The internet certainly has made collecting just about anything much easier than it could be done before. I've seen lots of different places online to buy, trade, or sell stamps. Is this how most of you acquire your new stamps? Are there shops where you live that you can buy stamps -- aside from your postal outlet, of course. I know that there's a guy in my city who runs a shop that deals in stamps and coins. He's been doing it for years, so I imagine there must be a healthy customer base for him.
I buy a lot of stamps from the American Philatelic Society stamp store which is online. I also attend a lot of stamp shows where I buy from dealers. Most of the expensive stamps I acquire I will bid competitively at auction where I can preview lots and individual stamps. In the past I used the mail auction venues and dealer buy lists as well as Ebay. I have soured somewhat on those. I prefer to see the stamps I'm buying.
No stamps shops in my town. And the local post office often obtains only limited supplies of new issues, so I'm forced to order thru the Philatelic Fulfillment Center out of Kansas City. I mail order supplies (supplements, hinges, mounts, etc.) Some exchanges with other collectors thru internet contacts (most recently thru this forum). I get to the occasional stamp show to buy from dealers (discounted postage, country collections, rarer US). Most recent purchases are thru www.stamps2go.com It's a pretty well organized site; allows you to select by seller, or by country, or by stamp condition. Usually individual stamps to fill in gaps/holes in my rather extensive foreign collections. I buy the more expensive, older US stamps directly and only from dealers at stamps shows where I can physically examine the stamps I'm purchasing.
I have not bought any stamps online as I am cautious dealing online. I bought some stamps on collectors shops here and majority are from my friends.
Mainly online, I use to buy from a dealer who ran a approvals scheme, he was very fair in his pricing but unfortunately he passed away. I do whenever I can visit stamp shows as well as markets.
All of my new US issues come from the Philatelic Fulfillment Center in Kansas City. The stamps I buy from there are for use on my outgoing mail. These days I collect mostly W/W used stamps and I buy those from the APS store and sales circuits and from my state philatelic society sales circuits. Occasionally, I will buy a few stamps from eBay. I buy quite a few covers on eBay and Bid Start. Finally, I attend a couple of stamp shows yearly and I buy stamps and covers there. In thinking about it, it's been many years since I have bought stamps from a printed ad or dealers' lists. Don
I have bought some stamps from my local book store. I haven't started buying them from the internet or dealers yet.
I do buy better material from track-proven dealers of many business years. So reliability and trust would be reflected in the quality of purchases. The contrary on occasion may result in me sending a dealer a 'get well card' and advising him that he has joined my trash list if a mishap is not resolved. I seldom buy postage from our local Post shop as I can get such cheaper at our local auctions. I have never bought on eBay and is very unlikely to change.
I actually purchase most of my stamps from eBay.com. I know a lot of people don't trust that site but so far I haven't had any problems with them at all.
Most of the stamps I've photographed and posted were ones that I inherited, but I've bought stamps online from USPS, Royal Mail, and good old ebay. Haven't had any problems with them...so far.
The majority of stamps I have came to me from a few collections of friends of my parents. Others were collected from incoming mail from friends and family. When I was young there were (and probably still are) places that mail out stamps for you to collect or return. They always were a bit of a hassle, but it was a good way to start a worldwide collection.
i bought mine from a local store here in Rotterdam, usually kiloware. I. also tried buying from ebay and an internet shop and waited for 3-4days for delivery. I find online purchases more convinient. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
I acquire new stamps through letters and cards/postcards sent to me by my friends and relatives who live in other countries. I could also buy local stamps here in our country or ask friends if they could just give the stamps on the envelopes of letters/cards sent to them.
I get a majority of my stamps from the local post office. The postmaster has gotten to know me quite well over the years and rings me up whenever there's a new release. Besides that I visit exhibitions on and off . A lot of my newer stamps also include those acquired via correspondence with my friends in the EU.
I haven't really started buying stamps yet but I did buy some from my post office and local book store the last time I bought some stamps. No shows in my area. I been to busy looking for other thing to collect. Like paintings and books.
