Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
08:50:41pm
I guess they never heard of a pricing Catalogue 
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Brady, eBay is a place for great bargains and huge ripoffs and everything in between. In some ways, it's not unlike what you find here, with some lots priced incredibly low and others high; some at 10% CV and others at 75%. Sometimes market factors do affect pricing, and other times it's the whim of the seller.
With most US material, patience is a virtue, although there are some things that, if you want them, you must jump when you see them. All this comes with experience; and all decisions are based both on experience and one's own taste.
David
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I have never seen anyone overcharge on eBay. All the sellers are as honest as the day is long. How could you possibly think that anyone would do such a thing????????
Richaard
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Now, if anyone believed what I wrote in my last post about overcharging on eBay, will they please phone me, as I have some nice land for sale under the Atlantic Ocean, and perhaps you might be interested in buying the Brooklyn bridge!
Richaard
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I agree with David about being patient. Actually ebay folks don't overcharge, we, the consumer, overpay. The caveat "let the buyer beware" is very much in vogue even more so with stamp transactions as well as purchasing a car. There is alwaysanother seller somewhere, sometime, where the item you want will come up for sale. Create a want list for those types items.
In my own experience, I find it very valuable to establish a rapport with a dealer or dealers and stay with them. In the long the run, the seller and the buyer will benefit. There are many fine sellers on the SOR auction sites and they can also refer you to other sellers that they have had good dealings with.
There are many fine auction sites such as: stamps2go, Bidstart and many others that I am not familiar with. Be patient, shop around and be observant. In this hobby, knowledge is power.
Joel
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10:33:30pm
I'm usually a patient person and I do find great deals on E-Bay it's just lately everything I need is overpriced is all.I need a S.S of Bugs Bunny.It's just people on there wanted $14 and even $20 which made me laugh.I did find it for $4 with free shipping great deal I think.I always check here first and if I cant find it then I go to E-Bay.There is no Stamp Shop where I live so I have to shop Online for everything.
Richaard that was great I love the sarcasm.I'm still laughing
My son wants to know how much for the Brooklyn Bridge he's Moving over there for college and needs to find a place to live.It's got a nice water front view and spacious he say's Lol.He's a great kid gunna miss him when he leaves.
Thanks Joel I didn't know about stamps2go I'm going to check it out,and I've heard of bidstart just never checked it out.
I do agree with you too David and thank everyone for the input,and letting me vent a little.
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"I'm usually a patient person..." and "There is no Stamp Shop where I live so I have to shop Online for everything."
Right there is why in some cases I don't mind paying a higer price on eBay for some stuff. I will say right off the bat that I'm impatient. If i want a stamp, and I can't find it here, or win it here, I'll end up going to eBay and finding a Buy It Now to get it. In fact, I use the prices I find on eBay as a guideline for when I bid here, figureing that it would be stupid for me to bid higher than what it costs to get it on eBay.
it is really just a matter of preference. Anyway, figured I'd thow that in before nodding off to sleep.
---Pat
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There are two Bugs Bunny sheets. One has the lone stamp perforated, and the other is imperforate. The imperforate cats in the $100 range. If the $20 was for the sheet with the imperforate stamp, that was a good price.
As the advice given stated,go into the purchase of any item knowing the true value. That goes for anything, not just stamps.
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11:45:15pm
No it's the perf one.If it was imperf I would have bought several at $20 and turned a
profit
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Do not know price for Brooklyn Bridge yet, as I have never been asked before. Will have to look it up in Scott or Gibbons.
What college has your son chosen?
Richaard
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Hi All
Of course they do,well some of them do.Some people put stupid prices on items because they have no idea of the value and hope some" eBay Bunnies" ,as another stamp site calls them, will bid on them.
I have started to collect Papua New Guinea and a lot of dealers are trying to get around twice face value for recent stamps.You would have to be a idiot to buy at that price!!!.
You can go to the PNG Philatelic web site and buy all you want at face value for at least the past twelve years.
Brian
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04:20:31am
@ Richaard He wants to go to ether NYU,Penn State,or hopefully MIT (that's where I would love him to go)
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"Do not know price for Brooklyn Bridge yet, as I have never been asked before. Will have to look it up in Scott or Gibbons."
24 dollars in beads?
"Right there is why in some cases I don't mind paying a higer price on eBay for some stuff. I will say right off the bat that I'm impatient. If i want a stamp, and I can't find it here, or win it here, I'll end up going to eBay and finding a Buy It Now to get it. In fact, I use the prices I find on eBay as a guideline for when I bid here, figureing that it would be stupid for me to bid higher than what it costs to get it on eBay."
Pat I'll disagree with you here... Ebay is basically my LAST choice if i Have that option for collections. I'd stick to the collector sites/auctions (whether it's Stamporama, bidstart, delcampe, etc.). I've seen way too many possible questionable auctions on e-bay in regards to possible forgeries to even consider them for it.
Now i've seen some people claim there were fraud-auctions that I don't know about (stampboards in infamous IMO, in someone claiming nearly every auction is a fraud at some point... {but then again, I seem to get the "elitist" vibe from most the posters over there, but that's a whole differetn thread}.).
But when someone like me (a novice when it comes to id'ing fakes) can recognize some bad auctions, but those sellers still pop up regularly, you have to question the entire system.
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MIT is quite different from the other colleges. I thought that since he was in Brooklyn, he might be going to Brooklyn College, my wife's alma mata.
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12:32:16am
Yea I know it's just that MIT offers a better education for science/engineering classes.
He's still a Freshman in high school but already deciding where to go.He's our gifted child 4.0 honor roll student.Last year he won State in Chess.Which made me so proud,and this year he had a draw with a grand master which is just amazing.Of course tho our kid wants to go to an east cost collage.Furthest away from mom and dad I guess lol.But if he goes to MIT there is no football,he really loves playing and good at it to.That's one reason he wants to go to an east coast collage most offer football have a good education for what he wants.I don't think he looked in to Brooklyn Collage yet so many to look at.I just hope the time he goes we'll be able to afford it with tuition going up every year.
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StampGuy,
With his credentials, I do not think that you will have to worry about tuition, for scholarships will probably be available. One of my grandsons was graduated, with honors from Univ of Rochester & was offered several large scholarships, but turned them down in order to go to Univ of Wisconsin to become a professor of Computer Science. He also turned down a job offer with Microsoft. He builds them & is a genus in that field, another Steve Jobs in the making.
Richaard
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12:07:58pm
I actually have found some great deals on ebay - one of which was a complete set of the Queen Mum's 85th Birthday "Life of the Queen Mum" Flora Fauna Souvenir Sheets - with the exception of 4, it included both the perf and imperf for each sheet in pristine condition. What a find! The woman selling them had found them in her Mother's home after she passed away, had no clue what they were worth and put them on ebay for $26 including post. I grabbed them faster than I ever did anything else in my life. Those imperf sheets are hard to find - I've managed to find two of the ones I was missing and I'm only in need of 2 more and then I'll have the complete set in perf and imperf. Best $26 I ever spent on ebay! LOL
Having said that though, I have seen a number of things with exaggerated prices in the British Royalty selections - non-dealers or non-stamp collectors who have things like the 1981 wedding - after Princess Diana died, many, I suppose, probably assumed they would increase in value because of her death so they started listing them at ridiculous prices. I don't mind spending a wee bit more on specific stamps, covers or s/s that I'm missing in my collection because some don't often come up but I hate it when people try to capitalise on something like that. I saw the same thing happen again after the Queen Mum passed and also during the diamond jubilee this year, I noticed even some who I would have considered honest sellers, jack up the prices on their '77 and '78 Coronation Anniversary sets to ridiculous prices. Oh well, that's life. Best thing is just to be informed and know that when it comes to things like this, wait things out and the ebay prices will come down again to reasonable prices.
Kelly
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Kelly said the magic phrase:
"Best thing is just to be informed"
One has to know what things are selling for elsewhere and, even more importantly, what one is willing to pay. Most of my purchases are covers, which is tougher to gauge than a stamp because there are many other variables at play. But I just bought a cover with a 50c transport and a 10c Pan Am building (C31, C34) paying double rate to Switzerland. The 50c transport is a relatively elusive stamp, all the more so on cover. I bought one on cover from Saleem in an SOR auction a couple of years ago, and paid a fair price (thanks for offering it Saleem). I paid the princely sum of $1.84 for this more recent cover: http://www.ebay.com/itm/360467137905?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2648#ht_3934wt_1289. It was a steal. Bargains abound here and on eBay, just like lots priced at amounts no one should ever consider paying.
David
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I agree one should know what one is getting especially on ebay. I have noticed that some items starting bid or buy it now price is real low but the shipping is outrageous and covers the cost and then some of the item. When bidding on ebay I always check the seller to see what his score is as a seller as well as the shipping charges. I also check around to see what the same item is going for in other places. Saved me money more than once.
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07:42:34pm
I agree with Kelly, David and web weaver! Know what you're buying look at the shipping costs and SHOP AROUND! It's just like buying a new bed, couch or stove....wouldn't we all shop around for the best deal and the best product? Do the same things with your stamps and you will always get the best deal possible!
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11:39:15am
Just as General MacArthur mentioned in his speech before Congress, "In war, ...there is no substitute for victory."
in philately, "There is no substitute for knowledge" !
Someone mentioned Caveat emptor as good advice whether buying a used car or purchasing a stamp or set of stamps. Yes, very good advice.
What a given stamp is worth is both subjective and subject to supply and demand.
I have used eBay on and off for years and having been involved in the hobby as an adult for almost fifty years. I consider myself fairly well informed but I still like to consult reference books and notes now and then before making an offer to buy or offering a selling price.
But then there is the subjective part.
When I go to our local club I often bring along a binder with stamps in those pocket pages with a price marked for other members to look at and I frequently sell enough to cover the cost of anything I buy for myself from our friendly dealer or fellow members. However, every once in a while someone asks why my price for a particular stamp is far more than some "catalog listing" places it. In truth, there are simply some stamps that I really like, even duplicate copies that have a meaningful postmark and I do not care if they ever sell, unless it is to some collector who I know will understand theirs significance and treasure the stamp as much as I do. So with most club members I just explain that it is something I would hate to part with and have priced it so no one will buy it. There are only a few such stamps, but it is surprisig at how often they will sell at my asking price.
And if they do not, I do not care, there are plenty of commonly available run of the mill stamps to sell at a discount from the silly numbers listed in the locally favored Scott Catalog.
To the few friends who also treasure postally used stamps the way I do, I quietly cut the price for them. It is all subjective. Subject to how much I like the stamp and how much I like the buyer. After all they are my stamps and not Scott's or Gibbon's stamps.
Oh, and we have one member who has a small business buying collections from people who see his advertisement in the local newspaper. We have overheard him braging to one of his friends about how little he paid for some accumulation or collection and explaining that the seller, often a surviving spouse, (After all this is Florida) who asked his advice had no idea what was in the collection.
.
He simply reminds me of the kind of guy who can enter a room by sliithering under the closed door. Several of our members feel the same way and will not buy, sell or trade with him.
Once, about a year or two ago he saw a postally used Express Mail stamp I had that was beautifully centered, having perfect perforations and a very light corner cancellation that showed a date durig uits tieofuse.. It probably should have had about an eight to ten dollar selling price but I had it marked for about $19.95. Sleezeball saw it and for some reason seemed interested but could not refrain from quoting whatever the Scott's current listing was. I was surprised as it was more than I remembered or it had been when I originally put it in the binder for sale. The fellow suggested that my marked price seemed to be in error. I looked at it and acted horrified. I thanked him as I erased the pencilled price and wrote in $29.95. He left mumbling something as the business part of the meeting was then starting. I think I missed the next few stamp club meetings but sometime later he casually glanced through the binder and asked if I still had that Express Mail stamp for sale as it would fill in a set of those Eagle and Moon Priority and Express Mail stamps he wanted for some reason.
Oh, I have it at home, I told him and he asked me to bring it to the next meeting. It was several months later when I got to another meeting and, of course, he asked again about the stamp. Sadly, I mentioned that someone had bought it, but in fact I had pulled it out of the binder.
If I give the impression that I do not want to sell him anything, even at double Scott, you are on target. I do not like to have him pawing through my binder. It is all subjective.
Oh, and that stamp?
I eventually traded it and some others to another collector from Massachusetts for a large shoebox full of off paper Machins, which I felt was very fair and even more satisfying.
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01:14:01pm
On that same train of thought -
I was on ebay recently and saw some penny lots. Nice stamps, some harder to find so I bid on them. I was willing to go to 90% cv and did. When I was outbid on a couple, I was shocked to see that the bidding (not yet finished) has gone so far 20% over cv. I couldn't help thinking to myself - geez - do these people not know the cv or are they just dense? These stamps will come up again (they always do) but I wonder how many people actually do check and compare catalogue values for some of these stamps before bidding? If it's only listed as $0.35 why are they paying in excess of $1.50? I think either people get carried away or they get zeroed in on the type of stamp it is.
Just my thoughts on this anyway.
Kelly
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EBay is also a haven for fraudulent activity. Ive seen fake german covers and heard about a lot of altered us material... shill bidding as well. The powers that be at that site have no inclination of cutting down on fraudulent activity. So next time you find that great bargain on Ebay, please do take a closer look.
References :
Any newbie collector who shops on Ebay please please please go through these links. Getting badly burned could cause you to loose interest and give up the hobby altogether.
http://www.scads.org/
http://www.scads.org/ebay/bidtips.htm
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Kelly, now and then I purchase stamps for more than catalog value. I have done it in the auctions here too. You have to look at the strategy of auction bidding. I find stamps that I want, and I allocate a total amount that I'm willing to pay for all of them. If my total "allowance" for all ten stamps with a catalog value of $45.00 is $25.00, and say I have won seven items for only $15.00, I still have $10.00 to use to "fight" for the remaining stamps. If there is a bidding war (rare on SOR), then I can bid over catalog value on a couple of stamps and still be below my total allowance. It is the total allocation that matters, so while I may have paid over catalog value for a couple of stamps, overall I paid just $25.00 for stamps that catalog $45.00, which was my objective and my combined spending limit for all of the stamps. So, average it out, and I actually didn't pay over catalog value for any stamp.
Of course, many don't look at the big picture like that and believe that it is a mortal sin to pay full catalog or more for a stamp. They are looking at things piecemeal, and they lose out by not utilizing an auction strategy. I like people like that, because it permits me to get nice stamps at bargain prices.
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12:50:44am
Michael -
I agree with you on that. I've been known to indulge that way myself a few times. But, I figure it out evens out. I know for my limited areas of collecting, there are some items that you grab up if you can when they pop up because they don't often (provided they are within a reasonable amount). I just saw one German Occupation Wurttenberg go up over 50% cv (and still climbing) and the irony is - it's not that uncommon of a stamp - sure you've gotta know where to look but still - I kind of just chuckled and said "no way".
Sometimes I like to go on the auction sites just to see what people are doing and I've had my bidding wars for sure :-)
Kelly
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Joel Grebin wrote, "There is always another seller somewhere, sometime, where the item you want will come up for sale. Create a want list for those types items."
Joel is correct in the case of most common philatelic items. If two ordinary unused stamps have been removed from the same sheet, they will be virtually identical. Most face-identical used stamps with ordinary, usually undecipherable or insignificant cancellations might as well be clones of each other. However...
Perfectly centred, fresh, unused, never-hinged older stamps with "boardwalk" or "jumbo" margins are not common, and if that's what a collector is looking for, he or she had better snap them up quick when possible. Clear, easily readable CDS cancellations or other highly collectable cancellations on most stamps are relatively uncommon; those from small post offices are often vanishingly rare. If you collect those, buy them when you see them. And note that catalogue value has little meaning when it comes to collecting items with these attributes.
Cover collectors are well aware that many covers are unique, and if you pass up a desirable one you probably won't ever see it again, or one even remotely similar. I recently paid big bucks for a cover sent by a soldier in General Pershing's army from Columbus, New Mexico, shortly after Pancho Villa's raid which killed several Americans. The well-respected dealer told me that in his entire career he had never seen another military cover from Columbus at that time. If I wanted it, and I did, I simply had to buy it.
As far as I'm concerned, if you need a stamp to complete a page or an exhibit, buy it when you can. Just because stamps are common doesn't mean you can command one to appear in your hands whenever you want it. If you have to pay a bit more than you'd like, so what? At least you'll have met an important collecting goal, unless your goal is to die with your pockets full of money!
Bob
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11:47:05am
Bob - Absolutely!
"If you have to pay a bit more than you'd like, so what? At least you'll have met an important collecting goal, unless your goal is to die with your pockets full of money! "
If that were the case, we may as all just close our albums because we're in the wrong hobby for that one!!! LOL
Kelly
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Not such a wrong hobby at all, Kelly. I can't think of many other hobbies where you can actually get some of your money back. When I decided to stop collecting Ireland, I sold my two lighthouse albums to a local dealer and was astonished at the cheque he wrote for me. I know it didn't come very close to totalling what I paid for the stamps and albums, but it was enough to allow me to buy some expensive covers that I wanted a great deal more.
Bob
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09:26:54am
One thing to keep in mind is that the "values" provided by Scott are not values at all since Scott neither buys nor sells stamps. It is just a listing of what they feel the stamps have traded at in the past, and because of printing schedules, their data is six or eight months behind the somtimes volatile stamp market.
My feeling is to bid up to what I feel comfortable paying regardless of how others in other states or provinces at other times in their lives feel, or felt, the item was worth.
That means for some stamps or collections my comfort level will be linked not by Scott, or even by what some collectors elsewhere felt was reasonable, but by an amalgam of "What I can afford" and "How much I want that lot that day". Sometimes the fact that my wife is in the room might also be involved.
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09:31:37am
PS: I sent you a message, Kelly.
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This posting has been removed in accordance with the Stamporama By-Laws Article 2 Point 1.A. which states "No member should knowingly defame Stamporama or its members."
(Modified by Moderator on 2012-07-06 07:20:18)
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David, all I can say is that exactly what you don't like, you practice very well. I am not greedy, and I am not known to be a liar. Therefore, you have defamed me, and others here like me.
After reading what you wrote, I understand why you were banned from this site, even though I do not recall ever seeing you post here before. I don't know what or how the thorn got in your side about SOR, but don't lump everyone into your "problem" with SOR.
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....seems that maybe this thread should stop here.
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Good thought Randy.
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08:50:41pm
Is it me or do people over charge on E-Bay by like 2-3X the stamp worth.I've been looking some Souvenir Sheets for my U.S. Collection and I've seen people charge between $10-$20 for a $6 souvenir sheet.Do they think stamp collectors are idiots or something I guess they never heard of a pricing Catalogue
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re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
Brady, eBay is a place for great bargains and huge ripoffs and everything in between. In some ways, it's not unlike what you find here, with some lots priced incredibly low and others high; some at 10% CV and others at 75%. Sometimes market factors do affect pricing, and other times it's the whim of the seller.
With most US material, patience is a virtue, although there are some things that, if you want them, you must jump when you see them. All this comes with experience; and all decisions are based both on experience and one's own taste.
David
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re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
I have never seen anyone overcharge on eBay. All the sellers are as honest as the day is long. How could you possibly think that anyone would do such a thing????????
Richaard
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re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
Now, if anyone believed what I wrote in my last post about overcharging on eBay, will they please phone me, as I have some nice land for sale under the Atlantic Ocean, and perhaps you might be interested in buying the Brooklyn bridge!
Richaard
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10:00:03pm
re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
I agree with David about being patient. Actually ebay folks don't overcharge, we, the consumer, overpay. The caveat "let the buyer beware" is very much in vogue even more so with stamp transactions as well as purchasing a car. There is alwaysanother seller somewhere, sometime, where the item you want will come up for sale. Create a want list for those types items.
In my own experience, I find it very valuable to establish a rapport with a dealer or dealers and stay with them. In the long the run, the seller and the buyer will benefit. There are many fine sellers on the SOR auction sites and they can also refer you to other sellers that they have had good dealings with.
There are many fine auction sites such as: stamps2go, Bidstart and many others that I am not familiar with. Be patient, shop around and be observant. In this hobby, knowledge is power.
Joel
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10:33:30pm
re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
I'm usually a patient person and I do find great deals on E-Bay it's just lately everything I need is overpriced is all.I need a S.S of Bugs Bunny.It's just people on there wanted $14 and even $20 which made me laugh.I did find it for $4 with free shipping great deal I think.I always check here first and if I cant find it then I go to E-Bay.There is no Stamp Shop where I live so I have to shop Online for everything.
Richaard that was great I love the sarcasm.I'm still laughing
My son wants to know how much for the Brooklyn Bridge he's Moving over there for college and needs to find a place to live.It's got a nice water front view and spacious he say's Lol.He's a great kid gunna miss him when he leaves.
Thanks Joel I didn't know about stamps2go I'm going to check it out,and I've heard of bidstart just never checked it out.
I do agree with you too David and thank everyone for the input,and letting me vent a little.
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re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
"I'm usually a patient person..." and "There is no Stamp Shop where I live so I have to shop Online for everything."
Right there is why in some cases I don't mind paying a higer price on eBay for some stuff. I will say right off the bat that I'm impatient. If i want a stamp, and I can't find it here, or win it here, I'll end up going to eBay and finding a Buy It Now to get it. In fact, I use the prices I find on eBay as a guideline for when I bid here, figureing that it would be stupid for me to bid higher than what it costs to get it on eBay.
it is really just a matter of preference. Anyway, figured I'd thow that in before nodding off to sleep.
---Pat
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10:47:36pm
re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
There are two Bugs Bunny sheets. One has the lone stamp perforated, and the other is imperforate. The imperforate cats in the $100 range. If the $20 was for the sheet with the imperforate stamp, that was a good price.
As the advice given stated,go into the purchase of any item knowing the true value. That goes for anything, not just stamps.
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11:45:15pm
re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
No it's the perf one.If it was imperf I would have bought several at $20 and turned a
profit
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re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
Do not know price for Brooklyn Bridge yet, as I have never been asked before. Will have to look it up in Scott or Gibbons.
What college has your son chosen?
Richaard
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Auctions
re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
Hi All
Of course they do,well some of them do.Some people put stupid prices on items because they have no idea of the value and hope some" eBay Bunnies" ,as another stamp site calls them, will bid on them.
I have started to collect Papua New Guinea and a lot of dealers are trying to get around twice face value for recent stamps.You would have to be a idiot to buy at that price!!!.
You can go to the PNG Philatelic web site and buy all you want at face value for at least the past twelve years.
Brian
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04:20:31am
re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
@ Richaard He wants to go to ether NYU,Penn State,or hopefully MIT (that's where I would love him to go)
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re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
"Do not know price for Brooklyn Bridge yet, as I have never been asked before. Will have to look it up in Scott or Gibbons."
24 dollars in beads?
"Right there is why in some cases I don't mind paying a higer price on eBay for some stuff. I will say right off the bat that I'm impatient. If i want a stamp, and I can't find it here, or win it here, I'll end up going to eBay and finding a Buy It Now to get it. In fact, I use the prices I find on eBay as a guideline for when I bid here, figureing that it would be stupid for me to bid higher than what it costs to get it on eBay."
Pat I'll disagree with you here... Ebay is basically my LAST choice if i Have that option for collections. I'd stick to the collector sites/auctions (whether it's Stamporama, bidstart, delcampe, etc.). I've seen way too many possible questionable auctions on e-bay in regards to possible forgeries to even consider them for it.
Now i've seen some people claim there were fraud-auctions that I don't know about (stampboards in infamous IMO, in someone claiming nearly every auction is a fraud at some point... {but then again, I seem to get the "elitist" vibe from most the posters over there, but that's a whole differetn thread}.).
But when someone like me (a novice when it comes to id'ing fakes) can recognize some bad auctions, but those sellers still pop up regularly, you have to question the entire system.
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re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
MIT is quite different from the other colleges. I thought that since he was in Brooklyn, he might be going to Brooklyn College, my wife's alma mata.
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12:32:16am
re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
Yea I know it's just that MIT offers a better education for science/engineering classes.
He's still a Freshman in high school but already deciding where to go.He's our gifted child 4.0 honor roll student.Last year he won State in Chess.Which made me so proud,and this year he had a draw with a grand master which is just amazing.Of course tho our kid wants to go to an east cost collage.Furthest away from mom and dad I guess lol.But if he goes to MIT there is no football,he really loves playing and good at it to.That's one reason he wants to go to an east coast collage most offer football have a good education for what he wants.I don't think he looked in to Brooklyn Collage yet so many to look at.I just hope the time he goes we'll be able to afford it with tuition going up every year.
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re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
StampGuy,
With his credentials, I do not think that you will have to worry about tuition, for scholarships will probably be available. One of my grandsons was graduated, with honors from Univ of Rochester & was offered several large scholarships, but turned them down in order to go to Univ of Wisconsin to become a professor of Computer Science. He also turned down a job offer with Microsoft. He builds them & is a genus in that field, another Steve Jobs in the making.
Richaard
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22 Jun 2012
12:07:58pm
re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
I actually have found some great deals on ebay - one of which was a complete set of the Queen Mum's 85th Birthday "Life of the Queen Mum" Flora Fauna Souvenir Sheets - with the exception of 4, it included both the perf and imperf for each sheet in pristine condition. What a find! The woman selling them had found them in her Mother's home after she passed away, had no clue what they were worth and put them on ebay for $26 including post. I grabbed them faster than I ever did anything else in my life. Those imperf sheets are hard to find - I've managed to find two of the ones I was missing and I'm only in need of 2 more and then I'll have the complete set in perf and imperf. Best $26 I ever spent on ebay! LOL
Having said that though, I have seen a number of things with exaggerated prices in the British Royalty selections - non-dealers or non-stamp collectors who have things like the 1981 wedding - after Princess Diana died, many, I suppose, probably assumed they would increase in value because of her death so they started listing them at ridiculous prices. I don't mind spending a wee bit more on specific stamps, covers or s/s that I'm missing in my collection because some don't often come up but I hate it when people try to capitalise on something like that. I saw the same thing happen again after the Queen Mum passed and also during the diamond jubilee this year, I noticed even some who I would have considered honest sellers, jack up the prices on their '77 and '78 Coronation Anniversary sets to ridiculous prices. Oh well, that's life. Best thing is just to be informed and know that when it comes to things like this, wait things out and the ebay prices will come down again to reasonable prices.
Kelly
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re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
Kelly said the magic phrase:
"Best thing is just to be informed"
One has to know what things are selling for elsewhere and, even more importantly, what one is willing to pay. Most of my purchases are covers, which is tougher to gauge than a stamp because there are many other variables at play. But I just bought a cover with a 50c transport and a 10c Pan Am building (C31, C34) paying double rate to Switzerland. The 50c transport is a relatively elusive stamp, all the more so on cover. I bought one on cover from Saleem in an SOR auction a couple of years ago, and paid a fair price (thanks for offering it Saleem). I paid the princely sum of $1.84 for this more recent cover: http://www.ebay.com/itm/360467137905?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2648#ht_3934wt_1289. It was a steal. Bargains abound here and on eBay, just like lots priced at amounts no one should ever consider paying.
David
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re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
I agree one should know what one is getting especially on ebay. I have noticed that some items starting bid or buy it now price is real low but the shipping is outrageous and covers the cost and then some of the item. When bidding on ebay I always check the seller to see what his score is as a seller as well as the shipping charges. I also check around to see what the same item is going for in other places. Saved me money more than once.
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It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. - Aristotle Onassis
23 Jun 2012
07:42:34pm
re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
I agree with Kelly, David and web weaver! Know what you're buying look at the shipping costs and SHOP AROUND! It's just like buying a new bed, couch or stove....wouldn't we all shop around for the best deal and the best product? Do the same things with your stamps and you will always get the best deal possible!
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
24 Jun 2012
11:39:15am
re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
Just as General MacArthur mentioned in his speech before Congress, "In war, ...there is no substitute for victory."
in philately, "There is no substitute for knowledge" !
Someone mentioned Caveat emptor as good advice whether buying a used car or purchasing a stamp or set of stamps. Yes, very good advice.
What a given stamp is worth is both subjective and subject to supply and demand.
I have used eBay on and off for years and having been involved in the hobby as an adult for almost fifty years. I consider myself fairly well informed but I still like to consult reference books and notes now and then before making an offer to buy or offering a selling price.
But then there is the subjective part.
When I go to our local club I often bring along a binder with stamps in those pocket pages with a price marked for other members to look at and I frequently sell enough to cover the cost of anything I buy for myself from our friendly dealer or fellow members. However, every once in a while someone asks why my price for a particular stamp is far more than some "catalog listing" places it. In truth, there are simply some stamps that I really like, even duplicate copies that have a meaningful postmark and I do not care if they ever sell, unless it is to some collector who I know will understand theirs significance and treasure the stamp as much as I do. So with most club members I just explain that it is something I would hate to part with and have priced it so no one will buy it. There are only a few such stamps, but it is surprisig at how often they will sell at my asking price.
And if they do not, I do not care, there are plenty of commonly available run of the mill stamps to sell at a discount from the silly numbers listed in the locally favored Scott Catalog.
To the few friends who also treasure postally used stamps the way I do, I quietly cut the price for them. It is all subjective. Subject to how much I like the stamp and how much I like the buyer. After all they are my stamps and not Scott's or Gibbon's stamps.
Oh, and we have one member who has a small business buying collections from people who see his advertisement in the local newspaper. We have overheard him braging to one of his friends about how little he paid for some accumulation or collection and explaining that the seller, often a surviving spouse, (After all this is Florida) who asked his advice had no idea what was in the collection.
.
He simply reminds me of the kind of guy who can enter a room by sliithering under the closed door. Several of our members feel the same way and will not buy, sell or trade with him.
Once, about a year or two ago he saw a postally used Express Mail stamp I had that was beautifully centered, having perfect perforations and a very light corner cancellation that showed a date durig uits tieofuse.. It probably should have had about an eight to ten dollar selling price but I had it marked for about $19.95. Sleezeball saw it and for some reason seemed interested but could not refrain from quoting whatever the Scott's current listing was. I was surprised as it was more than I remembered or it had been when I originally put it in the binder for sale. The fellow suggested that my marked price seemed to be in error. I looked at it and acted horrified. I thanked him as I erased the pencilled price and wrote in $29.95. He left mumbling something as the business part of the meeting was then starting. I think I missed the next few stamp club meetings but sometime later he casually glanced through the binder and asked if I still had that Express Mail stamp for sale as it would fill in a set of those Eagle and Moon Priority and Express Mail stamps he wanted for some reason.
Oh, I have it at home, I told him and he asked me to bring it to the next meeting. It was several months later when I got to another meeting and, of course, he asked again about the stamp. Sadly, I mentioned that someone had bought it, but in fact I had pulled it out of the binder.
If I give the impression that I do not want to sell him anything, even at double Scott, you are on target. I do not like to have him pawing through my binder. It is all subjective.
Oh, and that stamp?
I eventually traded it and some others to another collector from Massachusetts for a large shoebox full of off paper Machins, which I felt was very fair and even more satisfying.
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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).
29 Jun 2012
01:14:01pm
re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
On that same train of thought -
I was on ebay recently and saw some penny lots. Nice stamps, some harder to find so I bid on them. I was willing to go to 90% cv and did. When I was outbid on a couple, I was shocked to see that the bidding (not yet finished) has gone so far 20% over cv. I couldn't help thinking to myself - geez - do these people not know the cv or are they just dense? These stamps will come up again (they always do) but I wonder how many people actually do check and compare catalogue values for some of these stamps before bidding? If it's only listed as $0.35 why are they paying in excess of $1.50? I think either people get carried away or they get zeroed in on the type of stamp it is.
Just my thoughts on this anyway.
Kelly
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04:19:04pm
re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
EBay is also a haven for fraudulent activity. Ive seen fake german covers and heard about a lot of altered us material... shill bidding as well. The powers that be at that site have no inclination of cutting down on fraudulent activity. So next time you find that great bargain on Ebay, please do take a closer look.
References :
Any newbie collector who shops on Ebay please please please go through these links. Getting badly burned could cause you to loose interest and give up the hobby altogether.
http://www.scads.org/
http://www.scads.org/ebay/bidtips.htm
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05:52:57pm
re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
Kelly, now and then I purchase stamps for more than catalog value. I have done it in the auctions here too. You have to look at the strategy of auction bidding. I find stamps that I want, and I allocate a total amount that I'm willing to pay for all of them. If my total "allowance" for all ten stamps with a catalog value of $45.00 is $25.00, and say I have won seven items for only $15.00, I still have $10.00 to use to "fight" for the remaining stamps. If there is a bidding war (rare on SOR), then I can bid over catalog value on a couple of stamps and still be below my total allowance. It is the total allocation that matters, so while I may have paid over catalog value for a couple of stamps, overall I paid just $25.00 for stamps that catalog $45.00, which was my objective and my combined spending limit for all of the stamps. So, average it out, and I actually didn't pay over catalog value for any stamp.
Of course, many don't look at the big picture like that and believe that it is a mortal sin to pay full catalog or more for a stamp. They are looking at things piecemeal, and they lose out by not utilizing an auction strategy. I like people like that, because it permits me to get nice stamps at bargain prices.
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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).
30 Jun 2012
12:50:44am
re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
Michael -
I agree with you on that. I've been known to indulge that way myself a few times. But, I figure it out evens out. I know for my limited areas of collecting, there are some items that you grab up if you can when they pop up because they don't often (provided they are within a reasonable amount). I just saw one German Occupation Wurttenberg go up over 50% cv (and still climbing) and the irony is - it's not that uncommon of a stamp - sure you've gotta know where to look but still - I kind of just chuckled and said "no way".
Sometimes I like to go on the auction sites just to see what people are doing and I've had my bidding wars for sure :-)
Kelly
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re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
Joel Grebin wrote, "There is always another seller somewhere, sometime, where the item you want will come up for sale. Create a want list for those types items."
Joel is correct in the case of most common philatelic items. If two ordinary unused stamps have been removed from the same sheet, they will be virtually identical. Most face-identical used stamps with ordinary, usually undecipherable or insignificant cancellations might as well be clones of each other. However...
Perfectly centred, fresh, unused, never-hinged older stamps with "boardwalk" or "jumbo" margins are not common, and if that's what a collector is looking for, he or she had better snap them up quick when possible. Clear, easily readable CDS cancellations or other highly collectable cancellations on most stamps are relatively uncommon; those from small post offices are often vanishingly rare. If you collect those, buy them when you see them. And note that catalogue value has little meaning when it comes to collecting items with these attributes.
Cover collectors are well aware that many covers are unique, and if you pass up a desirable one you probably won't ever see it again, or one even remotely similar. I recently paid big bucks for a cover sent by a soldier in General Pershing's army from Columbus, New Mexico, shortly after Pancho Villa's raid which killed several Americans. The well-respected dealer told me that in his entire career he had never seen another military cover from Columbus at that time. If I wanted it, and I did, I simply had to buy it.
As far as I'm concerned, if you need a stamp to complete a page or an exhibit, buy it when you can. Just because stamps are common doesn't mean you can command one to appear in your hands whenever you want it. If you have to pay a bit more than you'd like, so what? At least you'll have met an important collecting goal, unless your goal is to die with your pockets full of money!
Bob
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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).
30 Jun 2012
11:47:05am
re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
Bob - Absolutely!
"If you have to pay a bit more than you'd like, so what? At least you'll have met an important collecting goal, unless your goal is to die with your pockets full of money! "
If that were the case, we may as all just close our albums because we're in the wrong hobby for that one!!! LOL
Kelly
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re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
Not such a wrong hobby at all, Kelly. I can't think of many other hobbies where you can actually get some of your money back. When I decided to stop collecting Ireland, I sold my two lighthouse albums to a local dealer and was astonished at the cheque he wrote for me. I know it didn't come very close to totalling what I paid for the stamps and albums, but it was enough to allow me to buy some expensive covers that I wanted a great deal more.
Bob
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
02 Jul 2012
09:26:54am
re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
One thing to keep in mind is that the "values" provided by Scott are not values at all since Scott neither buys nor sells stamps. It is just a listing of what they feel the stamps have traded at in the past, and because of printing schedules, their data is six or eight months behind the somtimes volatile stamp market.
My feeling is to bid up to what I feel comfortable paying regardless of how others in other states or provinces at other times in their lives feel, or felt, the item was worth.
That means for some stamps or collections my comfort level will be linked not by Scott, or even by what some collectors elsewhere felt was reasonable, but by an amalgam of "What I can afford" and "How much I want that lot that day". Sometimes the fact that my wife is in the room might also be involved.
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
02 Jul 2012
09:31:37am
re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
PS: I sent you a message, Kelly.
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11:06:00pm
re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
This posting has been removed in accordance with the Stamporama By-Laws Article 2 Point 1.A. which states "No member should knowingly defame Stamporama or its members."
(Modified by Moderator on 2012-07-06 07:20:18)
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01:25:47am
re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
David, all I can say is that exactly what you don't like, you practice very well. I am not greedy, and I am not known to be a liar. Therefore, you have defamed me, and others here like me.
After reading what you wrote, I understand why you were banned from this site, even though I do not recall ever seeing you post here before. I don't know what or how the thorn got in your side about SOR, but don't lump everyone into your "problem" with SOR.
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re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
....seems that maybe this thread should stop here.
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re: Do people over charge on E-Bay?
Good thought Randy.
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