Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
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The Stamporama Auction Rules clearly state;
Lots Must Be Accurately Described
4) a. All lots should include, at a minimum, descriptions of any defects or other characteristics outside the norm. This includes fakes, forgeries, and counterfeits, as well as reprints, repairs, and damages. Damages that need to be described include thins, creases, pulled perfs, scuffs, tears, stains, etc. Please do not rely on scans to communicate problems; problems must ALSO be described in the lot description. Lots with multiple stamps need not have this detail, unless the high value of the lot is subject to one or more of these problems.
Perhaps we could suggest that sellers read the rules once again and also check periodically for any updates to these rules that have been made.
Liz
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That sounds like a good idea to periodically remind sellers of their responsibility. I will typically bring it to the seller's attention if their is a problem with an item. People typically respond generously and it is rarely worth the effort to return the stamp, Chris
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Chris, thanks for bringing this to community's attention. All sellers should be mindful of our rules and do everything they can to accurately describe their lots. This includes, at a minimum, accurate descriptions of faults or other attributes that would degrade a stamp's value.
There is no other forum in which to remind members except here, and I'm certain that not all auction participants are readers of the DB and we don't use broadcast emails or other such devices.
We have a great reputation as being a wonderful auction; it's up to us to retain that.
David the auctioneer
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I totally agree about the quality of the auction. In over a decade of bidding and selling at one point, the number of problems have been minimal. I know of nowhere else that has allowed me to expand my collection at such reasonable prices. As I mentioned I always address any issues directly with the seller and have yet to receive a response that was not helpful or generous
This time I felt I should raise the issue more broadly. Enough said, Chris
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I'm using Chris' comments merely as a bridge to broader issues with the auctions. I received a few notes privately, all with similar comments: please note problems accurately and completely; and, when quoting a catalogue value, please indicate the catalogue and year used.
A trick I use for the latter is to include the catalogue and year in my terms sheet that automatically loads in every listing i make. If I use a different catalogue, then I note it in the body of the description.
Anyone who has questions about their own listings is free to contact me privately or to ask the forum. Either way you'll get useful information, although asking me is likely to generate lots of barely related tangents.
David
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I agree with the need for sellers to be more accurate in their description as well as giving more details of the condition of the stamps they are selling. I don't understand why some sellers do not include the Scott catalogue number in their description instead of just the date the stamp was issued. This is particularily important with Newfoundland stamps. Most collectors record the Scott number for their reference and it is easier to check to see if you already have an item in the auction by looking up the number.
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Well the real pleasure of asking David any question is the speed with which tangential and usually more interesting topics are introduced!
I am sure it becomes somewhat challenging if one is listing hundreds of stamps at a time to individually describe each stamp but it's a necessity.
In reality not every stamp will require a description..it's the outliers with perf. problems, heavy hinging, staining not visible from the front or remaining paper on the back with older stamps.None of these will be necessarily visible on a front image and should be described
Chris
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Gary, not all sellers catalogue all stamps. I, for instance, sometimes do, sometimes don't. I often don't when i'm disposing of a smattering of stuff and just post things, knowing the absence of a catalogue ID will lessen its appeal. Still, i'd often rather spend time with my own collection than with elements that are going elsewhere. sometimes I need to list it only by its design, especially when I can't ID the watermark (or confirm its absence).
Anyway, as Gary suggests, when possible, include the catalogue number (and catalogue to which that number refers) and its value (and the year in which that value was derived). More is better, and sometimes, more gets richer.
David T(angent)
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in fact, many catalogues are more specialized than Scott and are better resources; we needn't use Scott, but we should identify the catalogue and year we are using when quoting numbers and/or values for stamps.
David, the auctioneer
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In my opinion, most sellers do a great job of describing their items. I, for one, do use Scott and really appreciate all the sellers who use Scott numbers in their listings.
However, I have a beef with sellers who don't put the country in the item title. While these items may show up in specific country listings, I always use the New Listings area and it bugs me when the country isn't named.
Tony
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I second Tony;
I always use the New Listings tab as well, and I would sure appreciate seeing the country name on every heading listing!
Randy
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Stamporama has greatly improved since I first joined. In the early days of Stamporama we seldom saw a scanned image appearing with an auction listing.
Tim, our current webmaster has spent endless hours making many improvements to the website, providing us with tools to make listing and viewing of lots much easier.
Now it is up to the viewers to use these tools, and if they are having problems, all one has to do is ask one of us for help. Most of us are more than willing to assist anyone to the best of our ability, or steer a person to someone who can assist them. Not all of us are proficient computer operators with the very latest technology at our fingertips and sometimes we need a helping hand.
Most people are now making the effort to provide scanned images with their listings and overall I think they describe their lots quite well. The heading for each listing is limited to a certain number of characters, so auction listers should be adding additional information in the description area of the listing.
I am beginning to have a quickly deteriorating eyesight problem and find that now I have problems even with powerful magnification when I try to differentiate perfs and when trying to identify some issues that have different printings, different papers, variations,etc.
When this happens I become very frustrated and may end up listing an item with just a description.
I may put something like catalogue number ????, date of issue ???? OR that puzzling stamp may just get put in with a packet lot.
I would rather a potential bidder contact me and ask for a very high resolution scan of any stamp I list rather than send something to someone that is misidentified.
As human beings we make enough unintentional errors without purposely 'guessing' when trying to identify stamps.
One of the biggest beefs I have is that people do not take the time to read the auction rules or refer to the tutorials we have available on the Stampora website.
Liz
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I feel that we are now seeing sellers who post large volumes of stamps at anyone time. This is a good thing but also runs the risks that individual items are described in a cursory way. eg I bought a Bavarian stamp with CV at $29 and initial bid was $10. There was only a front image and the only description was 'USED'. On receiving the stamp the back was badly stained, I would not have valued it at $10 and feel that either a front and back image should have been included or a detailed description of the stamp. I can address the issue with the seller but maybe it is an area for discussion as to how do we generate better descriptions of the stamps being sold. Returning stamps is almost more trouble than it is worth , Chris
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re: Auction descriptions should include as much detail as possible and MUST include defects
The Stamporama Auction Rules clearly state;
Lots Must Be Accurately Described
4) a. All lots should include, at a minimum, descriptions of any defects or other characteristics outside the norm. This includes fakes, forgeries, and counterfeits, as well as reprints, repairs, and damages. Damages that need to be described include thins, creases, pulled perfs, scuffs, tears, stains, etc. Please do not rely on scans to communicate problems; problems must ALSO be described in the lot description. Lots with multiple stamps need not have this detail, unless the high value of the lot is subject to one or more of these problems.
Perhaps we could suggest that sellers read the rules once again and also check periodically for any updates to these rules that have been made.
Liz
Login to Like
this post
re: Auction descriptions should include as much detail as possible and MUST include defects
That sounds like a good idea to periodically remind sellers of their responsibility. I will typically bring it to the seller's attention if their is a problem with an item. People typically respond generously and it is rarely worth the effort to return the stamp, Chris
Login to Like
this post
re: Auction descriptions should include as much detail as possible and MUST include defects
Chris, thanks for bringing this to community's attention. All sellers should be mindful of our rules and do everything they can to accurately describe their lots. This includes, at a minimum, accurate descriptions of faults or other attributes that would degrade a stamp's value.
There is no other forum in which to remind members except here, and I'm certain that not all auction participants are readers of the DB and we don't use broadcast emails or other such devices.
We have a great reputation as being a wonderful auction; it's up to us to retain that.
David the auctioneer
Login to Like
this post
re: Auction descriptions should include as much detail as possible and MUST include defects
I totally agree about the quality of the auction. In over a decade of bidding and selling at one point, the number of problems have been minimal. I know of nowhere else that has allowed me to expand my collection at such reasonable prices. As I mentioned I always address any issues directly with the seller and have yet to receive a response that was not helpful or generous
This time I felt I should raise the issue more broadly. Enough said, Chris
Login to Like
this post
re: Auction descriptions should include as much detail as possible and MUST include defects
I'm using Chris' comments merely as a bridge to broader issues with the auctions. I received a few notes privately, all with similar comments: please note problems accurately and completely; and, when quoting a catalogue value, please indicate the catalogue and year used.
A trick I use for the latter is to include the catalogue and year in my terms sheet that automatically loads in every listing i make. If I use a different catalogue, then I note it in the body of the description.
Anyone who has questions about their own listings is free to contact me privately or to ask the forum. Either way you'll get useful information, although asking me is likely to generate lots of barely related tangents.
David
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this post
05:28:53pm
re: Auction descriptions should include as much detail as possible and MUST include defects
I agree with the need for sellers to be more accurate in their description as well as giving more details of the condition of the stamps they are selling. I don't understand why some sellers do not include the Scott catalogue number in their description instead of just the date the stamp was issued. This is particularily important with Newfoundland stamps. Most collectors record the Scott number for their reference and it is easier to check to see if you already have an item in the auction by looking up the number.
Login to Like
this post
re: Auction descriptions should include as much detail as possible and MUST include defects
Well the real pleasure of asking David any question is the speed with which tangential and usually more interesting topics are introduced!
I am sure it becomes somewhat challenging if one is listing hundreds of stamps at a time to individually describe each stamp but it's a necessity.
In reality not every stamp will require a description..it's the outliers with perf. problems, heavy hinging, staining not visible from the front or remaining paper on the back with older stamps.None of these will be necessarily visible on a front image and should be described
Chris
Login to Like
this post
re: Auction descriptions should include as much detail as possible and MUST include defects
Gary, not all sellers catalogue all stamps. I, for instance, sometimes do, sometimes don't. I often don't when i'm disposing of a smattering of stuff and just post things, knowing the absence of a catalogue ID will lessen its appeal. Still, i'd often rather spend time with my own collection than with elements that are going elsewhere. sometimes I need to list it only by its design, especially when I can't ID the watermark (or confirm its absence).
Anyway, as Gary suggests, when possible, include the catalogue number (and catalogue to which that number refers) and its value (and the year in which that value was derived). More is better, and sometimes, more gets richer.
David T(angent)
Login to Like
this post
re: Auction descriptions should include as much detail as possible and MUST include defects
in fact, many catalogues are more specialized than Scott and are better resources; we needn't use Scott, but we should identify the catalogue and year we are using when quoting numbers and/or values for stamps.
David, the auctioneer
Login to Like
this post
09:24:14pm
re: Auction descriptions should include as much detail as possible and MUST include defects
In my opinion, most sellers do a great job of describing their items. I, for one, do use Scott and really appreciate all the sellers who use Scott numbers in their listings.
However, I have a beef with sellers who don't put the country in the item title. While these items may show up in specific country listings, I always use the New Listings area and it bugs me when the country isn't named.
Tony
Login to Like
this post
re: Auction descriptions should include as much detail as possible and MUST include defects
I second Tony;
I always use the New Listings tab as well, and I would sure appreciate seeing the country name on every heading listing!
Randy
Login to Like
this post
re: Auction descriptions should include as much detail as possible and MUST include defects
Stamporama has greatly improved since I first joined. In the early days of Stamporama we seldom saw a scanned image appearing with an auction listing.
Tim, our current webmaster has spent endless hours making many improvements to the website, providing us with tools to make listing and viewing of lots much easier.
Now it is up to the viewers to use these tools, and if they are having problems, all one has to do is ask one of us for help. Most of us are more than willing to assist anyone to the best of our ability, or steer a person to someone who can assist them. Not all of us are proficient computer operators with the very latest technology at our fingertips and sometimes we need a helping hand.
Most people are now making the effort to provide scanned images with their listings and overall I think they describe their lots quite well. The heading for each listing is limited to a certain number of characters, so auction listers should be adding additional information in the description area of the listing.
I am beginning to have a quickly deteriorating eyesight problem and find that now I have problems even with powerful magnification when I try to differentiate perfs and when trying to identify some issues that have different printings, different papers, variations,etc.
When this happens I become very frustrated and may end up listing an item with just a description.
I may put something like catalogue number ????, date of issue ???? OR that puzzling stamp may just get put in with a packet lot.
I would rather a potential bidder contact me and ask for a very high resolution scan of any stamp I list rather than send something to someone that is misidentified.
As human beings we make enough unintentional errors without purposely 'guessing' when trying to identify stamps.
One of the biggest beefs I have is that people do not take the time to read the auction rules or refer to the tutorials we have available on the Stampora website.
Liz
Login to Like
this post