Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
The total collection catalogue value is a little over $32,000.00 with $29K being the Canadian value. Any help and suggestions you can give me would be appreciated.
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I would just like to clarify Garry's posting above. He and I have been talking about this, Garry has reached the point where he needs to sell his collection and is looking for your advice on how to approach this task. From Garry's posting above, this could be a sizable task.
Regards ... Tim
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08:13:46pm
With Tim's clarification, I am working on the presumption that the initial post in this thread is NOT an offer to sell, but rather a solicitation of advice on how best to go about marketing the collection. Please do not respond to this post with offers or attempt to open negotiations for the purchase of the collection, such posts will be deleted.
If my interpretation is incorrect, and subsequent discussion herein lead me to believe that this is an advertisement to sell the collection on this board (which is a violation of the DB rules), I will delete this thread.
Sincerely,
Bobby Barnhart
DB Moderator
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Has Gary explored the auction route through an auction house?
Dan C.
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Get a copy of Linn's. There are plenty of ads from dealers offering to buy collections. Also there's a dealer who created an online video that you can watch regarding selling a collection.
http://northstamp.com/
You need to understand and remember that the final price is going to depend totally on the condition and how the stamps have been kept. The price a dealer will pay will generally run from 5% to 30% of catalog value for a regular collection. If you have some gems in excellent condition you will probably get a little more. You have to remember that it takes time for a dealer to sell a collection and that the dealer's money and time will be tied up in it for quite a while as they work it up for selling. They can't buy at high catalog value and sell for less as collectors don't like to pay much more than 50% of catalog value. Remember what you paid for the stamps, and think accordingly as to what a dealer would have to pay in order to sell the stamps for that amount and still make a profit to pay the bill, taxes and feed the family.
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thanks Michael. I enjoyed the video. I think the basics were well done, although i think he was too kind about some of the collections; that is, golden replicas don't have "significant value," they are tough to sell at all. I think he does a disservice by not speaking harsher truths, and his implication that people who have tons of sheets have tons of value just by sheer mass is true, as long as they are either willing to use the stamps as postage and get face value or accept somewhere between 40% and 100% of face, depending on how quickly they need to sell.
As to Gary's initial question, he's best off, i think, to separate the Canada from the rest and talk to an auction house or dealer who specializes in Canada.
If he wants to talk specifics, we might help further. I have no knowledge of Canada collections, so I can't make specific suggestions.
David
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For Canada, it is similar to most other countries. Pre-World War II there are some good values in many stamps (if they are in good condition). After that, the stamps are common, ubiquitous and tend to go as postage lots.
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You might want to contact (name deleted) about consignment -- you can review the results of their past bi-weekly bidboards to get a sense of what your material might realize.
Name and address deleted as a violation of the DB rule against advertising. You may notify the member of this information via email or SOR message.
Bobby Barnhart
Moderator
(Modified by Moderator on 2014-01-31 22:20:32)
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Tough call Bobby, but I understand the rationale and upon reflection do agree with it. Nicely done, even though necessarily harsh in impact.
Best,
Dan C.
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I apologize to any whom I may have offended in my attempt to be helpful to @sempleg. I misinterpreted the "policy" as prohibiting the spam-like touting of one's own business interests.
"Commercial ads are prohibited and will be deleted as soon as seen by a moderator, so you would be wasting your time posting. If you want to promote your business or website, you may do so discretely using a personal statement under your avatar or in your message footer as part of your posts. Our policy in summation: "Contribute and be discrete, and you are welcome. Dump your advertising on us and you are welcome to leave"."
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Tom,
No problem-just do like the rest of us do and blame Bobby.
Welcome, and jump in and join the fun of bashing Bobby.
JUST KIDDING!!!
Best,
Dan C.
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Garry Semple:
Although you have likely checked it out, try
the Yellow Pages for Victoria, BC. I've dealt
with all the listees and consider them
reputable.
John Derry
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Sell ..i don't know..i am not a day trader...i buy and hold !
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Phil:
Admit it... you're a closet stamp dealer!
David
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Ah, me boy..i find it much easier to buy than to sell !!!
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Nobody has mentioned ebay yet. There are a few words of advice I can give if you want to go that route. Besides Northstamp which is mentioned above I've seen two other ebay sellers that routinely sell entire collections: Roecy and nystamps. You might want to see what either of them can offer. (That's not an endorsement of any of these guys. I have made purchases from 2 of them, but I don't know them, I don't work for them, and I haven't sold to them.)
If you want to sell it yourself, take a lesson from them: PICTURES. Every page is photographed. Every photograph is sharp and clear. The better stamps have close-ups. Ebay charges for photos, so these sellers put in links to their sites where they can display HUNDREDS of photos for free.
The amateurs just post a single photo of the cover and think that's all they need. Buyers want to see what you've got, what condition it is in, and how you mounted everything. Get out that digital camera and take lots of photos, even if you are selling to a dealer and not a collector.
Whether you sell to a dealer or a collector, one thing to remember is that the most important thing they care about is the scarcer stamps. It's safe to assume they already have the common stamps, so they will buy whole collections just to get the goodies. So if you've got some expensive gems, make a point of it.
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usednanaimo.com criedoux@gmail.com. buying collections
Davic: Please provide some sort of explanation before tossing web addresses into the mix. I checked the site out and it appears to be something similar to Craigslist. Stamporama does not endorse the use of this site or any other, and should you choose to access or use it, you do so at your own risk.
As to the email address, I have no clue what it represents other than the notation "buying collections." Same caveat applies here - use it at your own risk.
Bobby Barnhart
Moderator
(Modified by Moderator on 2014-02-11 18:03:16)
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It was the for sempleg, re selling his collection. Yes usednanaimo is similar to craigs list, however it is in the same vicinity as sempleg. The buyers e-mail was supplied for a fellow member on this site, obviously it is classified as a competitor to Stamporama, I am sure I will get the drift of this site eventually, so as to avoid you getting your knickers in a knot.
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In a general sense, I would separate the philatelic gold from the philatelic dross if such exists. When the gold is mixed with the dross, then many buyers will downgrade the value of the gold and low ball the seller by citing the presence of the dross. I think many sellers fall for this ancient but effective ploy.
Bruce
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Good advice Bruce. highlight the gold separately and get the best prices for it; take what you can for the common and disorganized.
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11:49:37am
" .... Good advice Bruce. highlight the gold separately and get the best prices for it; take what you can for the common and disorganized. ...."
But be prepared to do the work of figuring out which is which.
And if these collections are your personal collections be prepared for a bucket of sadness as you prepare to send an old friend off to be stripped and parceled out by someone who appears to have no respect for the work you put into the assemblage, truely, a "Love's Labors Lost."
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Giving this old thread a bump. I'm writing instructions to my niece, who will be my executor, and I'm hoping for some advice.
Has anyone on the board sold a collection to a dealer? If so, who was it, and were you satisfied with the experience? I want to give her a few dealers to approach, including auctions. If you have recommendations, I'm all ears.
I've bought from many dealers, of course. Those have almost all been pleasant experiences. But I don't know how they would be as buyers.
As someone once said, we are just caretakers. Others have owned our stamps, and when we're gone, our collections will move to new homes. I want my stamps sold to people who will appreciate them. They might just sit in a box if they're given to a charity or a museum.
Ed Foster
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First, make sure that she understands the difference between catalog value, retail value, market value and wholesale value.
To help her make sure that you have a good inventory of what you have, and that your collection is well organized. Lack of an inventory and a collection that is mostly shoe boxes filled with loose stamps, or glassines filled with thousands of the same minimal value stamps will not meet with much, if any, of a buy offer.
If there are a couple of dealers whom you have often bought from, include them in your list. You may also want to include a couple of larger dealers like Mystic. Auction houses are good if you have high-end material, or oddball things (with value). An Auction house isn't going to be interested in a "standard" collection.
She should expect to get buy offers from 10% to around 30% of the catalog value of the collection. If your collection is primarily better material, that might get pushed to 35%.
If you belong to the APS, you can have her take advantage of the Estate Advisory Service. When the time comes, she can submit a request to the APS to have an APS adviser come to her to review the collection and offer her suggestion on its disposal. The service is free. For long distance travel, an adviser may request to get reimbursed for expenses (usually gas for the car), and if the family wants an in-depth appraisal of the collection, the adviser can charge a fee for that. I have been an APS Estate adviser for many years, and have found that the families have really appreciated discussing the collection and their options. That includes talking to some family members of the departed APS member who were familiar with the hobby.
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"She should expect to get buy offers from 10% to around 30% of the catalog value of the collection. If your collection is primarily better material, that might get pushed to 35%.
If you belong to the APS, you can have her take advantage of the Estate Advisory Service. When the time comes, she can submit a request to the APS to have an APS adviser come to her to review the collection and offer her suggestion on its disposal. The service is free. For long distance travel, an adviser may request to get reimbursed for expenses (usually gas for the car), and if the family wants an in-depth appraisal of the collection, the adviser can charge a fee for that. I have been an APS Estate adviser for many years, and have found that the families have really appreciated discussing the collection and their options. That includes talking to some family members of the departed APS member who were familiar with the hobby."
Thank you, Michael.
I've been a member of the APS (#173272) for many years. But I was not aware of the Estate Advisory Service. I will include that in my letter to her. That is really good advice.
My collection is online. That doesn't show the backs of stamps, of course. Given that limitation, would an APS adviser be willing to opine on the collection without a visit? Or would he/she want to see it in person? What about dealers?
The collection is airmail stamps, all unused, issued through 1940. Most of it is hinged, though some is NH. I have certificates on most expensive items. I also have a complete inventory in Excel, which I have maintained from the beginning. Keeps me from buying stamps twice! The spreadsheet has a running total of Scott value. Many items are in Sanabria, not Scott, so that total is conservative.
If she could get 35 percent, I'd be singing in my grave.
If she goes the auction route, would you recommend that the collection be sold on consignment? Or should she sell the stamps to the auction house? I have no experience selling at auction. What happens if all the stamps are not sold? If they are returned to her, she's back to square one. I would like to make this as simple as possible for her.
Again, thanks very much for your answer. Can anyone else offer advice?
Ed Foster
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"My collection is online. That doesn't show the backs of stamps, of course. Given that limitation, would an APS adviser be willing to opine on the collection without a visit? Or would he/she want to see it in person? What about dealers?"
An online display of your collection would be good for a preliminary review, which is what an APS Estate Adviser would normally do. A dealer would be able to get an idea if a more thorough review was warranted. The collection being mostly hinged will drive down its value probably to the 15%-20% range or less as there'll be the potential for thinning of the stamps with hinge removal, and the demand in resale is for never hinged. If the stamps are mostly used, that'll drive down the value even more. An auction house would "cherry pick" your collection for the much better items, and leave your daughter with the, rest.
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I recently sold my late uncle's stamp collection with Regency Superior auctions. There were 13 14x14x14 cartons full of worldwide stamps and covers. Most were common value but about 1/3 were "higher value" by Scott ($10 and over; highest was about $450). The entire lot sold in 10 auction lots; I realized $3,500 after their 20% commission and my $300 shipping to them by UPS. It was about what I expected in terms of return, but I cannot recommend them. The customer service, communication, and payment were all problematic. The representative who initially was so engaging and helpful would not return my emails once the sales happened and then referred me to the President of the company if I had a problem. Long story short, I would not sell or buy from them again and told them; they didn't seem to care. There are posts on this forum about the experience (search "Regency").
Peter
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Michael: Thanks again.
Peter: I remember your posts about Regency Superior. They caused me to rethink my initial plan to recommend that the collection be auctioned.
Thank you for responding.
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here is the article
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"... An auction house would "cherry pick" your collection for the much better items, and leave your daughter with the, rest ..."
Auction houses commonly sell complete collections.
Auction houses will also list individual items, and sell the rest with the helpful lablel "remainder lot".
No reason to imagine an auction house returning a lot, unless there is a reserve and it did not sell.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
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What a wonderful thread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Do not EVER EVER EVER consign ANYTHING with Regency Superior. Consigned a very nice piece of sports memoribilia to their last sports auction in October. This is an email I just go from one of the principals of the company:
"Due to declining sales, the Company is in the midst of streamlining and has cut back the number of auctions  it will be offering.
These declining sales  has caused our cash flow to be very tight. Consequently, the Company will be paying the October Auction
proceeds in  January 2017.
Â
Sorry for any have caused this may cause."
Â
I'm mad as hell. Not sure I can do much about it.
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The total collection catalogue value is a little over $32,000.00 with $29K being the Canadian value.
Since you know the catalog value, can we assume that you have a spread sheet? If not, that should be a priority.
How pressing is your need for cash? If in a hurry, be prepared to take a beating ... 5% to 10% of catalog. They will fight you on condition, gum, centering ... so be forwarned.
I sold my entire unused US Airmail collection, complete thru 1999, on EBay for close to 20% ... but it took time. I also sold my 1920-1999 complete unused US collection for a good price ... considering that the stamps from the fifties and up are hardly worth face value. Again, it took time.
Good luck and you have our best wishes.
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Went to an employee/retiree get together last night...everyone 
says what they are doing..when asked i was afraid to tell them...what would i do without my stamps ? Its my choice to collect worldwide the way i do...i realize what these collections go for..NO ONE will value our stamp collections the way we do.
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I would like to add my experience as a stamp dealer to this discussion. I specialize in US, Canada, and Australia. I just did the largest show in the Southeast US (FLOREX). I can tell you the Canadian market is relatively flat right now due to the exchange rate against the US dollar. If the catalog value was obtained using Unitrade, the values are in Canadian dollars and would have to be reduced if selling outside of Canada.
On average, I try to sell my material at 50% of catalog if in good condition and centering. Most dealers I speak with offer about 8-10% of catalog, taking into account any special items (like mint Jubilee's). As others have said, stamps in a dealers inventory make take some time to sell so their offer has to take that into consideration.
My advice is to get multiple offers and compare them. I always recommend never to let anyone cherry-pick the good items because you are left with stuff nobody wants.
Best of luck on your adventure.
Polyrapid
Bob Dowrick
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07:27:21pm
I have a collection of Canadian stamps which is missing 112 stamps. I will also include my collection of provincial stamps, USA stamps, Great Britain stamps and global stamps.
The total collection catalogue value is a little over $32,000.00 with $29K being the Canadian value. Any help and suggestions you can give me would be appreciated.
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re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
I would just like to clarify Garry's posting above. He and I have been talking about this, Garry has reached the point where he needs to sell his collection and is looking for your advice on how to approach this task. From Garry's posting above, this could be a sizable task.
Regards ... Tim
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They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin
30 Jan 2014
08:13:46pm
re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
With Tim's clarification, I am working on the presumption that the initial post in this thread is NOT an offer to sell, but rather a solicitation of advice on how best to go about marketing the collection. Please do not respond to this post with offers or attempt to open negotiations for the purchase of the collection, such posts will be deleted.
If my interpretation is incorrect, and subsequent discussion herein lead me to believe that this is an advertisement to sell the collection on this board (which is a violation of the DB rules), I will delete this thread.
Sincerely,
Bobby Barnhart
DB Moderator
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re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
Has Gary explored the auction route through an auction house?
Dan C.
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02:21:52am
re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
Get a copy of Linn's. There are plenty of ads from dealers offering to buy collections. Also there's a dealer who created an online video that you can watch regarding selling a collection.
http://northstamp.com/
You need to understand and remember that the final price is going to depend totally on the condition and how the stamps have been kept. The price a dealer will pay will generally run from 5% to 30% of catalog value for a regular collection. If you have some gems in excellent condition you will probably get a little more. You have to remember that it takes time for a dealer to sell a collection and that the dealer's money and time will be tied up in it for quite a while as they work it up for selling. They can't buy at high catalog value and sell for less as collectors don't like to pay much more than 50% of catalog value. Remember what you paid for the stamps, and think accordingly as to what a dealer would have to pay in order to sell the stamps for that amount and still make a profit to pay the bill, taxes and feed the family.
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re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
thanks Michael. I enjoyed the video. I think the basics were well done, although i think he was too kind about some of the collections; that is, golden replicas don't have "significant value," they are tough to sell at all. I think he does a disservice by not speaking harsher truths, and his implication that people who have tons of sheets have tons of value just by sheer mass is true, as long as they are either willing to use the stamps as postage and get face value or accept somewhere between 40% and 100% of face, depending on how quickly they need to sell.
As to Gary's initial question, he's best off, i think, to separate the Canada from the rest and talk to an auction house or dealer who specializes in Canada.
If he wants to talk specifics, we might help further. I have no knowledge of Canada collections, so I can't make specific suggestions.
David
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11:02:03am
re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
For Canada, it is similar to most other countries. Pre-World War II there are some good values in many stamps (if they are in good condition). After that, the stamps are common, ubiquitous and tend to go as postage lots.
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re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
You might want to contact (name deleted) about consignment -- you can review the results of their past bi-weekly bidboards to get a sense of what your material might realize.
Name and address deleted as a violation of the DB rule against advertising. You may notify the member of this information via email or SOR message.
Bobby Barnhart
Moderator
(Modified by Moderator on 2014-01-31 22:20:32)
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re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
Tough call Bobby, but I understand the rationale and upon reflection do agree with it. Nicely done, even though necessarily harsh in impact.
Best,
Dan C.
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re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
I apologize to any whom I may have offended in my attempt to be helpful to @sempleg. I misinterpreted the "policy" as prohibiting the spam-like touting of one's own business interests.
"Commercial ads are prohibited and will be deleted as soon as seen by a moderator, so you would be wasting your time posting. If you want to promote your business or website, you may do so discretely using a personal statement under your avatar or in your message footer as part of your posts. Our policy in summation: "Contribute and be discrete, and you are welcome. Dump your advertising on us and you are welcome to leave"."
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re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
Tom,
No problem-just do like the rest of us do and blame Bobby.
Welcome, and jump in and join the fun of bashing Bobby.
JUST KIDDING!!!
Best,
Dan C.
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The past is a foreign country, they do things different there.
01 Feb 2014
01:02:28pm
re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
Garry Semple:
Although you have likely checked it out, try
the Yellow Pages for Victoria, BC. I've dealt
with all the listees and consider them
reputable.
John Derry
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re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
Sell ..i don't know..i am not a day trader...i buy and hold !
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re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
Phil:
Admit it... you're a closet stamp dealer!
David
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re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
Ah, me boy..i find it much easier to buy than to sell !!!
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re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
Nobody has mentioned ebay yet. There are a few words of advice I can give if you want to go that route. Besides Northstamp which is mentioned above I've seen two other ebay sellers that routinely sell entire collections: Roecy and nystamps. You might want to see what either of them can offer. (That's not an endorsement of any of these guys. I have made purchases from 2 of them, but I don't know them, I don't work for them, and I haven't sold to them.)
If you want to sell it yourself, take a lesson from them: PICTURES. Every page is photographed. Every photograph is sharp and clear. The better stamps have close-ups. Ebay charges for photos, so these sellers put in links to their sites where they can display HUNDREDS of photos for free.
The amateurs just post a single photo of the cover and think that's all they need. Buyers want to see what you've got, what condition it is in, and how you mounted everything. Get out that digital camera and take lots of photos, even if you are selling to a dealer and not a collector.
Whether you sell to a dealer or a collector, one thing to remember is that the most important thing they care about is the scarcer stamps. It's safe to assume they already have the common stamps, so they will buy whole collections just to get the goodies. So if you've got some expensive gems, make a point of it.
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05:29:20pm
re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
usednanaimo.com criedoux@gmail.com. buying collections
Davic: Please provide some sort of explanation before tossing web addresses into the mix. I checked the site out and it appears to be something similar to Craigslist. Stamporama does not endorse the use of this site or any other, and should you choose to access or use it, you do so at your own risk.
As to the email address, I have no clue what it represents other than the notation "buying collections." Same caveat applies here - use it at your own risk.
Bobby Barnhart
Moderator
(Modified by Moderator on 2014-02-11 18:03:16)
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05:19:37pm
re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
It was the for sempleg, re selling his collection. Yes usednanaimo is similar to craigs list, however it is in the same vicinity as sempleg. The buyers e-mail was supplied for a fellow member on this site, obviously it is classified as a competitor to Stamporama, I am sure I will get the drift of this site eventually, so as to avoid you getting your knickers in a knot.
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07:40:44pm
re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
In a general sense, I would separate the philatelic gold from the philatelic dross if such exists. When the gold is mixed with the dross, then many buyers will downgrade the value of the gold and low ball the seller by citing the presence of the dross. I think many sellers fall for this ancient but effective ploy.
Bruce
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re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
Good advice Bruce. highlight the gold separately and get the best prices for it; take what you can for the common and disorganized.
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
13 Feb 2014
11:49:37am
re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
" .... Good advice Bruce. highlight the gold separately and get the best prices for it; take what you can for the common and disorganized. ...."
But be prepared to do the work of figuring out which is which.
And if these collections are your personal collections be prepared for a bucket of sadness as you prepare to send an old friend off to be stripped and parceled out by someone who appears to have no respect for the work you put into the assemblage, truely, a "Love's Labors Lost."
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re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
Giving this old thread a bump. I'm writing instructions to my niece, who will be my executor, and I'm hoping for some advice.
Has anyone on the board sold a collection to a dealer? If so, who was it, and were you satisfied with the experience? I want to give her a few dealers to approach, including auctions. If you have recommendations, I'm all ears.
I've bought from many dealers, of course. Those have almost all been pleasant experiences. But I don't know how they would be as buyers.
As someone once said, we are just caretakers. Others have owned our stamps, and when we're gone, our collections will move to new homes. I want my stamps sold to people who will appreciate them. They might just sit in a box if they're given to a charity or a museum.
Ed Foster
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03:35:14am
re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
First, make sure that she understands the difference between catalog value, retail value, market value and wholesale value.
To help her make sure that you have a good inventory of what you have, and that your collection is well organized. Lack of an inventory and a collection that is mostly shoe boxes filled with loose stamps, or glassines filled with thousands of the same minimal value stamps will not meet with much, if any, of a buy offer.
If there are a couple of dealers whom you have often bought from, include them in your list. You may also want to include a couple of larger dealers like Mystic. Auction houses are good if you have high-end material, or oddball things (with value). An Auction house isn't going to be interested in a "standard" collection.
She should expect to get buy offers from 10% to around 30% of the catalog value of the collection. If your collection is primarily better material, that might get pushed to 35%.
If you belong to the APS, you can have her take advantage of the Estate Advisory Service. When the time comes, she can submit a request to the APS to have an APS adviser come to her to review the collection and offer her suggestion on its disposal. The service is free. For long distance travel, an adviser may request to get reimbursed for expenses (usually gas for the car), and if the family wants an in-depth appraisal of the collection, the adviser can charge a fee for that. I have been an APS Estate adviser for many years, and have found that the families have really appreciated discussing the collection and their options. That includes talking to some family members of the departed APS member who were familiar with the hobby.
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re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
"She should expect to get buy offers from 10% to around 30% of the catalog value of the collection. If your collection is primarily better material, that might get pushed to 35%.
If you belong to the APS, you can have her take advantage of the Estate Advisory Service. When the time comes, she can submit a request to the APS to have an APS adviser come to her to review the collection and offer her suggestion on its disposal. The service is free. For long distance travel, an adviser may request to get reimbursed for expenses (usually gas for the car), and if the family wants an in-depth appraisal of the collection, the adviser can charge a fee for that. I have been an APS Estate adviser for many years, and have found that the families have really appreciated discussing the collection and their options. That includes talking to some family members of the departed APS member who were familiar with the hobby."
Thank you, Michael.
I've been a member of the APS (#173272) for many years. But I was not aware of the Estate Advisory Service. I will include that in my letter to her. That is really good advice.
My collection is online. That doesn't show the backs of stamps, of course. Given that limitation, would an APS adviser be willing to opine on the collection without a visit? Or would he/she want to see it in person? What about dealers?
The collection is airmail stamps, all unused, issued through 1940. Most of it is hinged, though some is NH. I have certificates on most expensive items. I also have a complete inventory in Excel, which I have maintained from the beginning. Keeps me from buying stamps twice! The spreadsheet has a running total of Scott value. Many items are in Sanabria, not Scott, so that total is conservative.
If she could get 35 percent, I'd be singing in my grave.
If she goes the auction route, would you recommend that the collection be sold on consignment? Or should she sell the stamps to the auction house? I have no experience selling at auction. What happens if all the stamps are not sold? If they are returned to her, she's back to square one. I would like to make this as simple as possible for her.
Again, thanks very much for your answer. Can anyone else offer advice?
Ed Foster
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10:49:53am
re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
"My collection is online. That doesn't show the backs of stamps, of course. Given that limitation, would an APS adviser be willing to opine on the collection without a visit? Or would he/she want to see it in person? What about dealers?"
An online display of your collection would be good for a preliminary review, which is what an APS Estate Adviser would normally do. A dealer would be able to get an idea if a more thorough review was warranted. The collection being mostly hinged will drive down its value probably to the 15%-20% range or less as there'll be the potential for thinning of the stamps with hinge removal, and the demand in resale is for never hinged. If the stamps are mostly used, that'll drive down the value even more. An auction house would "cherry pick" your collection for the much better items, and leave your daughter with the, rest.
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12:38:39pm
re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
I recently sold my late uncle's stamp collection with Regency Superior auctions. There were 13 14x14x14 cartons full of worldwide stamps and covers. Most were common value but about 1/3 were "higher value" by Scott ($10 and over; highest was about $450). The entire lot sold in 10 auction lots; I realized $3,500 after their 20% commission and my $300 shipping to them by UPS. It was about what I expected in terms of return, but I cannot recommend them. The customer service, communication, and payment were all problematic. The representative who initially was so engaging and helpful would not return my emails once the sales happened and then referred me to the President of the company if I had a problem. Long story short, I would not sell or buy from them again and told them; they didn't seem to care. There are posts on this forum about the experience (search "Regency").
Peter
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re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
Michael: Thanks again.
Peter: I remember your posts about Regency Superior. They caused me to rethink my initial plan to recommend that the collection be auctioned.
Thank you for responding.
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09:49:31am
re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
here is the article
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re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
"... An auction house would "cherry pick" your collection for the much better items, and leave your daughter with the, rest ..."
Auction houses commonly sell complete collections.
Auction houses will also list individual items, and sell the rest with the helpful lablel "remainder lot".
No reason to imagine an auction house returning a lot, unless there is a reserve and it did not sell.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
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02:35:32pm
re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
What a wonderful thread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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06:57:02pm
re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
Do not EVER EVER EVER consign ANYTHING with Regency Superior. Consigned a very nice piece of sports memoribilia to their last sports auction in October. This is an email I just go from one of the principals of the company:
"Due to declining sales, the Company is in the midst of streamlining and has cut back the number of auctions  it will be offering.
These declining sales  has caused our cash flow to be very tight. Consequently, the Company will be paying the October Auction
proceeds in  January 2017.
Â
Sorry for any have caused this may cause."
Â
I'm mad as hell. Not sure I can do much about it.
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re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
The total collection catalogue value is a little over $32,000.00 with $29K being the Canadian value.
Since you know the catalog value, can we assume that you have a spread sheet? If not, that should be a priority.
How pressing is your need for cash? If in a hurry, be prepared to take a beating ... 5% to 10% of catalog. They will fight you on condition, gum, centering ... so be forwarned.
I sold my entire unused US Airmail collection, complete thru 1999, on EBay for close to 20% ... but it took time. I also sold my 1920-1999 complete unused US collection for a good price ... considering that the stamps from the fifties and up are hardly worth face value. Again, it took time.
Good luck and you have our best wishes.
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re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
Went to an employee/retiree get together last night...everyone says what they are doing..when asked i was afraid to tell them...what would i do without my stamps ? Its my choice to collect worldwide the way i do...i realize what these collections go for..NO ONE will value our stamp collections the way we do.
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08:39:32pm
re: Advice on how to sell a complete stamps collection.
I would like to add my experience as a stamp dealer to this discussion. I specialize in US, Canada, and Australia. I just did the largest show in the Southeast US (FLOREX). I can tell you the Canadian market is relatively flat right now due to the exchange rate against the US dollar. If the catalog value was obtained using Unitrade, the values are in Canadian dollars and would have to be reduced if selling outside of Canada.
On average, I try to sell my material at 50% of catalog if in good condition and centering. Most dealers I speak with offer about 8-10% of catalog, taking into account any special items (like mint Jubilee's). As others have said, stamps in a dealers inventory make take some time to sell so their offer has to take that into consideration.
My advice is to get multiple offers and compare them. I always recommend never to let anyone cherry-pick the good items because you are left with stuff nobody wants.
Best of luck on your adventure.
Polyrapid
Bob Dowrick
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