Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Now that the Approvals have been up and going for two months, the Approvals Development Team have been wondering how it has been going for you as buyers. Are there things that we could change in the Approvals system that would make it easier for you to find the stamps that you are interested in? Are there any particular things that we could change that would make it work easier for you?
We can't promise to include all requests, but we can promise to look at all requests and suggestions and to implement what we can.
Regards ... Tim
For the Stamporama Approvals Development Team.
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Kudos to all....
How about, upon retiring a book, an option to send the whole remainder to auction..
Just a bit more programming to do with your spare time 
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11:13:24pm
"How about, upon retiring a book, an option to send the whole remainder to auction.."
I would disagree with that. Since there is no way to remove the images of the "sold" items, the potential for misunderstandings with the viewers/buyers of the remainder would be enormous. Doesn't matter what disclaimers are added, or labels used, if people see it, they won't read the fine print and will expect to receive everything they see.
Roy
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"will expect to receive everything they see."
Ok Tim..... Roy just made your job a whole lot harder..... now we need an obliterator to obscure or erase an image when an item is sold in the approval books before we can send them to auction.... WITHOUT the seller having to do any extra keystrokes
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09:50:42am
"How about, upon retiring a book, an option to send the whole remainder to auction.."
The seller already has this option, if he/she elects to do so. It is very easy to take existing scans and delete the images of the "sold" stamps, and then use simple HTML language to embed the scans into the Auction description section. Takes some effort, but is a good idea. Thanks mike, I might very well try it on one or more of my retired books!
Bobby
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"How about, upon retiring a book, an option to send the whole remainder to auction.."
Isn't that redundant as the Approval books where designed for lower value issue's. Just lower the selling price and mark the Approval book "Reduced" or "Retire" the book and move the remaining issue to another book.
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Bobby, Ross..... you guys are wanting to make just too much work of this.....
I say Tim should be able to come up w/ a one click move.
Seriously Ross,
I have some books I'm putting together that will have some very high value covers, if they languish too long.... I'll them go as a lot
Mike
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Mike,
Your high value cover's should go the auction section and take advantage of the BIN feature. I believe that the Approval books where designed for lower value items in mind to help clean up the auction section.
Ross
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"Mike,
Your high value cover's should go the auction section and take advantage of the BIN feature. I believe that the Approval books where designed for lower value items in mind to help clean up the auction section.
Ross"
You're right.... I'm looking at the books as a surrogate store. This week I'm on vacation, I have some time to goof around... back to work and I won't have the time for running auctions
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Hi Mike,
I don't have the ability to break the image up into individual lots. Also, the description on the Approvals pages are at an absolute minimum, they just wouldn't work in the Auction. Pushing the left over Approvals material into the Auction, is not in the spirit of what we were trying to do with the Approval, so I'm afraid this won't happen.
Regards ... Tim.
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Thanks Tim.....
This started out as more tongue-in-cheek than serious thought... it struck me as a pain in the * to keep recharging books. The books if properly done, should about sell out with very little value left.....that's my hope anyway.
This is a very cool setup, I'll bet some very clever ideas will show the longer this goes on....
Again my compliments to the team for the implementation.
Mike
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It would be nice if sellers would all put the numbers on the left of the stamp.
I noticed that some are on the right side of the stamp and this is confusing and could lead to purchasing the wrong stamp.
A bonus would be if the sellers would list the catalogue number for the stamp they are selling.
Doug
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02:17:36pm
Good point, Doug. Stamp numbers should be easily associated with the stamp they represent. Since I overlay the numbers onto my scans, I usually place the number so it touches the stamp it represents. Those who use paper slips to number the stamps could do the same. Those who mount the stamps and then enter a number for each on the sheet should place each number very close to the stamp it represents so that there is no confusion.
As to catalog numbers, that is just not practical as there are too many different catalogs.
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03:23:09pm
Still not practical, Doug. It would force everyone to purchase catalogs. Many collectors do not have access to catalogs, and taking your collection to a library to prepare approval books does not seem doable either.
Plus, since I use overlays, it would more than triple the time it takes me to assemble a book.
Then there is the fact, as I have observed over the past 50 years, that a very large percentage of collectors misidentify stamps routinely because they do not know how to properly detect watermarks, perfs, paper types, etc. And then there are the collectors who cannot accurately interpret catalog entries.
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04:41:32pm
I agree with Bobby. One of the reasons I like Approval Books and seems to be one of the reasons that people enjoy my books is that I don't catalogue them, I just put a very low price on most of my books and if someone gets an advantage and finds something worth more than the 5 or 10 cents that they paid - due to watermarks, varieties, etc. Hats off to them. There are some that I do go through and catalogue or at least check to see what Scott lists them at - but to be honest, I simply don't have the time or patience (I'd rather put my time into doing that with my own collection). The Approval Books for me is more for fun - sorting the stamps and putting them up for others. When I look at the Approval Books, I simply find something that catches my eye and grab it - I don't look according to Scott #s.
Just my nickel thoughts.
Kelly
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"Bobby: they do not know how to properly detect watermarks, perfs, paper types, etc."
Amen
"Kelly: I just put a very low price on most of my books and if someone gets an advantage and finds something worth more than the 5 or 10 cents that they paid "
Where's the clapping emoticon???
Yes, cheap items don't get the same effort
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Because I only recently returned to stamp collecting, I have a lot of empty spaces in my albums that can be filled by inexpensive stamps. The approvals books are ideal for this purpose. I can buy a large quantity of stamps at a low total cost, and do it quickly. In that regard, I think the approvals are working they way they were intended to work.
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As a buyer, sometimes I jump right into a book and start looking at the stamps. When I begin to find stamps that I would like to buy, I realize that I need to look at the seller's T&C. However, I don't know of a way to be able to go to that page without exiting the book. Would be nice to be able to check out the T&C while staying in the book.
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At the bottom of every page is a large blank area where I encourage all sellers to put their terms of sale. It doesn't take long to copy and paste this to every page and it is a considerable courtesy to the buyer, and that can only be good for all involved.
Peter
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11:16:48am
I second Peter's suggestion. My rather lengthy conditions are in that space on every page and no one has misconstrued my conditions of sale over the course of many transactions.
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Good idea Michael,
I'll add a link to the terms and conditions at the bottom of each page.
Regards ... Tim
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02:17:19pm
Thanks, Tim. A lot less "cut and paste" in my future!
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04:24:21am
" .... A bonus would be if the sellers would list the catalogue number for the stamp they are selling. ...."
Some time ago I read an explanation about minimum value listings in catalogs. The explanation was that today a seller could not possibly afford to sell even the most common stamp for less than $0.25 when heat, light, telephone and other expenses are considered.
Now in the club approvals there are still expenses of time and so on, although not what a professional dealer would encounter.
Taking the time to catalog the stamps that are currently being offered at $0.05 to perhaps $0.15 would simply make the nickel and dime sales impractical. Can you imagine the time consumed to determine which of several varieties a common stamp is, especially when both variations are quite common and the complaints from some seller who thought he was getting the item listed at $0.35 and received the cheaper example that is listed at
"M"
The original idea, if memory serves me correctly was to create a simple almost non-labor intensive outlet for items simply too cheap to put in a bid auction except in bulk.
It would also take the fun of a seller out of getting a few dollars for these common stamps that would have to be priced out of the market if offered singly.
And as for the buyer, the fun is in finding some nice stamps to fill some gaps at a minimal price.
I enjoy opening the cyber approval book next to the appropriate album and filling spaces, some of which have been empty for years. I can find shades and some fly-specs and hope for that example with a slightly different perforation or watermark. At the low selling price so what if it is not what I hoped it would be, but the fun stays there.
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01:06:24pm
I agree with you Charlie - that's why I don't bother cataloguing anything that goes into my approval books - I do on occasion look in the catalogue to double-check what I have as there have been several instances where the stamps were higher than $5.00. In those cases I will list them at higher than my usual $0.05-0.15 stamps. My theory is - if someone gets something they are not expecting - aside from if there is damage to the stamp that I missed when I was putting the book together, they have only to gain if they only paid $0.05 for the stamp.
Kelly
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I was on the fence with catalog vs. no catalog numbers. I found, although more time consuming, to use this not only as a selling platform but a learning platform. Heck you have to look up the stamp to find out it's only a minimum value issue's so it really only adds 1 more step to the process. I find it a "Win Win" for me.
Ross
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03:34:44pm
"Heck you have to look up the stamp to find out it's only a minimum value issue's so it really only adds 1 more step to the process."
Ross, you are assuming that when I prepare a page of, say, 10¢ stamps I am concerned about minimum value. I have been doing this a long time (55 years since I purchased my first Scott catalog), and while I may not be able to always tell what is and is not a minimum value stamp, I can usually tell when a stamp catalogs less than a dollar (which is usually my criteria for 10¢ stamps). And if I miss a few and send a $5 value stamp out to be sold for 10¢, that's OK by me.
If a seller wants to enter catalog numbers, that is fine with me, and as a buyer I appreciate it. But I am going to do whatever keeps my time and expense to a minimum with the approval book stamps.
Bobby
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Hi Everyone,
Now that the Approvals have been up and going for two months, the Approvals Development Team have been wondering how it has been going for you as buyers. Are there things that we could change in the Approvals system that would make it easier for you to find the stamps that you are interested in? Are there any particular things that we could change that would make it work easier for you?
We can't promise to include all requests, but we can promise to look at all requests and suggestions and to implement what we can.
Regards ... Tim
For the Stamporama Approvals Development Team.
Login to Like
this post
re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
Kudos to all....
How about, upon retiring a book, an option to send the whole remainder to auction..
Just a bit more programming to do with your spare time
Login to Like
this post
BuckaCover.com - 80,000 covers priced 60c to $1.50 - Easy browsing 500 categories
22 Feb 2014
11:13:24pm
re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
"How about, upon retiring a book, an option to send the whole remainder to auction.."
I would disagree with that. Since there is no way to remove the images of the "sold" items, the potential for misunderstandings with the viewers/buyers of the remainder would be enormous. Doesn't matter what disclaimers are added, or labels used, if people see it, they won't read the fine print and will expect to receive everything they see.
Roy
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re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
"will expect to receive everything they see."
Ok Tim..... Roy just made your job a whole lot harder..... now we need an obliterator to obscure or erase an image when an item is sold in the approval books before we can send them to auction.... WITHOUT the seller having to do any extra keystrokes
Login to Like
this post
They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin
23 Feb 2014
09:50:42am
re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
"How about, upon retiring a book, an option to send the whole remainder to auction.."
The seller already has this option, if he/she elects to do so. It is very easy to take existing scans and delete the images of the "sold" stamps, and then use simple HTML language to embed the scans into the Auction description section. Takes some effort, but is a good idea. Thanks mike, I might very well try it on one or more of my retired books!
Bobby
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To error is human -to really fowl things up takes a computer
23 Feb 2014
01:59:58pm
re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
"How about, upon retiring a book, an option to send the whole remainder to auction.."
Isn't that redundant as the Approval books where designed for lower value issue's. Just lower the selling price and mark the Approval book "Reduced" or "Retire" the book and move the remaining issue to another book.
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re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
Bobby, Ross..... you guys are wanting to make just too much work of this.....
I say Tim should be able to come up w/ a one click move.
Seriously Ross,
I have some books I'm putting together that will have some very high value covers, if they languish too long.... I'll them go as a lot
Mike
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To error is human -to really fowl things up takes a computer
23 Feb 2014
02:57:58pm
re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
Mike,
Your high value cover's should go the auction section and take advantage of the BIN feature. I believe that the Approval books where designed for lower value items in mind to help clean up the auction section.
Ross
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re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
"Mike,
Your high value cover's should go the auction section and take advantage of the BIN feature. I believe that the Approval books where designed for lower value items in mind to help clean up the auction section.
Ross"
You're right.... I'm looking at the books as a surrogate store. This week I'm on vacation, I have some time to goof around... back to work and I won't have the time for running auctions
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re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
Hi Mike,
I don't have the ability to break the image up into individual lots. Also, the description on the Approvals pages are at an absolute minimum, they just wouldn't work in the Auction. Pushing the left over Approvals material into the Auction, is not in the spirit of what we were trying to do with the Approval, so I'm afraid this won't happen.
Regards ... Tim.
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re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
Thanks Tim.....
This started out as more tongue-in-cheek than serious thought... it struck me as a pain in the * to keep recharging books. The books if properly done, should about sell out with very little value left.....that's my hope anyway.
This is a very cool setup, I'll bet some very clever ideas will show the longer this goes on....
Again my compliments to the team for the implementation.
Mike
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Auctions - Approvals
re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
It would be nice if sellers would all put the numbers on the left of the stamp.
I noticed that some are on the right side of the stamp and this is confusing and could lead to purchasing the wrong stamp.
A bonus would be if the sellers would list the catalogue number for the stamp they are selling.
Doug
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They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin
25 Feb 2014
02:17:36pm
re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
Good point, Doug. Stamp numbers should be easily associated with the stamp they represent. Since I overlay the numbers onto my scans, I usually place the number so it touches the stamp it represents. Those who use paper slips to number the stamps could do the same. Those who mount the stamps and then enter a number for each on the sheet should place each number very close to the stamp it represents so that there is no confusion.
As to catalog numbers, that is just not practical as there are too many different catalogs.
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They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin
25 Feb 2014
03:23:09pm
re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
Still not practical, Doug. It would force everyone to purchase catalogs. Many collectors do not have access to catalogs, and taking your collection to a library to prepare approval books does not seem doable either.
Plus, since I use overlays, it would more than triple the time it takes me to assemble a book.
Then there is the fact, as I have observed over the past 50 years, that a very large percentage of collectors misidentify stamps routinely because they do not know how to properly detect watermarks, perfs, paper types, etc. And then there are the collectors who cannot accurately interpret catalog entries.
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A Service Dog gives a person with a disability independence. Never approach, distract or pet a working dog, especially when (s)he is in harness. Never be afraid to ask questions to the handler (parent).
25 Feb 2014
04:41:32pm
re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
I agree with Bobby. One of the reasons I like Approval Books and seems to be one of the reasons that people enjoy my books is that I don't catalogue them, I just put a very low price on most of my books and if someone gets an advantage and finds something worth more than the 5 or 10 cents that they paid - due to watermarks, varieties, etc. Hats off to them. There are some that I do go through and catalogue or at least check to see what Scott lists them at - but to be honest, I simply don't have the time or patience (I'd rather put my time into doing that with my own collection). The Approval Books for me is more for fun - sorting the stamps and putting them up for others. When I look at the Approval Books, I simply find something that catches my eye and grab it - I don't look according to Scott #s.
Just my nickel thoughts.
Kelly
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re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
"Bobby: they do not know how to properly detect watermarks, perfs, paper types, etc."
Amen
"Kelly: I just put a very low price on most of my books and if someone gets an advantage and finds something worth more than the 5 or 10 cents that they paid "
Where's the clapping emoticon???
Yes, cheap items don't get the same effort
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re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
Because I only recently returned to stamp collecting, I have a lot of empty spaces in my albums that can be filled by inexpensive stamps. The approvals books are ideal for this purpose. I can buy a large quantity of stamps at a low total cost, and do it quickly. In that regard, I think the approvals are working they way they were intended to work.
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10:12:54pm
re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
As a buyer, sometimes I jump right into a book and start looking at the stamps. When I begin to find stamps that I would like to buy, I realize that I need to look at the seller's T&C. However, I don't know of a way to be able to go to that page without exiting the book. Would be nice to be able to check out the T&C while staying in the book.
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10:21:39am
re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
At the bottom of every page is a large blank area where I encourage all sellers to put their terms of sale. It doesn't take long to copy and paste this to every page and it is a considerable courtesy to the buyer, and that can only be good for all involved.
Peter
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They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin
09 Mar 2014
11:16:48am
re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
I second Peter's suggestion. My rather lengthy conditions are in that space on every page and no one has misconstrued my conditions of sale over the course of many transactions.
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re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
Good idea Michael,
I'll add a link to the terms and conditions at the bottom of each page.
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
09 Mar 2014
02:17:19pm
re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
Thanks, Tim. A lot less "cut and paste" in my future!
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12 Mar 2014
04:24:21am
re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
" .... A bonus would be if the sellers would list the catalogue number for the stamp they are selling. ...."
Some time ago I read an explanation about minimum value listings in catalogs. The explanation was that today a seller could not possibly afford to sell even the most common stamp for less than $0.25 when heat, light, telephone and other expenses are considered.
Now in the club approvals there are still expenses of time and so on, although not what a professional dealer would encounter.
Taking the time to catalog the stamps that are currently being offered at $0.05 to perhaps $0.15 would simply make the nickel and dime sales impractical. Can you imagine the time consumed to determine which of several varieties a common stamp is, especially when both variations are quite common and the complaints from some seller who thought he was getting the item listed at $0.35 and received the cheaper example that is listed at
"M"
The original idea, if memory serves me correctly was to create a simple almost non-labor intensive outlet for items simply too cheap to put in a bid auction except in bulk.
It would also take the fun of a seller out of getting a few dollars for these common stamps that would have to be priced out of the market if offered singly.
And as for the buyer, the fun is in finding some nice stamps to fill some gaps at a minimal price.
I enjoy opening the cyber approval book next to the appropriate album and filling spaces, some of which have been empty for years. I can find shades and some fly-specs and hope for that example with a slightly different perforation or watermark. At the low selling price so what if it is not what I hoped it would be, but the fun stays there.
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A Service Dog gives a person with a disability independence. Never approach, distract or pet a working dog, especially when (s)he is in harness. Never be afraid to ask questions to the handler (parent).
12 Mar 2014
01:06:24pm
re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
I agree with you Charlie - that's why I don't bother cataloguing anything that goes into my approval books - I do on occasion look in the catalogue to double-check what I have as there have been several instances where the stamps were higher than $5.00. In those cases I will list them at higher than my usual $0.05-0.15 stamps. My theory is - if someone gets something they are not expecting - aside from if there is damage to the stamp that I missed when I was putting the book together, they have only to gain if they only paid $0.05 for the stamp.
Kelly
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To error is human -to really fowl things up takes a computer
12 Mar 2014
02:45:58pm
re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
I was on the fence with catalog vs. no catalog numbers. I found, although more time consuming, to use this not only as a selling platform but a learning platform. Heck you have to look up the stamp to find out it's only a minimum value issue's so it really only adds 1 more step to the process. I find it a "Win Win" for me.
Ross
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They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin
12 Mar 2014
03:34:44pm
re: A Question for Approvals Buyers
"Heck you have to look up the stamp to find out it's only a minimum value issue's so it really only adds 1 more step to the process."
Ross, you are assuming that when I prepare a page of, say, 10¢ stamps I am concerned about minimum value. I have been doing this a long time (55 years since I purchased my first Scott catalog), and while I may not be able to always tell what is and is not a minimum value stamp, I can usually tell when a stamp catalogs less than a dollar (which is usually my criteria for 10¢ stamps). And if I miss a few and send a $5 value stamp out to be sold for 10¢, that's OK by me.
If a seller wants to enter catalog numbers, that is fine with me, and as a buyer I appreciate it. But I am going to do whatever keeps my time and expense to a minimum with the approval book stamps.
Bobby
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