What's One Piece of Advice You'd Give to Beginners?

Every one enters in to stamp collecting first as a hobby, when you have more money coming out of your full time job, then you try to buy some more kiloware to be soaked during holidays. you spend time to build your collection. At some time at the end, when you look at your basement or attic, there would be huge piles or mountains of kiloware lying around. You cannot soak all of them, then you try to sell or exchange them at a reasonable rates. I using the word reasonable means at a fair price. Only when the price tag is fair, the stamps will get sold. You will enjoy your returns. You never thought of selling your excess stamps, but you end up selling them at a fair price, which makes you happy economically and also the buyer is also happy with the down to earth stamp prices and really nice finds in his newly purchased stamp lot

ebay.com, delcampe, my little auctions all are helping in selling stamps, coins, banknotes at fairly cheap prices. Some lots may be costly, but 90% dont sell. 1 dollar auction start bids usually end up well both for the seller and the buyer too.

All the above, that i am stating is from my own experience, i have tried my hand at buying and also sometimes selling also. I end up buying more than my monthly budget. But i still think that this stamp collecting hobby is my real stress buster in my life. Economic Ups and Downs in my career, i really do spend it with my stamps

I earn a lot, i buy more stamps. I earn a little, i buy a few stamps. I do not earn anything, in need of money for personal expenses, sell my excess stamps to fellow collectors at a fair price. Stamps make me happy, stay healthier and also gives me a sound mind.

warm wishes.

 

I find selling and buying challenging.

I am trying to sell off on four sites, and buy in better material for show on one site.
It all goes beyond the 'fun' part of collecting because good stamps involves good money and the pit is not bottomless.

Selling is an art with lots of pros and conds - that is what keep the grey matter functioning.

 

I have tried selling some stamps individually on eBay just to see if there will someone who will bid. After a month no one so, I stopped it and just focus on collecting. Those stamps are just low value.
I think it is because serious buyers are really up to those stamps that are rare like Jenny and very old ones. Better to really just enjoy collecting especially for beginners.

 

All my collecting life I have searched for errors, flaws etc. and that starts with collecting masses and scrutinzing them. Even when I did not have literature the repeating oddity is set asside to latter discover that it is a listed flaw.
When yoy have a catalogue or handbook on a subject the more valued items may be lurking in the set aside oddity lot.
Today you have the web and much can be found with detail.

Is it not a triumphant fun to find a 10c stamp with a rare watermark selling for hundreds of Dollars !?

Anyone can get lucky with a bit of philatelic literacy.

 

Well, as a beginner myself I am not sure how much advice I can offer you. However, I can tell you what other people have told me. The first thing is to never stop, a lot of people start collecting stamps and then just stop because they realized it wasn't as easy as it sounded. The second thing is to not try to collect everything all at once, you need to have patience. This is something that should be fun, not stressful.

 

Philatelic stress !!
As a youngster I can not recall any 'stress' bar envy of the another's collection to the degree that prompts to collect better, which was just karma.

Nowadays I have more 'stress' in dealing with stamps.

Once collector/hoarders or 'inheritance' want to turn their junk into money. A dealer would only pay for what he can resell. Junk sells at junk level returns.

Getting a cover especially franked neatly with new issued stamp if not crumpled, obilterated with a nice smudgey blacken machine cancel.

Impatient buyers and slow delivery to some Countries. 'my stamps have not arrived....'

Buying at a show not having enough time to check the item thoroughly and finding the item later not fitting the price you paid.

Auction pitfalls are numerous - time checking quality or completeness always lackking - human oversight reigns. Discovering the watermark is not what you bid for - the hassle of refunding.

At shows people steal stamps or during auction viewing.

Just a few stress points

 

Slow delivery especially the missing mail issues are really stressing.

 

I agree with what was said only collect what you are interested in and don't
spend too much money on your collection. Until I came to this forum I didn't
know about selling your stamps because I first started collecting as a child and
I didn't go back to it until recently.

 

Adult interest in stamps is somewhat different, mainly because relative finance attachment.

 

Enjoy collecting stamps. Whatever you are interested in and don't try to
collect every kind of stamp out there. Just have fun collecting stamps.

 

I'm a fellow beginner and I think that this is something that would make a great hobbie but not as something that should be done to make money. Regardless of what topic I start to get interested in, it seems, and especially so on the internet, that a lot of people take up new hobbies as a way to make extra cash. I think they have it backwards. It's more important do enjoy what you are doing and let the money flow.

 

I enjoy what I am doing to let the money flow !

 

Allow me to add a little insight.

After 'collecting' since around 1955 I started selling in 1981 or so.

It is the lure to be able to make a purse out of a pigs ear in the manner of speaking.

It befalls any collector, at some stage you part with your collection or you depart.

In either event you gift it in some way or you sell it.

I had my fun collecting, now I enjoy selling.

See it like a house builder, he enjoys living in his creation but knows it will not be forever.

 

If you're a history nerd like me you'll love getting into the stories behind the streams.

 

If you want history look no further than early issues of Ethiopia.

Selassie Dynasty way back and could be traced to King Solomon and Queen of Sheba.

Egypt which is perhaps monumental has only references to old Egypt in modern issues.

However whatever you wish to persue - dig in.

 

Enjoy what you do.

 

I would need some advice too as I have never collected stamps before. I see some official looking websites on the internet like Stanley Gibbons where you can buy and sell stamps. There seem to be lots of dealers out there.

 

Why would you want to collect stamps ?

Perhaps a visit to your library and a good read on philately would answer thaty question.

As you do browse the websites, the lure may be found there.

Applies to really anything one thinks of collecting.

 

Stamp collecting isn't just for kids any more.