Check out the number of views for this post and use that as a judge. As of right now there are 4 and two of them are mine, and I read almost everything! Does the person who posts the article also count as a view - I think so! Sorry rrr... but I don't think many people collect Monaco.
Monaco is very nice. I don't know anyone collect or specialized in Monaco. This tiny territory is similar to French Polynesia. Both are very democratic & peaceful with strong appreciation for Art. I collect French Polynesia only, but Monaco is my second favorite for 4 reasons:
* Monaco stamps are beautifully designed on high quality paper.
* Monaco stamps are limited & not over produced like other countries.
* I admired Prince Rainer & late Princess Grace Kelly.
* Monaco was one of favorite locations in James Bond movies (Sean Connery & Roger Moore)
Harvey I think you are absolutely correct. Few collectors of Monaco here. I posted a new book and it too showed little action, and way fewer than usual views. Price cuts had zero impact.
I am so surprised, because Andorra did better, or San Marino, to stick with Europe's tiny countries and I would have bet that Monaco with its lovely stamps and varied topics (royalty, flowers, dogs, cars etc..) would attract the topical collectors in addition to the country collectors.
rrr...
There may be plenty of Monaco collectors but demand may have been satisfied through prior sales. This is why new members can be important.
I agree with previous poster and add that in general it seems that people on the forum tend to collect more classic issues as opposed to modern issues. Your classic Monaco sold more than post 1970's issues. Then again, new issues are harder to find especially postally used so often they sell as well. There are topical collectors, but again, with the age/experience of those collecting, they are more likely to have those issues already in their collections. Stamps that are in "Big Blue" seem to do well. These are just my thoughts and may have no basis in reality (would not be the first time). It also may be that someone has already saturated the market here on Monaco. I've seen people here pivot from one area to another in an effort to drive sales. And as always, we are a bunch cheap b@**@rds and depending on price they may not sell. I see a lot of 10-25% pricing on stamps and those don't always sell. I look at this from a buyer's perspective, sellers may have a different one altogether.
Jackie
Hard to believe I have been here for 7 years in November - and I still haven't figured out why some things sell and others do not. Last week for example. I put up a book of Nicaragua sets, very nice I think priced fairly. A couple of years ago I put up a book or two of Nicaragua mint sets and they sold out. This time, 21%. I doubt if any more wioll sell from it, BUT when it rolls off, and I bring it back in say 6-7 months with nothing changed (as it will still qualify at 100 stamps), stamps will sell to the very same people who are members now. Happens over and over again. Should it fail a second time, the sets will move to my stores (eventually). I tried Monaco once or twice myself and had poor results. Lumped the county into the group of countries I will not buy at auction for resale. I have had my fair share of misses here, but also have had some books sell out 100%, Luck of the draw I think. For pricing I agree with Jackie BUT I know some areas that will bring higher prices which allows me to bid higher at auction for resale material. Still, I have a Somali Coast #1 in my Somali Coast book priced at $65. Lowest price on Hipstamp is $98. I don't expect it to sell here though. I'll move it there eventually for $100 and accept $80 and be happy. There are French Colony collectors here but $65 might be out of their range.
I have also begun to believe (and this is something probably other sellers already know) there is something called a loyalty factor. I used to think it was an "anti dealer" attitude, and maybe it is, but there also can be the issue of "I'm only going to buy from certain sellers" There are people here who have never purchased a stamp from me, and there are some that for the most part only purchase from me. So I could take your book of Monaco perhaps, and list it and get sales from people who normally do not buy from you. Likewise you could take one of my duds, and do well with it. Again, 7 years and I have not figured it out. It can be maddening especially since I know the bait to put on the hip and ebay hooks to get buyers but here, other than price, I am clueless. What works for some does nothing for me (like not putting in a catalog number. Instant disaster in my books unless everything is 5 or 10 cents). I've even wondered if people look at a sideways stamp on a stock page and say it looks wrong, and skips over it. Only on this site do things like this become a concern for a seller. Maybe because there are so few buyers.
Greg
"There may be plenty of Monaco collectors but demand may have been satisfied through prior sales. This is why new members can be important."
"On the other hand Greg said it well:
I still haven't figured out why some things sell and others do not. "
"it is clear that a book with 50% sold will seldom get more views."
I'd like to provide a response from the perspective of a newish buyer on this site. As Greg stated, there is definitely a "loyalty" factor here, but it really has nothing to do with actual loyalty. Rather, it's a time issue. As a seller you may spend 50 hours a week on stamps. As a casual hobbyist buyer it's more like 5 hours. We just don't have the time to look through all of the hundreds of approval books that get posted here, even less assuming we're also shopping on other sites as well.
When I started here I picked 4-5 sellers to do business with, strictly because I didn't have the time to do much more. I spent a few months going through all of those 4-5 dealers offerings, and when I finished I added another 4-5 sellers. Rinse and repeat. Greg and Raphy will likely be in my next group of 4-5. For purely selfish reasons I hope you don't take your books down after a month. On several occasions I've gone through the Closing Soon list and found books from my inner circle of sellers to purchase from before they go away.
I also will second the opinion that the majority of buyers here are looking for older material. Perhaps it's only because that's the material I'm looking for and I tend to ignore the rest, but as others have stated the older books seem to sell better and faster. I looked through the Monaco books and found several "gems" in the older book but they'd already been purchased.
Ron
"Rather, it's a time issue. "
I look through the new listing and the closing in 24 hour listings on the auction. I am a somewhat loyal buyer and that is due to a couple of reasons. First is that I've built up a relationship with a couple of sellers. I can ask them to hold something for me, I can ask them them if they have something else in stock, and in some cases combine Stamporama and Hipstamp purchases into 1 invoice. Secondly, there are Paypal minimums and if I see 1 65 cent stamp I need with a $5 Paypal minimum, unless I see more in that individual's auction items I am probably not going to bother. I then have to look at their other items, check their approvals, arrange to pay 65 cent either by check or stamps . . . it gets more complicated. The sellers I buy from I know I can find enough material to meet Paypal limits or I can wait a few weeks while they list more and I'll find something.
I seldom do approvals except for the sellers I buy from regularly. It is a time thing, and also because I work a fairly demanding job and seldom am able to see a new book. I have looked through several that were a day or two old and most of the material that I need (I am a general WW collector with a few favorite countries primarly pre 1960) is gone, which is why I believe the material that is most popular is classic material. I do read the forums and I try to check out everyone's new books that are listed.
This is my general though process in buying:
Oh look at the cool stamp, do I have it? I don't think so, who is listing it?
1. Someone I don't regularly from: I check the other listings, if I see enough there that I can meet minimums, I bid and start a new relationship with a seller. If not, I check the approval books. If not enough I think about it and most of the time pass and think--maybe next time. I tend not to buy those who use dealer cards in their scans because I can't see the stamp as well as I would like. I also tend not to buy from those who have a BIN price 1 penny higher than the auction price, it just annoys me for some reason. I love large lots and I've bought several 1000 stamp sets when they were available a year or two ago and also a bunch of huge glassine lots that were offered as well. I started buying from Ian when he did one of his "clearance" type auctions where everything was 10%. I saw some interesting stuff, bid, and now buy regularly from him. I haven't bought from Brian in a while (mostly because of Covid and the huge delays with Australia), but I started when he had some really interesting (to me) material available. I started with Dakota when he was listing Scandinavia and filled some holes. Haven't bought from him in a while since I haven't been focusing on Scandinavia, but definitely will again.
2. Someone I regularly buy from: I think about it, consider how much I've already spent on stamps for month, consider the price (I actually look at value not price--for example when Ian listed his Falkland Island overprints they were at least $10 cheaper than anywhere else, and I grabbed his Portugal MNH in his first HV book because they were a great deal at $35, in Greg's case I grabbed a Penny Black at a very good price), I consider how often I see the material for sale either here or elsewhere, and I check the scan and the description.
Those are my criteria for buying, new sellers can pique my attention with interesting material, good value, and enough of what I am looking for to meet Paypal minimums. I now do checks most of the time for Greg, but for a new seller I am looking for Paypal for ease of transaction.
Sometimes I end up with duplicates, those I put into a big box I am getting ready to offer for sale, not a big deal. I do check to see if I already have the stamps in question but sometimes I haven't crossed it off my wantlist or I've already bought it and not mounted it in my collection. It happens and I move on.
Jackie
"It also brings home my complete belief that stamps in books need catalog numbers. You can argue from the position that there are all kinds of catalogs out there. I agree. But if I am looking for something for my collection,I am not going through a book and looking at the stamp, and then flipping album pages to see if I need it. "
Good points, it's better to purchase from sellers that you know. Relationship is everything and stamp collectors should know. Another good point, most stamp collectors in StampoRama preferred older stamps and have less interest in modern stamps. This might be a generation thing.
.
However in our stamp club, we purchase only modern stamps (Post 1958). Since majority members were born after 1990's, the modern stamps connect younger generation very well. The older stamps (Pre 1958) are rarely discussed with zero interest.
I think the best way to sell modern Monaco stamps in StampoRama is to take in more younger stamp collectors and Monaco Stamp Specialists.
French Polynesia Stamp Club
Although I must admit I have not read all the posts in this thread completely, I think there is another factor that has not been mentioned yet, and that's fashion, hype, trend or whatever you want to call it.
Just a few examples: about twenty years ago Chinese stamps were not very popular, to put it mildly. Nowaday almost anything sells and most of the time for ridiculous prices. I had some very common stuff in numbers that I could sell to someone here in the Netherlands for a price that did not make sense. At least not to me. He had a Chinese name and will probably try to resell them in China, but that's up to him.
The same, although not this extreme, can be said for Russia and recently I even saw interest rising for those infamous Dunes like Sharjah and Ajman.
On the other hand, I noticed that countries like Iceland (and also Monaco) that were once praised in the philatelic world for their output have been out of favour. I can still sell Iceland, but for "normal" prices, not for the regular percentages of the c.v.
People move on. Ten years ago, I focussed on Scandinavia and British commonwealth, now it is certain Latin American countries and Egypt. It's not that I do not collect the Nordic countries anymore, only that I do not need that many anymore. Which brings me to another point, there is a relatively small group of buyers here, so the chance of having success with the same kind of material over and over is smaller than on the larger selling sites. Especially when one moves into the more niche-like smaller countries.
Anyway, I do not really like Monaco. Not because they are poorly designed, but because these stamps have sort of become abstract items that have no real purpose other than being collected. Even though there are still quite a few people living in Monaco, the amount of stamps is in no relation to the actual need for them. That's of course the case for many countries. Most pacific islands do not need stamps, or could last 20 years with one print run. Still I collect some of these, because I find them exotic. I do not find Monaco exotic, just a bit campy. But that's my personal opinion, I digress.
Jan-Simon
I used to be bewildered by what sells and what does not sell here.
No Longer.
One can keep records of:-
What countries sell or what countries do not sell.
Whether books have catalogue numbers or not.
Whether books are laid out in year order or not.
Whether books are laid out in date of issue order or not.
Whether they are totally haphazard in layout or not.
The percentage of catalogue value they are priced at.
The size of the book whether 100 items or 300 items.
You can take all the above information and analyze it to your hearts content. Any conclusions you draw from the analysis will be totally false.
There is only one reason why items do not sell here:-
A lack of members.
Edit:- In addition to the problems on the Approval Books I have noticed the following:-
On 26th May there were 6995 Items in the auction
Today there are 4218 Items in the auction.
Over the past couple of weeks it has been as low as 3285 Items.
When you consider that some of these items are being listed for the second or third time it is not inconcievable that there are only 50% of items that are "new to the market".
What can be done to improve the situation before stamporama becomes a "lame duck"?
"I think there is another factor that has not been mentioned yet, and that's fashion, hype, trend or whatever you want to call it. "
Ian, do you ever get a bid from a new member ? I have 12 or 15 userids that bid on my auction lots but they are the usual suspects. Perhaps the newcomers are bidding on the approvals.
Philb
From January 2021 I have had 5 New members buy from me.
2 only bought from the Auctions and 3 bought from both Auctions and Approvals.
I don't know how many times it has been brought to the attention of sellers that the way some present the stamps they want to sell, leaves a lot to be desired
I enjoy collecting stamps and I don't mind spending But what I don't have is the time to go searching my albums to see if I can match my gaps with what is for sale
On many threads sellers were asked to put some reference to the stamp whether it be a date or a catalogue number
I am sure in many instances the seller looks up to see the value of the stamp and what is beside that information ? A reference number, but a more universal number is the date the stamp was issued Simple to include the date.
I notice the considerate sellers use the Stamporama approval sheet that has room for catalogue number and date
It doesn't matter if the stamp is selling for $40 or 40c consider the buyer
I have looked at some of the approvals books today and I have not gone further than the first page Don't put the blame on the number of members we have, I am not saying it is not a factor it could well be but in many instances it is just too much hassle. Believe me I am that soldier
I have read recently the amount of work and time sellers have to put into getting their stamps ready for either the auction or the approvals. Tweak your presentation and your stamps have a better chance of being sold. Take a look at how others are doing their presentations and ask yourself would I buy from him / her. Is it easier to deal with him / her that it is to deal with me ?
Y'all have a nice weekend
John
I only recently got back into collecting and after looking around the web I stumbled across SOR. My initial attraction was the excellent pricing and after becoming familiar with the site my interest grew. This was before the annual membership so my purchases were relatively low risk financially. Several thousand purchases later I'm fully immersed and have built a relationship with several sellers. I'm a happy camper
I'm personnaly not interested in seeing more members to bid against me but I understand we need more members to keep sellers posting. I think new members and potential buyers are reluctant to join because of the membership fee and hesitant to send money to an online service, especially if only buying a few stamps. I know the first month is free but visitors to the site won't know that unless they go to the Join page. It may be worthwhile expanding the Purchase Confirmation page to say something like "If you're new to StampoRama please sign up. The first month is free while you try us out. No payment information necessary to join.".
I am not against the membership fee and fully understand the cost of hosting a site like this, but I am curious to know if sales dropped off after the membership fee was introduced.
"Don't put the blame on the number of members we have"
Numbers at 12pm on Sunday afternoon EST:
76 visitors online, 10 members, 66 visitors. None of the visitors can buy unless they join (always possible a few members aren't signed in). 10 possible buyers online now, and some may be just perusing the forum. There are a few people not posting items in auction anymore (the guys with all the US stamp sheets (around 300 items), the guy from Canada who drops in every few months with 500+ listings, and I'm sure a few others I've missed. In addition to the drop of items, a lot of minimal value items. It may just be the ebb and flow of summer into fall, will be interesting if the numbers increase as the weather changes. I don't notice as much since the people I regularly buy from are still posting items for sale.
Jackie
The # of members who are potential buyers may have gone down - but the number of Approval Book Offerings has gone up recently. The number of books now available is around 600 and before the membership program it had been down right below 500 at one point. It is a supply and demand issue. There is more of a supply now for approval books but the demand has been way down ("My editorial opinion" !!) Steve
I had forgotten that one must have at least a Basic Membership in order to purchase stamps on SOR. While I did opt for the Extended Membership, I was operating under the assumption that anyone could buy stamps but only members could sell. While I certainly understand the need for the website to be able to support itself, I have always had a problem with having to buy a membership in order to spend my money (i.e. Costco or Sam's Club). In a previous post in this thread, Jackie had said there were 76 people online, 10 members and 66 visitors). That means the overwhelming number of people online could not purchase stamps on SOR. I would imagine that quite a few of them also are not ones that would like to purchase a membership to spend their money. With so few able to purchase, this is a dilemma for those selling. I had offered stamps in the past, but there were so few purchases that I came to the conclusion that it was hardly worth the time and trouble to prepare them for sale. If SOR is intended to be a members only club, then the present setup is fine. Otherwise, there should be a way to allow all to purchase stamps. Just my two cents...
Even before the membership fee was put in place. Only members could buy. Visitors could not buy.
I became a member after being a visitor for probably a year. I joined one day when I decided to take the plunge and buy something. Had there been a membership fee, I may or may not have joined. My point is/was not to debate the membership fee but the question was raised earlier in the thread about new buyers. It will be interesting to see in a year how many new members join as opposed to previous years. I am a buyer and I want the sellers to remain. Were my 2 favorite sellers to stop listing on Stamporama, I would have to think about whether I wanted to remain a member. I don't post a lot and my primary reason for joining was to purchase material. I probably would to support the club but I think part of what makes Stamporama great is the selling platform and I am all for making that as successsful as possible for sellers. I am doing my part by spending a few bucks (average about $50) every month.
Jackie
Just thinking out loud. I guess having buyers needing to be members does add some security to the sellers.
I belong to my local stamp club. The club has a sales platform (auctions and buy it nows) available at meetings. The club takes a commission on sales. Oh, and all members pay annual dues. My usual activity with the club is as a buyer. I guess I should quit the club, because they charge dues, and all I want to do is buy stamps for myself and not support the club. That's some selfish attitude, isn't it?
" I guess having buyers needing to be members does add some security to the sellers."
PhilB - looking at last week I have 6 people who purchased something that are new to me in 2021. There are others besides that, just not last week.
Personally, I do not look at what others are selling either in auctions of approval books. When I list something I try to put up stamps that I think people might not have in their collections, for at least some of the stamps. Of course it could be a country that no one collects, and the book is a dud, at least this time. Of my 40 books, only 6 are under the 40% sold mark, so I can't complain. Auctions other than my weekly rotate BIN auctions usually sell at almost 50%. I suppose I am doing something right - but there are buyers who have never purchased anything from me. It could just be that they collect stamps from areas I do not sell in approval books.
I am a bit concerned with the "connection is not secure issue". I don't know if people will get fed up with it as usually they need to click the bottom of the message to go to the page in the site, but sometimes it needs to be refreshed. Again, after a while people may just say it is not worth the trouble and simply ignore the site.
Greg
I am curious to see how SOR advertises itself. I'm a member of APS and do not remember seeing any mention of the club. And maybe my memory fails me, but I don't recall Linn's doing an article or even a paid ad. Word of mouth and pure luck is probably not going to increase the membership much. Just my 4 cents worth (inflation).
Tad
I posted an Approval Book on MONACO mostly newer sets and S/S in the higher price ranges, and there are not too many interested in it so far.
Book 21812: MONACO MNH (or noted) Stamps Sets S/S all SCV >$3, mostly 70s-2000
Is it the topic, the years or just my pricing? An earlier book to 1975 had quite a bit of interest.
I am cutting prices to see if the latter assumption on pricing may be the cause. Would much rather sell the stamps than return them to my album duplicates.
I will test this before posting any more Monaco material.
So for the next week or so, if prices was the issue, take a look before I retire the book (probably on October 1).
Your private comments are also welcome.
Thanks
Rrr....
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
Check out the number of views for this post and use that as a judge. As of right now there are 4 and two of them are mine, and I read almost everything! Does the person who posts the article also count as a view - I think so! Sorry rrr... but I don't think many people collect Monaco.
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
Monaco is very nice. I don't know anyone collect or specialized in Monaco. This tiny territory is similar to French Polynesia. Both are very democratic & peaceful with strong appreciation for Art. I collect French Polynesia only, but Monaco is my second favorite for 4 reasons:
* Monaco stamps are beautifully designed on high quality paper.
* Monaco stamps are limited & not over produced like other countries.
* I admired Prince Rainer & late Princess Grace Kelly.
* Monaco was one of favorite locations in James Bond movies (Sean Connery & Roger Moore)
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
Harvey I think you are absolutely correct. Few collectors of Monaco here. I posted a new book and it too showed little action, and way fewer than usual views. Price cuts had zero impact.
I am so surprised, because Andorra did better, or San Marino, to stick with Europe's tiny countries and I would have bet that Monaco with its lovely stamps and varied topics (royalty, flowers, dogs, cars etc..) would attract the topical collectors in addition to the country collectors.
rrr...
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
There may be plenty of Monaco collectors but demand may have been satisfied through prior sales. This is why new members can be important.
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
I agree with previous poster and add that in general it seems that people on the forum tend to collect more classic issues as opposed to modern issues. Your classic Monaco sold more than post 1970's issues. Then again, new issues are harder to find especially postally used so often they sell as well. There are topical collectors, but again, with the age/experience of those collecting, they are more likely to have those issues already in their collections. Stamps that are in "Big Blue" seem to do well. These are just my thoughts and may have no basis in reality (would not be the first time). It also may be that someone has already saturated the market here on Monaco. I've seen people here pivot from one area to another in an effort to drive sales. And as always, we are a bunch cheap b@**@rds and depending on price they may not sell. I see a lot of 10-25% pricing on stamps and those don't always sell. I look at this from a buyer's perspective, sellers may have a different one altogether.
Jackie
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
Hard to believe I have been here for 7 years in November - and I still haven't figured out why some things sell and others do not. Last week for example. I put up a book of Nicaragua sets, very nice I think priced fairly. A couple of years ago I put up a book or two of Nicaragua mint sets and they sold out. This time, 21%. I doubt if any more wioll sell from it, BUT when it rolls off, and I bring it back in say 6-7 months with nothing changed (as it will still qualify at 100 stamps), stamps will sell to the very same people who are members now. Happens over and over again. Should it fail a second time, the sets will move to my stores (eventually). I tried Monaco once or twice myself and had poor results. Lumped the county into the group of countries I will not buy at auction for resale. I have had my fair share of misses here, but also have had some books sell out 100%, Luck of the draw I think. For pricing I agree with Jackie BUT I know some areas that will bring higher prices which allows me to bid higher at auction for resale material. Still, I have a Somali Coast #1 in my Somali Coast book priced at $65. Lowest price on Hipstamp is $98. I don't expect it to sell here though. I'll move it there eventually for $100 and accept $80 and be happy. There are French Colony collectors here but $65 might be out of their range.
I have also begun to believe (and this is something probably other sellers already know) there is something called a loyalty factor. I used to think it was an "anti dealer" attitude, and maybe it is, but there also can be the issue of "I'm only going to buy from certain sellers" There are people here who have never purchased a stamp from me, and there are some that for the most part only purchase from me. So I could take your book of Monaco perhaps, and list it and get sales from people who normally do not buy from you. Likewise you could take one of my duds, and do well with it. Again, 7 years and I have not figured it out. It can be maddening especially since I know the bait to put on the hip and ebay hooks to get buyers but here, other than price, I am clueless. What works for some does nothing for me (like not putting in a catalog number. Instant disaster in my books unless everything is 5 or 10 cents). I've even wondered if people look at a sideways stamp on a stock page and say it looks wrong, and skips over it. Only on this site do things like this become a concern for a seller. Maybe because there are so few buyers.
Greg
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
"There may be plenty of Monaco collectors but demand may have been satisfied through prior sales. This is why new members can be important."
"On the other hand Greg said it well:
I still haven't figured out why some things sell and others do not. "
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
"it is clear that a book with 50% sold will seldom get more views."
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
I'd like to provide a response from the perspective of a newish buyer on this site. As Greg stated, there is definitely a "loyalty" factor here, but it really has nothing to do with actual loyalty. Rather, it's a time issue. As a seller you may spend 50 hours a week on stamps. As a casual hobbyist buyer it's more like 5 hours. We just don't have the time to look through all of the hundreds of approval books that get posted here, even less assuming we're also shopping on other sites as well.
When I started here I picked 4-5 sellers to do business with, strictly because I didn't have the time to do much more. I spent a few months going through all of those 4-5 dealers offerings, and when I finished I added another 4-5 sellers. Rinse and repeat. Greg and Raphy will likely be in my next group of 4-5. For purely selfish reasons I hope you don't take your books down after a month. On several occasions I've gone through the Closing Soon list and found books from my inner circle of sellers to purchase from before they go away.
I also will second the opinion that the majority of buyers here are looking for older material. Perhaps it's only because that's the material I'm looking for and I tend to ignore the rest, but as others have stated the older books seem to sell better and faster. I looked through the Monaco books and found several "gems" in the older book but they'd already been purchased.
Ron
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
"Rather, it's a time issue. "
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
I look through the new listing and the closing in 24 hour listings on the auction. I am a somewhat loyal buyer and that is due to a couple of reasons. First is that I've built up a relationship with a couple of sellers. I can ask them to hold something for me, I can ask them them if they have something else in stock, and in some cases combine Stamporama and Hipstamp purchases into 1 invoice. Secondly, there are Paypal minimums and if I see 1 65 cent stamp I need with a $5 Paypal minimum, unless I see more in that individual's auction items I am probably not going to bother. I then have to look at their other items, check their approvals, arrange to pay 65 cent either by check or stamps . . . it gets more complicated. The sellers I buy from I know I can find enough material to meet Paypal limits or I can wait a few weeks while they list more and I'll find something.
I seldom do approvals except for the sellers I buy from regularly. It is a time thing, and also because I work a fairly demanding job and seldom am able to see a new book. I have looked through several that were a day or two old and most of the material that I need (I am a general WW collector with a few favorite countries primarly pre 1960) is gone, which is why I believe the material that is most popular is classic material. I do read the forums and I try to check out everyone's new books that are listed.
This is my general though process in buying:
Oh look at the cool stamp, do I have it? I don't think so, who is listing it?
1. Someone I don't regularly from: I check the other listings, if I see enough there that I can meet minimums, I bid and start a new relationship with a seller. If not, I check the approval books. If not enough I think about it and most of the time pass and think--maybe next time. I tend not to buy those who use dealer cards in their scans because I can't see the stamp as well as I would like. I also tend not to buy from those who have a BIN price 1 penny higher than the auction price, it just annoys me for some reason. I love large lots and I've bought several 1000 stamp sets when they were available a year or two ago and also a bunch of huge glassine lots that were offered as well. I started buying from Ian when he did one of his "clearance" type auctions where everything was 10%. I saw some interesting stuff, bid, and now buy regularly from him. I haven't bought from Brian in a while (mostly because of Covid and the huge delays with Australia), but I started when he had some really interesting (to me) material available. I started with Dakota when he was listing Scandinavia and filled some holes. Haven't bought from him in a while since I haven't been focusing on Scandinavia, but definitely will again.
2. Someone I regularly buy from: I think about it, consider how much I've already spent on stamps for month, consider the price (I actually look at value not price--for example when Ian listed his Falkland Island overprints they were at least $10 cheaper than anywhere else, and I grabbed his Portugal MNH in his first HV book because they were a great deal at $35, in Greg's case I grabbed a Penny Black at a very good price), I consider how often I see the material for sale either here or elsewhere, and I check the scan and the description.
Those are my criteria for buying, new sellers can pique my attention with interesting material, good value, and enough of what I am looking for to meet Paypal minimums. I now do checks most of the time for Greg, but for a new seller I am looking for Paypal for ease of transaction.
Sometimes I end up with duplicates, those I put into a big box I am getting ready to offer for sale, not a big deal. I do check to see if I already have the stamps in question but sometimes I haven't crossed it off my wantlist or I've already bought it and not mounted it in my collection. It happens and I move on.
Jackie
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
"It also brings home my complete belief that stamps in books need catalog numbers. You can argue from the position that there are all kinds of catalogs out there. I agree. But if I am looking for something for my collection,I am not going through a book and looking at the stamp, and then flipping album pages to see if I need it. "
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
Good points, it's better to purchase from sellers that you know. Relationship is everything and stamp collectors should know. Another good point, most stamp collectors in StampoRama preferred older stamps and have less interest in modern stamps. This might be a generation thing.
.
However in our stamp club, we purchase only modern stamps (Post 1958). Since majority members were born after 1990's, the modern stamps connect younger generation very well. The older stamps (Pre 1958) are rarely discussed with zero interest.
I think the best way to sell modern Monaco stamps in StampoRama is to take in more younger stamp collectors and Monaco Stamp Specialists.
French Polynesia Stamp Club
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
Although I must admit I have not read all the posts in this thread completely, I think there is another factor that has not been mentioned yet, and that's fashion, hype, trend or whatever you want to call it.
Just a few examples: about twenty years ago Chinese stamps were not very popular, to put it mildly. Nowaday almost anything sells and most of the time for ridiculous prices. I had some very common stuff in numbers that I could sell to someone here in the Netherlands for a price that did not make sense. At least not to me. He had a Chinese name and will probably try to resell them in China, but that's up to him.
The same, although not this extreme, can be said for Russia and recently I even saw interest rising for those infamous Dunes like Sharjah and Ajman.
On the other hand, I noticed that countries like Iceland (and also Monaco) that were once praised in the philatelic world for their output have been out of favour. I can still sell Iceland, but for "normal" prices, not for the regular percentages of the c.v.
People move on. Ten years ago, I focussed on Scandinavia and British commonwealth, now it is certain Latin American countries and Egypt. It's not that I do not collect the Nordic countries anymore, only that I do not need that many anymore. Which brings me to another point, there is a relatively small group of buyers here, so the chance of having success with the same kind of material over and over is smaller than on the larger selling sites. Especially when one moves into the more niche-like smaller countries.
Anyway, I do not really like Monaco. Not because they are poorly designed, but because these stamps have sort of become abstract items that have no real purpose other than being collected. Even though there are still quite a few people living in Monaco, the amount of stamps is in no relation to the actual need for them. That's of course the case for many countries. Most pacific islands do not need stamps, or could last 20 years with one print run. Still I collect some of these, because I find them exotic. I do not find Monaco exotic, just a bit campy. But that's my personal opinion, I digress.
Jan-Simon
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
I used to be bewildered by what sells and what does not sell here.
No Longer.
One can keep records of:-
What countries sell or what countries do not sell.
Whether books have catalogue numbers or not.
Whether books are laid out in year order or not.
Whether books are laid out in date of issue order or not.
Whether they are totally haphazard in layout or not.
The percentage of catalogue value they are priced at.
The size of the book whether 100 items or 300 items.
You can take all the above information and analyze it to your hearts content. Any conclusions you draw from the analysis will be totally false.
There is only one reason why items do not sell here:-
A lack of members.
Edit:- In addition to the problems on the Approval Books I have noticed the following:-
On 26th May there were 6995 Items in the auction
Today there are 4218 Items in the auction.
Over the past couple of weeks it has been as low as 3285 Items.
When you consider that some of these items are being listed for the second or third time it is not inconcievable that there are only 50% of items that are "new to the market".
What can be done to improve the situation before stamporama becomes a "lame duck"?
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
"I think there is another factor that has not been mentioned yet, and that's fashion, hype, trend or whatever you want to call it. "
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
Ian, do you ever get a bid from a new member ? I have 12 or 15 userids that bid on my auction lots but they are the usual suspects. Perhaps the newcomers are bidding on the approvals.
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
Philb
From January 2021 I have had 5 New members buy from me.
2 only bought from the Auctions and 3 bought from both Auctions and Approvals.
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
I don't know how many times it has been brought to the attention of sellers that the way some present the stamps they want to sell, leaves a lot to be desired
I enjoy collecting stamps and I don't mind spending But what I don't have is the time to go searching my albums to see if I can match my gaps with what is for sale
On many threads sellers were asked to put some reference to the stamp whether it be a date or a catalogue number
I am sure in many instances the seller looks up to see the value of the stamp and what is beside that information ? A reference number, but a more universal number is the date the stamp was issued Simple to include the date.
I notice the considerate sellers use the Stamporama approval sheet that has room for catalogue number and date
It doesn't matter if the stamp is selling for $40 or 40c consider the buyer
I have looked at some of the approvals books today and I have not gone further than the first page Don't put the blame on the number of members we have, I am not saying it is not a factor it could well be but in many instances it is just too much hassle. Believe me I am that soldier
I have read recently the amount of work and time sellers have to put into getting their stamps ready for either the auction or the approvals. Tweak your presentation and your stamps have a better chance of being sold. Take a look at how others are doing their presentations and ask yourself would I buy from him / her. Is it easier to deal with him / her that it is to deal with me ?
Y'all have a nice weekend
John
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
I only recently got back into collecting and after looking around the web I stumbled across SOR. My initial attraction was the excellent pricing and after becoming familiar with the site my interest grew. This was before the annual membership so my purchases were relatively low risk financially. Several thousand purchases later I'm fully immersed and have built a relationship with several sellers. I'm a happy camper
I'm personnaly not interested in seeing more members to bid against me but I understand we need more members to keep sellers posting. I think new members and potential buyers are reluctant to join because of the membership fee and hesitant to send money to an online service, especially if only buying a few stamps. I know the first month is free but visitors to the site won't know that unless they go to the Join page. It may be worthwhile expanding the Purchase Confirmation page to say something like "If you're new to StampoRama please sign up. The first month is free while you try us out. No payment information necessary to join.".
I am not against the membership fee and fully understand the cost of hosting a site like this, but I am curious to know if sales dropped off after the membership fee was introduced.
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
"Don't put the blame on the number of members we have"
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
Numbers at 12pm on Sunday afternoon EST:
76 visitors online, 10 members, 66 visitors. None of the visitors can buy unless they join (always possible a few members aren't signed in). 10 possible buyers online now, and some may be just perusing the forum. There are a few people not posting items in auction anymore (the guys with all the US stamp sheets (around 300 items), the guy from Canada who drops in every few months with 500+ listings, and I'm sure a few others I've missed. In addition to the drop of items, a lot of minimal value items. It may just be the ebb and flow of summer into fall, will be interesting if the numbers increase as the weather changes. I don't notice as much since the people I regularly buy from are still posting items for sale.
Jackie
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
The # of members who are potential buyers may have gone down - but the number of Approval Book Offerings has gone up recently. The number of books now available is around 600 and before the membership program it had been down right below 500 at one point. It is a supply and demand issue. There is more of a supply now for approval books but the demand has been way down ("My editorial opinion" !!) Steve
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
I had forgotten that one must have at least a Basic Membership in order to purchase stamps on SOR. While I did opt for the Extended Membership, I was operating under the assumption that anyone could buy stamps but only members could sell. While I certainly understand the need for the website to be able to support itself, I have always had a problem with having to buy a membership in order to spend my money (i.e. Costco or Sam's Club). In a previous post in this thread, Jackie had said there were 76 people online, 10 members and 66 visitors). That means the overwhelming number of people online could not purchase stamps on SOR. I would imagine that quite a few of them also are not ones that would like to purchase a membership to spend their money. With so few able to purchase, this is a dilemma for those selling. I had offered stamps in the past, but there were so few purchases that I came to the conclusion that it was hardly worth the time and trouble to prepare them for sale. If SOR is intended to be a members only club, then the present setup is fine. Otherwise, there should be a way to allow all to purchase stamps. Just my two cents...
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
Even before the membership fee was put in place. Only members could buy. Visitors could not buy.
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
I became a member after being a visitor for probably a year. I joined one day when I decided to take the plunge and buy something. Had there been a membership fee, I may or may not have joined. My point is/was not to debate the membership fee but the question was raised earlier in the thread about new buyers. It will be interesting to see in a year how many new members join as opposed to previous years. I am a buyer and I want the sellers to remain. Were my 2 favorite sellers to stop listing on Stamporama, I would have to think about whether I wanted to remain a member. I don't post a lot and my primary reason for joining was to purchase material. I probably would to support the club but I think part of what makes Stamporama great is the selling platform and I am all for making that as successsful as possible for sellers. I am doing my part by spending a few bucks (average about $50) every month.
Jackie
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
Just thinking out loud. I guess having buyers needing to be members does add some security to the sellers.
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
I belong to my local stamp club. The club has a sales platform (auctions and buy it nows) available at meetings. The club takes a commission on sales. Oh, and all members pay annual dues. My usual activity with the club is as a buyer. I guess I should quit the club, because they charge dues, and all I want to do is buy stamps for myself and not support the club. That's some selfish attitude, isn't it?
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
" I guess having buyers needing to be members does add some security to the sellers."
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
PhilB - looking at last week I have 6 people who purchased something that are new to me in 2021. There are others besides that, just not last week.
Personally, I do not look at what others are selling either in auctions of approval books. When I list something I try to put up stamps that I think people might not have in their collections, for at least some of the stamps. Of course it could be a country that no one collects, and the book is a dud, at least this time. Of my 40 books, only 6 are under the 40% sold mark, so I can't complain. Auctions other than my weekly rotate BIN auctions usually sell at almost 50%. I suppose I am doing something right - but there are buyers who have never purchased anything from me. It could just be that they collect stamps from areas I do not sell in approval books.
I am a bit concerned with the "connection is not secure issue". I don't know if people will get fed up with it as usually they need to click the bottom of the message to go to the page in the site, but sometimes it needs to be refreshed. Again, after a while people may just say it is not worth the trouble and simply ignore the site.
Greg
re: Buyer Demand For Certain Countries (Monaco)
I am curious to see how SOR advertises itself. I'm a member of APS and do not remember seeing any mention of the club. And maybe my memory fails me, but I don't recall Linn's doing an article or even a paid ad. Word of mouth and pure luck is probably not going to increase the membership much. Just my 4 cents worth (inflation).
Tad