Try: Stamps2Go.com
Dan C.
Hi Brad,
I know that you will think me biased (and it is only because I am), but I don't think you can do better than the Stamporama Auction. In most cases the images in the auction lots are large enough to see the stamps that you will be getting. The stamps shown in the SOR auction are the actually stamp that you will get. If you have any questions about the stamps (or covers) the member selling them will be very happy to answer questions, or in most cases to send you a larger image if you need one. I have literally bought thousands of lots from the SOR auction, and have very much enjoyed the process and the contact with the other members. Have a look at the sellers profile and you will see how many lots they have sold in the auctions. That will be a good guide, but you don't have to worry about whether the seller is genuine or not, because people who are just here to defraud us are removed from the club very quickly.
So, how is that for a sell job?
I hope you find what you are looking for, be it here, bidstart, or any of the many other auction sites.
Regards ... Tim.
Bradley:
I support Mr. Tim Auld's advice as it is a pleasant way to re-immerse yourself safely into
the hobby without jumping immediately into the deep end and drowning.
Don't try to make up for lost years or lost time, can't be done. Spend a few months or so
on Stamporama, familiarize yourself with the club's auction procedures, do some bidding
of your own, ask questions as they come to mind. Then, when you do migrate over to "eBay"
and similar sites, your reacquired familiarity with philately (thanks to Stamporama)
will give you all the confidence you need to navigate successfully among those other websites.
John Derry
I really appreciate all the responses I've gotten.
Dan And Tim: Both sites you mentioned look good, and once I organize the scattered mess my collection is, I plan on using both! The prices are more friendly to my budget than a lot of places I've seen.
John: You are right about the need to slowly get back into stamp collecting. There is so much that has gone on in the hobby, and I am overwhelmed surfing the internet obsessively to try to catch up. For the time being, a couple of new stamp albums and some mounts are all I'm going to worry about as I slowly get up to speed. This looks like a good place to do that!
Brad
From my own experience, i can say that the most valuable resourse for me when i was catching up was joining a local stamp club. I see that you are located in Bloomingon MN, just a little way from me. for a list of local clubs, have a look at www.norps.org, which will show you a list of both local stamp clubs and local dealers. I belong to four of the listed clubs.
It's great fun and I do it as much as I can. My collecting interests were very specific : Blood's Despatch" I'm at the point that each new item will usually be in the $500.00 and above range. I'm not RICH and I like collecting so about 5 years ago I started a small collection and another and another and now I have five small additional collections. Most of what I buy on line runs a few dollars. Along with the stamps I'm looking for I do run across some real values that are worth just picking up and holding. The key to finding treasure is that most of the eBay sellers are just people trying to make a few bucks and they really don't have any idea of value. If you are a sharp collector you can get some real good items to trade or sell your self, but know your stamps.
The Cat (Black & White)
I'm new to this site, but I like what I've seen.
Dear Cat,
Welcome to our home. You'll find it warm and homey.If you have dups that are available for trade, get back to me at cohendaniel64@yahoo.com
I'm also into the B-O-B stuff and we might be able to work something out. Should you prefer to get some money back rather than swapping, consider putting your dups up for sale in our auction.
All the best,
Dan C.
Thanks for the welcome. I have mostly extra Blood's on cover, but I do have a few labels from other companies. I'll check out the auctions for other items and give you a heads up on what I have.
The Cat (Marc)
Several SoR members have recommended stamps2go.com.
I've been poking around on there and it seems to be a great place to plug some holes in my album in the lower price ranges. I like the scans available and it seems fairly painless to use.
My question is if you add items to your cart from multiple sellers do you "cash out" once and everyone gets paid?
I looked around on the site and that didn't seem readily obvious. Am I missing something? Thanks in advance.
Ernie
Ernie, When you checkout on Stamps2go it's a one step process. When you hit the pay button everyone gets paid. You can of course can delete items before you pay. When I'm searching I'll often put the same stamp in my shopping cart from multiple sellers the reason is that some sellers may only have a couple stamps I need. So when I'm done searching I can delete the sellers who only has a couple items I need and keep the sellers that has several items I need. Shipping is the same price for everyone. $1.00 inside your own country and $2.00 out of country. Selling prices are over the place. Some sellers sell minimum cat stamps for a penny while some sellers want full cat or more and don't even bother to post pics. I would not buy from any that don't post pics unless they are very cheap or recent issues. After spending some time there it will become obvious which sellers to ignore. The two sellers with the most amount of stamps are the first on my Black list. One sells at full cat or more without pics and the other will list stamps with big chunks out of them and grade fine or better. Of course there are lots of good sellers and their prices, pics and descriptions will usually show you who they are.
Thanks Mitch!
Hi Brad,
Don't forget the Approval books.... About twice as many stamps there as in the Auctions ..
Steve.
Just a word of warning on public as opposed to Stamporama auction websites, and those of similar sites.
E-bay et al have lots of good items, but there are professional fraudsters. Cheap items and bulk lots have low risk ( and little to lose) but personally I would NEVER buy rare or expensive stamps sight unseen from anywhere. Some of these shysters change their i.d. frequently and often build up a fair rep. before starting their tricks so there are no guarantees. Full time dealers with High Street shops as well as websites who are long established are a better risk - and often offer some sort of return guarantee, but you pay for this ( on websites) with higher prices, as the dealers have to protect themselves against unscrupulous collectors who switch the stamps they receive for lower quality items. It is a fact that it is not only some sellers who are fraudsters but some buyers too.
Unless you are an expert in a particular field, you need to exercise caution. Of course if you are an expert you can occasionally pick up scarce items which have not been noticed by the seller. Even on club sites it is best to stick to those sellers who have a proven track record,for anything other than the cheapest items. The more "good" transactions under their belt, the more reliable they are likely to be.
None of us are trying to scare you off, but as in all things you need to exercise "due diligence".
Malcolm
Malcolm. I copy you loud and clear on that. I was reading on another thread here about the Lebanon forgeries. What struck me while looking at the scans was how easy it would be to get fooled and burnt.
I think the highest price I ever paid for a single stamp was about a hundred bucks. It's the 15c pictorial with Columbus on it. I did not look for one with a certification. I saw the stamp at a shop, it looked great, I had the money in my hip pocket so I bought it.
It has a little toning on some the perfs has other signs of light handling and just screams originality.
That's one of the reasons I try to buy used. With the removing of cancels and the altering g of gum just adds another dimension and more ways to get BURNED.
".... once I organize the scattered mess my collection is, I plan on using both! ....
Now that's a good joke.
I've been trying to re-organize my childhood collection with my parents collection since the late Spring of '64.
It's organized alright, the way a riot is "organized chaos."
Good luck with that, and welcome to the club.
Prior to reading this thread I had never heard of Stamps2go .I joined last night and have already made two purchases both of which complete sets.
Very easy to navigate and I like the idea of buying from different sellers and only having to make the one payment.
Brian
I've been buying on S2G for 10 years. I probably make more purchases there than on eBay. My only gripe is that some sellers think EVERYTHING is VF. You find out who they are rather quickly and shy away from them. Don't expect management to do anything about it. I typically try new sellers out with small purchases to see if they are trustworthy, but there are only a few sellers that I know well enough that I would buy from without a posted image.
The image icon to the left of the catalog number is important. If the camera is missing, there is no photo. If it is greyscale, the image is only a reference item. If the camera is blue (color), the image is the actual item for sale. That is good to know!
Another nice feature is how long you can keep stuff in your cart. You can literally shop for HOURS and finally decide to check out. I will add the same item from several buyers and decide at checkout who to actually buy from. Sometimes minimum purchase requirements alter my plans.
Happy hunting!
Lars
Just my personal opinion, but I would avoid "Evil-Bay" like the PLAGUE!!
Up until about two yrs ago now, I used to buy & sell on there all the time, but the place just got over-run by crooks & people selling things they knew NOTHING, or next to nothing, about.
I just got tired of putting up with poor descriptions, having to "separate the wheat from the chaff" so to speak, and weeding out the obvious rip-off artists.
Jim J.
"Just my personal opinion, but I would avoid "Evil-Bay" like the PLAGUE!!"
Regarding eBay: I've only had two minor problems in scores of transactions, and both were easily and quickly resolved. One thing I rely on is good images, i.e. higher resolution and sharp enough to show minuscule detail. That, and the dealers' eBay sales records. My biggest gripe is not really with eBay, but with shysters who charge an arm and a leg for postage.
No one has mentioned Delcampe, a French-based web site similar to eBay but with much more Europe and Europe-related material. Although many dealers don't speak English, I've never had a problem communicating, sometimes with the help of Google Translate. I've never had any problems at all, really, and I've purchased some items that would have been difficult to impossible to find anywhere else.
Bob
I buy on eBay weekly. Never had a problem. You need to carefully look at the images and read the entire description. You have to understand the abbreviations. Fuzzy photo? Don't bid! High postage charge? Don't bid!
Right now I'm buying USA stamps and covers that are face identifiable, so I'm not depending on anyone to ID obscure varieties. I've bought large lots of mint 20th century USA and plate blocks at less than face value.
I do get a kick out of all those stamps listed as "very mint indeed" at many times catalog value. Especially 1940s commemoratives that sell for face value or less for more than $20 with a PSA certificate! What are these folks smoking?
I watch those items go through the sales cycle without a bid and return again immediately. Reminds me of the luggage carousel at the airport!
I agree with Tom. I buy a lot on Ebay, but I have a set of rules and I follow them. I never bid on anything that could be something else, watermark dependent stamps are a no-no unless a pic of the watermark is provided. I avoid all high shipping unless it is a pricey item and no combined shipping is a no bid.
I agree with the most recent posts. When I do bid on EBay for stamps, I do my homework ahead of time. (When I have not done that on other purchases, I have been burned like anyone else -- lesson learned.)
Check feedback, especially the negative feedback, and read the comments.
Also, remember, "if it looks too good to be true, it usually is."
I enjoy looking through e-bay and I do buy from there but would never pay a large amount. For the more expensive items I buy from www.upastampauctions.co.uk It has buyers from all over the world and everything is well described.
Also the stamps stay in the auction until they are sold and are reduced 10% each time they appear. They hold 4 auctions a year and the next one has a catalogue on their website in a couple of days.
After reading this string, I checked out Stamps2go.com again. I was looking at France, and I also collect Sweden, Denmark and Finland. It's certainly an excellent website, but I don't have Scott's cat - I'm in UK and have only Gibbons. That's what everyone uses over here. So finding the items I need takes a long time.
All the S2G stuff is referenced by Scott's - how can I find out the SG number from the Scott's? I have a list from a UK dealer which gives Y&T numbers as well as SG. Is there a comparable listing with Scotts numbers as well as SG?
Well that was fun! I checked out stamps2Go and found a really good deal on a French 1936 Airmail I need - the South American flight issue. Then I thought I'd check with other websites - eBay, Delcampe, and I found even better deals there. So, after some hesitation, I've bought it on Delcampe.
This takes the number of my awaited internet orders to three. The first two were bought on the same day - 26/5. One is some Finland stamps from a South African seller. I feel quite confident about that one - even though a couple of years ago I bought a few French stamps from him which never arrived. He said there was a postal strike. They must be still out, because my French stamps still haven't arrived. Yet somehow this time I feel OK about him, and I'm sure the postmen can't still be out on strike! It will take a while for my stuff to get from South Africa.
It's the other internet purchase that I feel most uneasy about. This time it's a UK dealer, some Danish stamps and I've waited nearly three weeks now. I've sent him a couple of messages but no response. Maybe he's unwell. I strongly suspect he's not going to come through with the stamps. It's frustrating, but it seems there's nothing I can do but wait.
So my third Delcampe buy, from the Netherlands this time, is an act of faith on my part. And as this time it's over £30 for just one stamp, that's a lot of faith! I'll be waiting behind the door. Wish me luck!
" ... how can I find out the SG number from the Scott's? ..."
While many comparable stamps are easy to figure out SG uses different criteria from Scott so it becomes far more difficult especially when dealing with variants.
I must admit there is a lot of dodgy stamps on Ebay .I am always checking NWPI and one particular seller keeps offering the two stamps with the one penny overprint ,every single one he has sold in the past few months has the one penny overprint forged.
Trouble is they get heaps of bids ,whether this is shill bidding which ebay enjoys (as their fees increase the higher the bid) or just clueless buyers I am not sure.
Collectors should check their catalogues. Knowledge can save you a lot of money.
Brian
" ... Knowledge can save you a lot of money. ..."
The problem with knowledge is that the more you learn, the more you realize there is to learn.
That is why we have so many happily satisfied ignoramuses in this country.
POLITICAL NOTE. Skip if you wish.
I am beginning to wonder if "One man, one vote" may not have been such a great idea,
Reminds me of Heinlein - one of his "Future Histories" - like Starship Troopers - had a society where you had to serve in the military or its equivalent to be entitled to vote.
I would never buy an expensive stamp on e-bay - I would want to see it in the flesh and examine it closely, and there are lots of fraudulent sellers ( although probably not in the majority). However it is good for cheap, bulk,lots ( as a worldwide collector they are my bag). However only buy lots where they are showing the actual stamps on offer - avoid "generic" pictures like the plague. If you can't be bothered to show me the actual stamps then I can't be bothered to bid ! However there are likely to be a proportion damaged. If too many don't buy from him/her again - and stick to your limit -don't get carried away.
You can always trade your surplus here. Cheap stamps can be traded in bulk,one for one( to maximise postage value).Trading by catalogue value restricts you to the U.S. - virtually no one else uses the Scott catalogue, most of us consider it at best inadequate
,at worst useless(depending on the c ountry),for anything other than US issues(where it is obviously the best).
Unfortunately there is no substitute for experience - you are almost bound to get your fingers burnt sonner or later - however the value is in the learning.
Malcolm
Just an update on my three Delcampe buys. The last of these - the French airs - came very quickly and are very good. I'm pleased to have filled a gap.
The other two buys are still awaited. The South African dealer told me his stuff takes 30 days to arrive, and so far I've waited 29 days. Presumably it's coming by sea, and the canoe will be somewhere near the Isle of Wight. Not long now, just round Kent, up the Thames and then an overland walk through Buckinghamshire!
As for the third, that's the 29th day as well- he's a UK seller, no sign of my Danish stamps yet. I've sent him three messages, but silence. So I launched a formal dispute on the Delcampe site - a helpful Delcampe lady has now sent him a stern email. Still silence. But why would a seller with over 100 positive feedbacks decide to dump his reputation and do a runner with my £10? Perhaps he's died.
I'll be interested to see how Delcampe treat the matter.
June 23rd, ???? How about an update ?
Yes, an update indeed!
The South African dealer's stamps finally arrived last week. I thought they had taken 34 days (excluding Sundays), until I noticed the postmark. He had originally said he'd posted the stamps on 27 May, but the postmark on the envelope I received is clearly 20 June. I checked my sent items box and I see I sent him an email on 17/6 asking about the order. Hmm..
Anyway, they're all here, and apart from 3 dodgy ones I'm happy to have 'em.
As for the UK dealer - complete silence and nothing from him. Delcampe's customer service was sympathetic, and their lady sent him a couple of messages without reply, and finally an email telling him he'd be suspended from their site if he didn't reply within 48 hours. And lo! two days ago, just as I was really giving up hope of my 45 Danish stamps, he did reply. Said he's been unwell, and the items not sent (presumably I was not alone) would definitely be posted on the next day. That was yesterday - so I'll see this evening when I get home if anything's arrived.
In the meantime I've ordered a catalogue (Portugal and Spain)from ebay, which should arrive any day now and a load of Finnish stamps from a dealer in Finland. I felt a lot more confident of him because he gives his name and address on the Delcampe page describing the stamps. Well, I'm prepared to believe it IS his real name and address.
So, will the Danish stamps arrive? Hope springs eternal - I'll let you know.
Strider: Hopefully your UK seller isn't trying his own variation on Brexit. Those dodgy Brits!!!
Hi All,
eBid have a lot stamps for sale. There is a very friendly forum and I find their support is superb.
www.ebid.net (sorry, I couldn't seem to get this to work as a link!)
James
One site (and not because I still sell there !) that is conspicuous by it's absence in this discussion thread is BIDSTART (www.bidstart.com). A few years ago that would have been the obvious answer given to the initial question. Steve
All's well that ends well! The Danish stamps from the UK dealer finally arrived yesterday. All there, and good condition too. So it's only the 6 week wait I'm unhappy about, and above all his complete silence. I felt he was very disrespectful - and internet buying is all about trust. So I gave him a feedback of 75%. This because the stamps were all there, and were good, but the delay was unreasonable and his silence was very unhelpful.
I should add that Delcampe helped a lot - they sent him three messages urging him to respond, and they threatened him with being removed from their sellers list.
But all the time, I thought he may have had a grievous illness, or his partner or children. And he may have been unable to respond because too unwell to tackle the keyboard. Or perhaps a domestic upheaval. There were times when I'd have given him 0%!! But the stamps did eventually arrive.
And finally, the SG Portugal and Spain catalogue from Speedy Hen arrived. It came by carrier - Yodel - and was pushed through my letterbox this morning. I was painting a ceiling at the back of the house but our dog Sean went bananas. His barking let me know that something had happened at the front door. It was the catalogue - pushed through the letterbox and on to the hall carpet.
So I can relax - my orders have all finally arrived.
Mossgreen
Google it
Fred
You are fortunate the alert dog did not conclude the parcel was an intruder and attack it, shedding Spanish and Portuguese catalog pages all over the hallway.
Frustrating afternoon trying to find some Hong Kong stamps to fill gaps. Floating around half dozen sales sites and finding nothing positive on my list. Some possibly but have had to email sellers to confirm whether Litho/Photo as catalogue numbers given are for Litho but stamps appear as Photo but scan/image does not allow me to confirm.
Numerous times searching by year I find stamps misplaced even when they have the year printed on them.
Oh for a universal catalogue number for each stamp, dream on dreamer!!
Trying to narrow down returns by using advanced search does not help.
How do others find items to buy? Do you buy bulk lots and hope something you need is there?
Apart from employing a professional firm to search out the items needed what other tips do our members have?
S2G is a good resource. One thing that bugs me is how they split out their listings of sets and 'stamps'. If you are working through your album trying to fill spaces you will be jumping around a lot and in the process you can lose track of where you are. It's annoying.
Thanks Snick but that one, (when I found it as "stamps to go")is as bad as the others, incorrect numbers and no images of most of the stamps and "reference image only, not actual stamp" given for a lot of the others. Have reported a few of the inconsistencies, not that it helps me.
Back to the drawing board.
Thanks anyway.
I have found stamps on EBid...The sellers would correspond and let me pay at a convenient time At least those I`ve made purchases from and a few are Stamporama members
Just lately As I have joined The American Philatelic Society ,I have been buying from their store,Some of the sellers want their heads read ,as there are asking full catalogue. The date they are entered on the site is listed in the description ,some items have been on sale for years ,"not surprised"
I have found a few nice items to add to my collection and reasonably priced.
Brian
Check the postage stamps section on Webstore.com.
Tony
I checked out Stamps to go and found many sellers with not scans of the stamps they are listing. So I asked a number of them this question
"How do I know what the stamp looks like if there is no picture of the stamp you are selling?"
Here is one of the answers I received.
"I have over 30,000 stamps listed--I describe them correctly (A VF stamps is not shown with short or missing perfs and a LH is a LH). I have sold roughly 2000 orders without a complaint because my stamps are as described"
Here is another answer I received.
"I have over 250,000 stamps listed and I will be posting scans when I have time"
I will not be buying from STG it is gone for me.
Doug
Stamps2Go is just a venue but it is the easiest one I have found to use for sellers and buyers. Sellers of course vary from one to another on how they describe and whether or not they use photos. There are many sellers that I would have nothing to do with but they are pretty easy to figure out. Yes Doug you found one to avoid with STG. I don't buy from anyone who does not bother to offer pics or sells for more than a small percentage.
Even if you don't have a Scott catalog it is still easy to navigate. If you have an album or other catalog you will know the year of issue, denomination and subject. All of these are search criteria that you can use to find what you are looking for as all of these things are within the listings. The owner of S2G never fails to answer questions with lightning fast speed most always within an hour.
AntoniusRa wrote
I don't buy from anyone who does not bother to offer pics or sells for more than a small percentage.
I think a stamp is something you need to see if you are going to buy it ,no matter how cheap it is,as I have found several stamps incorrectly listed on stamps2go.
I also, will not buy if there is no image or they use an image but it's not the stamp they are offering for sale,stupid in my opinion.
Brian
Right, I don't go for those "generic" pictures either, I like to se what I'm buying.
Tony
I am always amazed at how well eBay marketing has brainwashed us; giving us a level of comfort with buying something sight unseen from a completely unknown person. Try to think of a real life equivalent example of this… Say you are at the local flea market and some stranger says “psst..hey buddy, wanna buy some stamps?” He then waves his arms around describing the stamp and we will give him our money? Or perhaps he opens his trunk and pulls out a picture of a stamp. You have never met this person, the license plate on his car shows does not live near you, you have no idea if he is knowledgeable or not. But we still have not had the stamp in our hand but are fine with giving him our hard earned money.
My advice is this. Buying from an unknown seller is fine if you are not risking much money for you. But when spending a lot of money it is critical you know who you are buying from. You cannot and should not reply upon badly flawed feedback rating systems; they are far too easy to scam. We tend to do our homework on learning about our stamps, but we should also do just as much work learning who we are buying from before spending a lot of money.
Don
In years back when I ordered stamps by mail from dealers in Linn's (Clark Stamp Company, Valley Stamps, etc), I never saw an image of the stamps I bought before I got them. Now, these were mostly common stamps. I did not have many negative experiences regarding condition, etc. I do want to see pics for older stamps these days but I did not always back then.
Al
(I thought I had a signature at SOR)
Al,
True enough but ‘back in the day’ dealers generally had invested a lot of money into inventory, a building, a reputation. Today a person can do this digitally for little or no investment. They can come and go in 24 hours so it makes things very different.
Don
Don what gets me that some what appear to be full time stamp sellers do not try to give the impression they are stamp dealers. One would think those that sell a lot of stamps would include in the description their business name, etc.
For example, I had purchased some items from emstamps (Eastern Meadow Stamps) and the package said this but you will not find any information on their ebay page. No affiliations or anything to provide confidence other than say look at my feedback.
If I am buying a mint stamp and it is not terribly valuable, I feel more like taking a gamble on one not pictured so long as I feel the condition description is in my comfort zone. I will never buy any used stamp that is not pictured. Too many variables. You are thinking nice circular cancel and you get some thing almost unrecognizable. It has happened to me.
Looking at the enlargement of this stamp it either looks to have toning spots or foxing.
The seller describes it as "Very Fine" and further says A NICE LOT. LOVELY STAMP WITH CORRECT WAR TIME STREAKY GUM, "really"? I would not agree that it was VF, would anyone else?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HONG-KONG-1938-10-GREEN-VF-NEVER-HINGED-OG-SG-161-CAT-920-SEE-BELOW-/371937745497?hash=item5699379a59
I don't mind spending to get a good stamp but not on this occasion.
The stamp is close to being VF although I would grade it at F-VF. Either way if it was pushed a skosh to the right and a CH up why would it not be XF not withstanding toned perfs at bottom. It's somewhat of a close call and does not bother me much as I can make my own call thanks to the scan. If there were not a scan and I received the stamp only going by the description I would be ticked off. It's only one aspect as to why scans are so important. Especially on more value stamps like the one in question.
Mitch, I agree with you and realise that I was including the condition of the stamp in the grading which of course is incorrect.
Something I think I'm guilty of every time I look at a stamp, I guess it's the way I have always collected stamps, the slightest fault and I shy away. Whether it is a heavy cancel or missing perfs, or anything that detracts from the overall appearance.
i would call it VF
The last stamp I bought for collecting purposes was in 1985, so I've never bought a stamp for my collection without seeing it first. Now that my interest has been renewed, I went to ebay, and found hundreds of thousands of stamps begging for me to buy them.
I know ebay has a rating system for sellers and buyers, and I've found it useful for my needs in other cases, but I wanted to know if anybody here with more experience buying stamps online knows of any particularly reliable places to purchase stamps.
Thanks, Brad
re: Websites for buying stamps online
Try: Stamps2Go.com
Dan C.
re: Websites for buying stamps online
Hi Brad,
I know that you will think me biased (and it is only because I am), but I don't think you can do better than the Stamporama Auction. In most cases the images in the auction lots are large enough to see the stamps that you will be getting. The stamps shown in the SOR auction are the actually stamp that you will get. If you have any questions about the stamps (or covers) the member selling them will be very happy to answer questions, or in most cases to send you a larger image if you need one. I have literally bought thousands of lots from the SOR auction, and have very much enjoyed the process and the contact with the other members. Have a look at the sellers profile and you will see how many lots they have sold in the auctions. That will be a good guide, but you don't have to worry about whether the seller is genuine or not, because people who are just here to defraud us are removed from the club very quickly.
So, how is that for a sell job?
I hope you find what you are looking for, be it here, bidstart, or any of the many other auction sites.
Regards ... Tim.
re: Websites for buying stamps online
Bradley:
I support Mr. Tim Auld's advice as it is a pleasant way to re-immerse yourself safely into
the hobby without jumping immediately into the deep end and drowning.
Don't try to make up for lost years or lost time, can't be done. Spend a few months or so
on Stamporama, familiarize yourself with the club's auction procedures, do some bidding
of your own, ask questions as they come to mind. Then, when you do migrate over to "eBay"
and similar sites, your reacquired familiarity with philately (thanks to Stamporama)
will give you all the confidence you need to navigate successfully among those other websites.
John Derry
re: Websites for buying stamps online
I really appreciate all the responses I've gotten.
Dan And Tim: Both sites you mentioned look good, and once I organize the scattered mess my collection is, I plan on using both! The prices are more friendly to my budget than a lot of places I've seen.
John: You are right about the need to slowly get back into stamp collecting. There is so much that has gone on in the hobby, and I am overwhelmed surfing the internet obsessively to try to catch up. For the time being, a couple of new stamp albums and some mounts are all I'm going to worry about as I slowly get up to speed. This looks like a good place to do that!
Brad
re: Websites for buying stamps online
From my own experience, i can say that the most valuable resourse for me when i was catching up was joining a local stamp club. I see that you are located in Bloomingon MN, just a little way from me. for a list of local clubs, have a look at www.norps.org, which will show you a list of both local stamp clubs and local dealers. I belong to four of the listed clubs.
re: Websites for buying stamps online
It's great fun and I do it as much as I can. My collecting interests were very specific : Blood's Despatch" I'm at the point that each new item will usually be in the $500.00 and above range. I'm not RICH and I like collecting so about 5 years ago I started a small collection and another and another and now I have five small additional collections. Most of what I buy on line runs a few dollars. Along with the stamps I'm looking for I do run across some real values that are worth just picking up and holding. The key to finding treasure is that most of the eBay sellers are just people trying to make a few bucks and they really don't have any idea of value. If you are a sharp collector you can get some real good items to trade or sell your self, but know your stamps.
The Cat (Black & White)
I'm new to this site, but I like what I've seen.
re: Websites for buying stamps online
Dear Cat,
Welcome to our home. You'll find it warm and homey.If you have dups that are available for trade, get back to me at cohendaniel64@yahoo.com
I'm also into the B-O-B stuff and we might be able to work something out. Should you prefer to get some money back rather than swapping, consider putting your dups up for sale in our auction.
All the best,
Dan C.
re: Websites for buying stamps online
Thanks for the welcome. I have mostly extra Blood's on cover, but I do have a few labels from other companies. I'll check out the auctions for other items and give you a heads up on what I have.
The Cat (Marc)
re: Websites for buying stamps online
Several SoR members have recommended stamps2go.com.
I've been poking around on there and it seems to be a great place to plug some holes in my album in the lower price ranges. I like the scans available and it seems fairly painless to use.
My question is if you add items to your cart from multiple sellers do you "cash out" once and everyone gets paid?
I looked around on the site and that didn't seem readily obvious. Am I missing something? Thanks in advance.
Ernie
re: Websites for buying stamps online
Ernie, When you checkout on Stamps2go it's a one step process. When you hit the pay button everyone gets paid. You can of course can delete items before you pay. When I'm searching I'll often put the same stamp in my shopping cart from multiple sellers the reason is that some sellers may only have a couple stamps I need. So when I'm done searching I can delete the sellers who only has a couple items I need and keep the sellers that has several items I need. Shipping is the same price for everyone. $1.00 inside your own country and $2.00 out of country. Selling prices are over the place. Some sellers sell minimum cat stamps for a penny while some sellers want full cat or more and don't even bother to post pics. I would not buy from any that don't post pics unless they are very cheap or recent issues. After spending some time there it will become obvious which sellers to ignore. The two sellers with the most amount of stamps are the first on my Black list. One sells at full cat or more without pics and the other will list stamps with big chunks out of them and grade fine or better. Of course there are lots of good sellers and their prices, pics and descriptions will usually show you who they are.
re: Websites for buying stamps online
Thanks Mitch!
re: Websites for buying stamps online
Hi Brad,
Don't forget the Approval books.... About twice as many stamps there as in the Auctions ..
Steve.
re: Websites for buying stamps online
Just a word of warning on public as opposed to Stamporama auction websites, and those of similar sites.
E-bay et al have lots of good items, but there are professional fraudsters. Cheap items and bulk lots have low risk ( and little to lose) but personally I would NEVER buy rare or expensive stamps sight unseen from anywhere. Some of these shysters change their i.d. frequently and often build up a fair rep. before starting their tricks so there are no guarantees. Full time dealers with High Street shops as well as websites who are long established are a better risk - and often offer some sort of return guarantee, but you pay for this ( on websites) with higher prices, as the dealers have to protect themselves against unscrupulous collectors who switch the stamps they receive for lower quality items. It is a fact that it is not only some sellers who are fraudsters but some buyers too.
Unless you are an expert in a particular field, you need to exercise caution. Of course if you are an expert you can occasionally pick up scarce items which have not been noticed by the seller. Even on club sites it is best to stick to those sellers who have a proven track record,for anything other than the cheapest items. The more "good" transactions under their belt, the more reliable they are likely to be.
None of us are trying to scare you off, but as in all things you need to exercise "due diligence".
Malcolm
re: Websites for buying stamps online
Malcolm. I copy you loud and clear on that. I was reading on another thread here about the Lebanon forgeries. What struck me while looking at the scans was how easy it would be to get fooled and burnt.
I think the highest price I ever paid for a single stamp was about a hundred bucks. It's the 15c pictorial with Columbus on it. I did not look for one with a certification. I saw the stamp at a shop, it looked great, I had the money in my hip pocket so I bought it.
It has a little toning on some the perfs has other signs of light handling and just screams originality.
That's one of the reasons I try to buy used. With the removing of cancels and the altering g of gum just adds another dimension and more ways to get BURNED.
re: Websites for buying stamps online
".... once I organize the scattered mess my collection is, I plan on using both! ....
Now that's a good joke.
I've been trying to re-organize my childhood collection with my parents collection since the late Spring of '64.
It's organized alright, the way a riot is "organized chaos."
Good luck with that, and welcome to the club.
re: Websites for buying stamps online
Prior to reading this thread I had never heard of Stamps2go .I joined last night and have already made two purchases both of which complete sets.
Very easy to navigate and I like the idea of buying from different sellers and only having to make the one payment.
Brian
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I've been buying on S2G for 10 years. I probably make more purchases there than on eBay. My only gripe is that some sellers think EVERYTHING is VF. You find out who they are rather quickly and shy away from them. Don't expect management to do anything about it. I typically try new sellers out with small purchases to see if they are trustworthy, but there are only a few sellers that I know well enough that I would buy from without a posted image.
The image icon to the left of the catalog number is important. If the camera is missing, there is no photo. If it is greyscale, the image is only a reference item. If the camera is blue (color), the image is the actual item for sale. That is good to know!
Another nice feature is how long you can keep stuff in your cart. You can literally shop for HOURS and finally decide to check out. I will add the same item from several buyers and decide at checkout who to actually buy from. Sometimes minimum purchase requirements alter my plans.
Happy hunting!
Lars
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Just my personal opinion, but I would avoid "Evil-Bay" like the PLAGUE!!
Up until about two yrs ago now, I used to buy & sell on there all the time, but the place just got over-run by crooks & people selling things they knew NOTHING, or next to nothing, about.
I just got tired of putting up with poor descriptions, having to "separate the wheat from the chaff" so to speak, and weeding out the obvious rip-off artists.
Jim J.
re: Websites for buying stamps online
"Just my personal opinion, but I would avoid "Evil-Bay" like the PLAGUE!!"
re: Websites for buying stamps online
Regarding eBay: I've only had two minor problems in scores of transactions, and both were easily and quickly resolved. One thing I rely on is good images, i.e. higher resolution and sharp enough to show minuscule detail. That, and the dealers' eBay sales records. My biggest gripe is not really with eBay, but with shysters who charge an arm and a leg for postage.
No one has mentioned Delcampe, a French-based web site similar to eBay but with much more Europe and Europe-related material. Although many dealers don't speak English, I've never had a problem communicating, sometimes with the help of Google Translate. I've never had any problems at all, really, and I've purchased some items that would have been difficult to impossible to find anywhere else.
Bob
re: Websites for buying stamps online
I buy on eBay weekly. Never had a problem. You need to carefully look at the images and read the entire description. You have to understand the abbreviations. Fuzzy photo? Don't bid! High postage charge? Don't bid!
Right now I'm buying USA stamps and covers that are face identifiable, so I'm not depending on anyone to ID obscure varieties. I've bought large lots of mint 20th century USA and plate blocks at less than face value.
I do get a kick out of all those stamps listed as "very mint indeed" at many times catalog value. Especially 1940s commemoratives that sell for face value or less for more than $20 with a PSA certificate! What are these folks smoking?
I watch those items go through the sales cycle without a bid and return again immediately. Reminds me of the luggage carousel at the airport!
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I agree with Tom. I buy a lot on Ebay, but I have a set of rules and I follow them. I never bid on anything that could be something else, watermark dependent stamps are a no-no unless a pic of the watermark is provided. I avoid all high shipping unless it is a pricey item and no combined shipping is a no bid.
re: Websites for buying stamps online
I agree with the most recent posts. When I do bid on EBay for stamps, I do my homework ahead of time. (When I have not done that on other purchases, I have been burned like anyone else -- lesson learned.)
Check feedback, especially the negative feedback, and read the comments.
Also, remember, "if it looks too good to be true, it usually is."
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I enjoy looking through e-bay and I do buy from there but would never pay a large amount. For the more expensive items I buy from www.upastampauctions.co.uk It has buyers from all over the world and everything is well described.
Also the stamps stay in the auction until they are sold and are reduced 10% each time they appear. They hold 4 auctions a year and the next one has a catalogue on their website in a couple of days.
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After reading this string, I checked out Stamps2go.com again. I was looking at France, and I also collect Sweden, Denmark and Finland. It's certainly an excellent website, but I don't have Scott's cat - I'm in UK and have only Gibbons. That's what everyone uses over here. So finding the items I need takes a long time.
All the S2G stuff is referenced by Scott's - how can I find out the SG number from the Scott's? I have a list from a UK dealer which gives Y&T numbers as well as SG. Is there a comparable listing with Scotts numbers as well as SG?
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Well that was fun! I checked out stamps2Go and found a really good deal on a French 1936 Airmail I need - the South American flight issue. Then I thought I'd check with other websites - eBay, Delcampe, and I found even better deals there. So, after some hesitation, I've bought it on Delcampe.
This takes the number of my awaited internet orders to three. The first two were bought on the same day - 26/5. One is some Finland stamps from a South African seller. I feel quite confident about that one - even though a couple of years ago I bought a few French stamps from him which never arrived. He said there was a postal strike. They must be still out, because my French stamps still haven't arrived. Yet somehow this time I feel OK about him, and I'm sure the postmen can't still be out on strike! It will take a while for my stuff to get from South Africa.
It's the other internet purchase that I feel most uneasy about. This time it's a UK dealer, some Danish stamps and I've waited nearly three weeks now. I've sent him a couple of messages but no response. Maybe he's unwell. I strongly suspect he's not going to come through with the stamps. It's frustrating, but it seems there's nothing I can do but wait.
So my third Delcampe buy, from the Netherlands this time, is an act of faith on my part. And as this time it's over £30 for just one stamp, that's a lot of faith! I'll be waiting behind the door. Wish me luck!
re: Websites for buying stamps online
" ... how can I find out the SG number from the Scott's? ..."
While many comparable stamps are easy to figure out SG uses different criteria from Scott so it becomes far more difficult especially when dealing with variants.
re: Websites for buying stamps online
I must admit there is a lot of dodgy stamps on Ebay .I am always checking NWPI and one particular seller keeps offering the two stamps with the one penny overprint ,every single one he has sold in the past few months has the one penny overprint forged.
Trouble is they get heaps of bids ,whether this is shill bidding which ebay enjoys (as their fees increase the higher the bid) or just clueless buyers I am not sure.
Collectors should check their catalogues. Knowledge can save you a lot of money.
Brian
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" ... Knowledge can save you a lot of money. ..."
The problem with knowledge is that the more you learn, the more you realize there is to learn.
That is why we have so many happily satisfied ignoramuses in this country.
POLITICAL NOTE. Skip if you wish.
I am beginning to wonder if "One man, one vote" may not have been such a great idea,
re: Websites for buying stamps online
Reminds me of Heinlein - one of his "Future Histories" - like Starship Troopers - had a society where you had to serve in the military or its equivalent to be entitled to vote.
re: Websites for buying stamps online
I would never buy an expensive stamp on e-bay - I would want to see it in the flesh and examine it closely, and there are lots of fraudulent sellers ( although probably not in the majority). However it is good for cheap, bulk,lots ( as a worldwide collector they are my bag). However only buy lots where they are showing the actual stamps on offer - avoid "generic" pictures like the plague. If you can't be bothered to show me the actual stamps then I can't be bothered to bid ! However there are likely to be a proportion damaged. If too many don't buy from him/her again - and stick to your limit -don't get carried away.
You can always trade your surplus here. Cheap stamps can be traded in bulk,one for one( to maximise postage value).Trading by catalogue value restricts you to the U.S. - virtually no one else uses the Scott catalogue, most of us consider it at best inadequate
,at worst useless(depending on the c ountry),for anything other than US issues(where it is obviously the best).
Unfortunately there is no substitute for experience - you are almost bound to get your fingers burnt sonner or later - however the value is in the learning.
Malcolm
re: Websites for buying stamps online
Just an update on my three Delcampe buys. The last of these - the French airs - came very quickly and are very good. I'm pleased to have filled a gap.
The other two buys are still awaited. The South African dealer told me his stuff takes 30 days to arrive, and so far I've waited 29 days. Presumably it's coming by sea, and the canoe will be somewhere near the Isle of Wight. Not long now, just round Kent, up the Thames and then an overland walk through Buckinghamshire!
As for the third, that's the 29th day as well- he's a UK seller, no sign of my Danish stamps yet. I've sent him three messages, but silence. So I launched a formal dispute on the Delcampe site - a helpful Delcampe lady has now sent him a stern email. Still silence. But why would a seller with over 100 positive feedbacks decide to dump his reputation and do a runner with my £10? Perhaps he's died.
I'll be interested to see how Delcampe treat the matter.
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June 23rd, ???? How about an update ?
re: Websites for buying stamps online
Yes, an update indeed!
The South African dealer's stamps finally arrived last week. I thought they had taken 34 days (excluding Sundays), until I noticed the postmark. He had originally said he'd posted the stamps on 27 May, but the postmark on the envelope I received is clearly 20 June. I checked my sent items box and I see I sent him an email on 17/6 asking about the order. Hmm..
Anyway, they're all here, and apart from 3 dodgy ones I'm happy to have 'em.
As for the UK dealer - complete silence and nothing from him. Delcampe's customer service was sympathetic, and their lady sent him a couple of messages without reply, and finally an email telling him he'd be suspended from their site if he didn't reply within 48 hours. And lo! two days ago, just as I was really giving up hope of my 45 Danish stamps, he did reply. Said he's been unwell, and the items not sent (presumably I was not alone) would definitely be posted on the next day. That was yesterday - so I'll see this evening when I get home if anything's arrived.
In the meantime I've ordered a catalogue (Portugal and Spain)from ebay, which should arrive any day now and a load of Finnish stamps from a dealer in Finland. I felt a lot more confident of him because he gives his name and address on the Delcampe page describing the stamps. Well, I'm prepared to believe it IS his real name and address.
So, will the Danish stamps arrive? Hope springs eternal - I'll let you know.
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Strider: Hopefully your UK seller isn't trying his own variation on Brexit. Those dodgy Brits!!!
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Hi All,
eBid have a lot stamps for sale. There is a very friendly forum and I find their support is superb.
www.ebid.net (sorry, I couldn't seem to get this to work as a link!)
James
re: Websites for buying stamps online
One site (and not because I still sell there !) that is conspicuous by it's absence in this discussion thread is BIDSTART (www.bidstart.com). A few years ago that would have been the obvious answer given to the initial question. Steve
re: Websites for buying stamps online
All's well that ends well! The Danish stamps from the UK dealer finally arrived yesterday. All there, and good condition too. So it's only the 6 week wait I'm unhappy about, and above all his complete silence. I felt he was very disrespectful - and internet buying is all about trust. So I gave him a feedback of 75%. This because the stamps were all there, and were good, but the delay was unreasonable and his silence was very unhelpful.
I should add that Delcampe helped a lot - they sent him three messages urging him to respond, and they threatened him with being removed from their sellers list.
But all the time, I thought he may have had a grievous illness, or his partner or children. And he may have been unable to respond because too unwell to tackle the keyboard. Or perhaps a domestic upheaval. There were times when I'd have given him 0%!! But the stamps did eventually arrive.
And finally, the SG Portugal and Spain catalogue from Speedy Hen arrived. It came by carrier - Yodel - and was pushed through my letterbox this morning. I was painting a ceiling at the back of the house but our dog Sean went bananas. His barking let me know that something had happened at the front door. It was the catalogue - pushed through the letterbox and on to the hall carpet.
So I can relax - my orders have all finally arrived.
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Mossgreen
Google it
Fred
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You are fortunate the alert dog did not conclude the parcel was an intruder and attack it, shedding Spanish and Portuguese catalog pages all over the hallway.
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Frustrating afternoon trying to find some Hong Kong stamps to fill gaps. Floating around half dozen sales sites and finding nothing positive on my list. Some possibly but have had to email sellers to confirm whether Litho/Photo as catalogue numbers given are for Litho but stamps appear as Photo but scan/image does not allow me to confirm.
Numerous times searching by year I find stamps misplaced even when they have the year printed on them.
Oh for a universal catalogue number for each stamp, dream on dreamer!!
Trying to narrow down returns by using advanced search does not help.
How do others find items to buy? Do you buy bulk lots and hope something you need is there?
Apart from employing a professional firm to search out the items needed what other tips do our members have?
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S2G is a good resource. One thing that bugs me is how they split out their listings of sets and 'stamps'. If you are working through your album trying to fill spaces you will be jumping around a lot and in the process you can lose track of where you are. It's annoying.
re: Websites for buying stamps online
Thanks Snick but that one, (when I found it as "stamps to go")is as bad as the others, incorrect numbers and no images of most of the stamps and "reference image only, not actual stamp" given for a lot of the others. Have reported a few of the inconsistencies, not that it helps me.
Back to the drawing board.
Thanks anyway.
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I have found stamps on EBid...The sellers would correspond and let me pay at a convenient time At least those I`ve made purchases from and a few are Stamporama members
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Just lately As I have joined The American Philatelic Society ,I have been buying from their store,Some of the sellers want their heads read ,as there are asking full catalogue. The date they are entered on the site is listed in the description ,some items have been on sale for years ,"not surprised"
I have found a few nice items to add to my collection and reasonably priced.
Brian
re: Websites for buying stamps online
Check the postage stamps section on Webstore.com.
Tony
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I checked out Stamps to go and found many sellers with not scans of the stamps they are listing. So I asked a number of them this question
"How do I know what the stamp looks like if there is no picture of the stamp you are selling?"
Here is one of the answers I received.
"I have over 30,000 stamps listed--I describe them correctly (A VF stamps is not shown with short or missing perfs and a LH is a LH). I have sold roughly 2000 orders without a complaint because my stamps are as described"
Here is another answer I received.
"I have over 250,000 stamps listed and I will be posting scans when I have time"
I will not be buying from STG it is gone for me.
Doug
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Stamps2Go is just a venue but it is the easiest one I have found to use for sellers and buyers. Sellers of course vary from one to another on how they describe and whether or not they use photos. There are many sellers that I would have nothing to do with but they are pretty easy to figure out. Yes Doug you found one to avoid with STG. I don't buy from anyone who does not bother to offer pics or sells for more than a small percentage.
Even if you don't have a Scott catalog it is still easy to navigate. If you have an album or other catalog you will know the year of issue, denomination and subject. All of these are search criteria that you can use to find what you are looking for as all of these things are within the listings. The owner of S2G never fails to answer questions with lightning fast speed most always within an hour.
re: Websites for buying stamps online
AntoniusRa wrote
I don't buy from anyone who does not bother to offer pics or sells for more than a small percentage.
I think a stamp is something you need to see if you are going to buy it ,no matter how cheap it is,as I have found several stamps incorrectly listed on stamps2go.
I also, will not buy if there is no image or they use an image but it's not the stamp they are offering for sale,stupid in my opinion.
Brian
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Right, I don't go for those "generic" pictures either, I like to se what I'm buying.
Tony
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I am always amazed at how well eBay marketing has brainwashed us; giving us a level of comfort with buying something sight unseen from a completely unknown person. Try to think of a real life equivalent example of this… Say you are at the local flea market and some stranger says “psst..hey buddy, wanna buy some stamps?” He then waves his arms around describing the stamp and we will give him our money? Or perhaps he opens his trunk and pulls out a picture of a stamp. You have never met this person, the license plate on his car shows does not live near you, you have no idea if he is knowledgeable or not. But we still have not had the stamp in our hand but are fine with giving him our hard earned money.
My advice is this. Buying from an unknown seller is fine if you are not risking much money for you. But when spending a lot of money it is critical you know who you are buying from. You cannot and should not reply upon badly flawed feedback rating systems; they are far too easy to scam. We tend to do our homework on learning about our stamps, but we should also do just as much work learning who we are buying from before spending a lot of money.
Don
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In years back when I ordered stamps by mail from dealers in Linn's (Clark Stamp Company, Valley Stamps, etc), I never saw an image of the stamps I bought before I got them. Now, these were mostly common stamps. I did not have many negative experiences regarding condition, etc. I do want to see pics for older stamps these days but I did not always back then.
Al
(I thought I had a signature at SOR)
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Al,
True enough but ‘back in the day’ dealers generally had invested a lot of money into inventory, a building, a reputation. Today a person can do this digitally for little or no investment. They can come and go in 24 hours so it makes things very different.
Don
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Don what gets me that some what appear to be full time stamp sellers do not try to give the impression they are stamp dealers. One would think those that sell a lot of stamps would include in the description their business name, etc.
For example, I had purchased some items from emstamps (Eastern Meadow Stamps) and the package said this but you will not find any information on their ebay page. No affiliations or anything to provide confidence other than say look at my feedback.
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If I am buying a mint stamp and it is not terribly valuable, I feel more like taking a gamble on one not pictured so long as I feel the condition description is in my comfort zone. I will never buy any used stamp that is not pictured. Too many variables. You are thinking nice circular cancel and you get some thing almost unrecognizable. It has happened to me.
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Looking at the enlargement of this stamp it either looks to have toning spots or foxing.
The seller describes it as "Very Fine" and further says A NICE LOT. LOVELY STAMP WITH CORRECT WAR TIME STREAKY GUM, "really"? I would not agree that it was VF, would anyone else?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HONG-KONG-1938-10-GREEN-VF-NEVER-HINGED-OG-SG-161-CAT-920-SEE-BELOW-/371937745497?hash=item5699379a59
I don't mind spending to get a good stamp but not on this occasion.
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The stamp is close to being VF although I would grade it at F-VF. Either way if it was pushed a skosh to the right and a CH up why would it not be XF not withstanding toned perfs at bottom. It's somewhat of a close call and does not bother me much as I can make my own call thanks to the scan. If there were not a scan and I received the stamp only going by the description I would be ticked off. It's only one aspect as to why scans are so important. Especially on more value stamps like the one in question.
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Mitch, I agree with you and realise that I was including the condition of the stamp in the grading which of course is incorrect.
Something I think I'm guilty of every time I look at a stamp, I guess it's the way I have always collected stamps, the slightest fault and I shy away. Whether it is a heavy cancel or missing perfs, or anything that detracts from the overall appearance.
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i would call it VF