in to see the doc, he confirms that I have a very stressed oranization. He recommended getting a spell check to solve the problem.
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Thank you for your candid answers. Sounds like I'm not quite ready to peddle my extras just yet, even though my intentions are good. I also recognize that I probably have a lower threshold for "less-than-spectacular-condition" stamps than many more serious collectors.
I purchase from the approvals on a fairly regular basis, and certainly appreciate focused, organized books. I believe it also benefits newbs like me when stuff is numerically/chronologically ordered. Like others have mentioned, its a pain to flip back and forth through albums to search for needed material, but when its well-ordered, it also makes it easier for us to follow along, even if we aren't 100% sure where it belongs.
That is the way I would intend to present them (eventually), but for now, I'll stick to the shallow end of the pool, sort through my stuff carefully, and absorb more knowledge from my fellow SOR members. I greatly appreciate the advice, and your willingness to share your expertise with everyone.
TomD
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TomD, when you feel ready, make up a page and post it on the board under test messages and invite comments or perhaps submit it to one of the mods for perusal.
Please do not be put off by our remarks above, we all start somewhere and I'm sure some of my early books were a nightmare to go through.
Bear in mind the parameters for books, pages and the number of stamps, I would suggest around 15 stamps to a page. More means a lot of scrolling when viewing. Reduce the page edges but not by so much that all of the stamp is not visible.
Best of luck,
Vic
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Good idea. You can also get your feet wet with selling by putting together some lots and offering them in the classified ads.
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Seems a bit humorous to me that putting together approval books causes much more difficulty/work than putting auction lots up,
yet for 99% of the time, approval book items sell for just pennies compared to the majority of auction lot items....
....anyone else see the irony here??
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Yup!
Approvals give you:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoNSFFhyEi8
and for rrraphy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ANhU4AcK04
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Vic, not put off at all. On the contrary, I am glad I have this resource to post questions to all of you, and I was looking for feedback so I can present items as honestly as I know how. I hadn't even thought of listing lots in the classified section, so there's yet another avenue I can try.
I have a great deal of respect for the opinions here, and would rather ask questions (and be steered in the right direction) than go off on my own because I think I know what I'm doing. Any rookie who isn't willing to listen to the coaching staff will never mature, and might just get cut from the team....
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This is where I'll put some of the approval books.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en1uwIzI3SE
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Sorry, Ian, but that first video is a fake. Everyone knows that Keith Richards was already 90 years old when he was born.
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I have finally reached a point in my collecting that I have a pretty decent pile of duplicates. I'd like to offer these on SOR approvals, but to be honest, I am a bit intimidated by the listing practices.
As a novice, I wouldn't want to offer stuff that I think is OK, but a more experienced eye would see as totally "misrepresented" or otherwise misleading, by not being able to identify (or overlooking) possible faults.
I know my dupes are very mixed condition, and am not trying to get rich, just out from under a pile of stuff I don't need that someone else might enjoy.
Is it acceptable to put some sort of blanket statement on an approval book that anything inside might have flaws, hinge remnants/marks, etc... ???? I would want people to know that I'm being as transparent as possible, given my limited knowledge.
Any advice would be appreciated, even if that advice is "keep yer junk, kid". I enjoy this platform and its members, and would like to offer anything I have to you all first!
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04 Jun 2021
01:15:14pm
re: approval book guidelines for a complete newb....
"Is it acceptable to put some sort of blanket statement on an approval book that anything inside might have flaws, hinge remnants/marks, etc... ???? I would want people to know that I'm being as transparent as possible, given my limited knowledge."
I would highly recommend against this. I believe it would be a complete turn-off for 98% of prospective buyers, and will likely result in many complaints from those who just didn't read your disclaimer, or assumed it referred to all the stamps except those they wanted.
Identifying thins, tears, creases, pulled perfs is part of a collector's education. It's not hard. I would also suggest that it is a mandatory (self-imposed) first level of education necessary to become a seller.
Roy
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this post
re: approval book guidelines for a complete newb....
Agreeing with Roy, don't use a blanket wording, it will stop people even looking at your offering.
Unless it is a reasonably valuable stamp, say over $20 catalogue value, with a pulled perf then ok, everything else dump in the bin or better yet send to Holocaust stamps.
One thing that always annoys me is to find hinge remnants or worse when the stamps arrive.
Take the time to soak the stamps, sort out the bad ones, cuts, tears, creases, pen cancels (unless revenues) and then try and arrange the book in some sort of order, maybe by year or issue. Appreciate with higher values stamps from a set may not all be on one page but it is better than a jumble where the purchaser is jumping all over the place.
Good quality scans, not 'photos, and a background that allows perfs to be seen will help sales, as will reasonable prices.
I'm sure you have looked at various sellers books and seen some that just make you want to use a blow torch. There are many sellers here who do take care and time and get good sales as a result.
Good luck in your venture, will look forward to viewing your duplicates.
Login to Like
this post
re: approval book guidelines for a complete newb....
Tom,
I'll amplify Roy's and Victor's recommendations, citing a rule from the approvals books: NO damaged stamps. Damage here means thins, creases, tears, missing pieces. Many of our members are averse to pencil or pen markings and hinges, so you'd do well to ID those, even though we don't call them damaged.
Truly damaged material, unless it's rare and never seen in any other condition, might best be sent to Dave to help with his Holocaust project.
Damaged stamps are allowed in the auction, as long as they have CV of $5 or above and are IDd as such (again, those who are associated with substandard material tend to be passed over, and not in a good old Testament way, with viewers just not bothering ever again), so reflect on even listing damaged stuff.
Victor stressed oranization, and i think many viewers really appreciate it.
I know I concentrated on the don'ts, let us know if you want more DOs.
David
Login to Like
this post
re: approval book guidelines for a complete newb....
David, I've just rushed in to see the doc, he confirms that I have a very stressed oranization. He recommended getting a spell check to solve the problem.
Login to Like
this post
re: approval book guidelines for a complete newb....
Thank you for your candid answers. Sounds like I'm not quite ready to peddle my extras just yet, even though my intentions are good. I also recognize that I probably have a lower threshold for "less-than-spectacular-condition" stamps than many more serious collectors.
I purchase from the approvals on a fairly regular basis, and certainly appreciate focused, organized books. I believe it also benefits newbs like me when stuff is numerically/chronologically ordered. Like others have mentioned, its a pain to flip back and forth through albums to search for needed material, but when its well-ordered, it also makes it easier for us to follow along, even if we aren't 100% sure where it belongs.
That is the way I would intend to present them (eventually), but for now, I'll stick to the shallow end of the pool, sort through my stuff carefully, and absorb more knowledge from my fellow SOR members. I greatly appreciate the advice, and your willingness to share your expertise with everyone.
TomD
Login to Like
this post
re: approval book guidelines for a complete newb....
TomD, when you feel ready, make up a page and post it on the board under test messages and invite comments or perhaps submit it to one of the mods for perusal.
Please do not be put off by our remarks above, we all start somewhere and I'm sure some of my early books were a nightmare to go through.
Bear in mind the parameters for books, pages and the number of stamps, I would suggest around 15 stamps to a page. More means a lot of scrolling when viewing. Reduce the page edges but not by so much that all of the stamp is not visible.
Best of luck,
Vic
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10:00:17pm
re: approval book guidelines for a complete newb....
Good idea. You can also get your feet wet with selling by putting together some lots and offering them in the classified ads.
Login to Like
this post
re: approval book guidelines for a complete newb....
Seems a bit humorous to me that putting together approval books causes much more difficulty/work than putting auction lots up,
yet for 99% of the time, approval book items sell for just pennies compared to the majority of auction lot items....
....anyone else see the irony here??
3 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
11:46:09am
Approvals
re: approval book guidelines for a complete newb....
Yup!
Approvals give you:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoNSFFhyEi8
and for rrraphy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ANhU4AcK04
3 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
re: approval book guidelines for a complete newb....
Vic, not put off at all. On the contrary, I am glad I have this resource to post questions to all of you, and I was looking for feedback so I can present items as honestly as I know how. I hadn't even thought of listing lots in the classified section, so there's yet another avenue I can try.
I have a great deal of respect for the opinions here, and would rather ask questions (and be steered in the right direction) than go off on my own because I think I know what I'm doing. Any rookie who isn't willing to listen to the coaching staff will never mature, and might just get cut from the team....
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Login to Like.
Approvals
re: approval book guidelines for a complete newb....
This is where I'll put some of the approval books.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en1uwIzI3SE
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10:06:24pm
re: approval book guidelines for a complete newb....
Sorry, Ian, but that first video is a fake. Everyone knows that Keith Richards was already 90 years old when he was born.
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