HOW TO SELL YOUR STAMP COLLECTION AS A STAMP COLLECTOR
STEP 1: LOOK OVER YOUR STAMP COLLECTION AND PREPARE TO DISCUSS IT
NO MATTER HOW YOU INTEND TO SELL YOUR COLLECTION, LOOKING IT OVER AND PREPARING TO DISCUSS IS IT IS IMPORTANT, PARTICULARLY IF YOU HAVE A VERY LARGE COLLECTION.
​BE READY TO DISCUSS IT BY BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE
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A GOOD SUMMARY OF THE COLLECTION
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THE CONDITION OF THE COLLECTION
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ADDITIONAL DETAILS IF IT IS A SPECIALIZED COLLECTION
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ANY RARE OR UNIQUE ITEMS IT MAY INCLUDE. YOU LIKELY KNOW WHERE THE VALUE IS IN YOUR COLLECTION SO MAKE SURE TO DISCUSS IT.
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POSSIBLY A BRIEF HISTORY OF YOUR COLLECTION, IF RELEVANT
SOME TIPS FOR SUMMARIZING YOUR COLLECTION
IF IT IS A LARGE COLLECTION TAKE SOME TIME TO DOCUMENT THE COLLECTION. TAKE A ROUGH INVENTORY OF EACH ALBUM AND EACH BOX AND TRY TO IDENTIFY THE MOST VALUABLE PIECES.
IF IT IS A SMALL COLLECTION OR SINGLE ALBUM YOU COULD TAKE THE TIME TO CATALOGUE IT. EXCLUDE ANY DAMAGED ITEMS SINCE THEY DON'T ADD VALUE AND TO KEEP THE COLLECTION TIDY. KEEP IN MIND WHOLESALE PRICING IS OFTEN ONLY 5-15% of CATALOGUE VALUE, UNLESS THEY ARE PARTICULARLY RARE, IN WHICH CASE YOU CAN GET A MUCH BETTER PERCENTAGE.
STEP 2: CONSIDER YOUR OPTIONS ON WHERE TO SELL YOUR COLLECTION
YOU CAN CHOOSE TO SELL THE COLLECTION TO A DEALER OR AUCTION HOUSE OR SELL IT YOURSELF AT A TRADE SHOW OR TO A COLLECTOR. THERE ARE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES TO BOTH OPTIONS.
SELLING TO A DEALER OR AUCTION HOUSE
SINCE YOU ARE STAMP COLLECTOR YOU ARE LIKELY ALREADY FAMILIAR WITH A RANGE OF DEALERS AND AUCTION HOUSES, WHICH OFFERS YOU A GOOD STARTING POINT. MAKE SURE TO CHECK A VARIETY OF DEALERS AND/OR AUCTION HOUSES BEFORE DECIDING ON ONE. KEEP IN MIND BIGGER IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER, AND YOU OFTEN WILL ACTUALLY GET A BETTER OFFER FROM A SMALLER DEALER. SO CONTACT A MIXTURE OF SMALLER FIRMS ALONG WITH LARGER ONES TO FIND THE BEST DEAL.
OFTEN ITS BEST TO START WITH SOMEONE YOU KNOW AND TALK TO LOCAL DEALERS OR AUCTION HOUSES WHEN POSSIBLE. HOWEVER, DON'T LIMIT YOURSELF TO JUST ONE AND ALWAYS CALL A FEW BEFORE DECIDING. OFFERS CAN VARY WIDELY SO YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU WEIGH YOUR OPTIONS.
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SELLING IT DIRECTLY TO A COLLECTOR
AS A COLLECTOR YOU LIKELY KNOW MANY OTHER STAMP COLLECTORS FROM TRADE SHOWS, CLUBS OR ONLINE. AGAIN, START WITH SOME OF THE COLLECTORS YOU KNOW TO SEE IF THEY MIGHT BE INTERESTED OR IF THEY MAY KNOW SOMEONE WHO WOULD BE INTERESTED IN YOUR COLLECTION. YOU COULD ALSO ATTEND A TRADE SHOW OR SOME CLUB MEETINGS IN ORDER TO FIND A BUYER FOR YOUR COLLECTION. LASTLY YOU COULD TRY TO SELL IT YOURSELF ONLINE.
STEP 3: CHOOSE THE OPTION THAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU
AFTER YOU HAVE WORKED THROUGH YOUR OPTIONS ITS TIME TO DECIDE ON THE ONE THAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU.
HOW MUCH TIME YOU WANT TO SPEND SELLING THE STAMP COLLECTION ?
AUCTION HOUSES OFTEN TAKE ADDITIONAL TIME TO SELL COLLECTIONS. ADDITIONALLY IF YOU OPT TO SELL IT YOURSELF, THERE CAN BE CONSIDERABLE TIME SPENT PRICING, LISTING, AND FINDING A BUYER. DEALERS OFTEN CAN BUY COLLECTIONS QUICKLY, SO IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SELL A COLLECTION QUICKLY A DEALER OR A COLLECTOR YOU KNOW ARE TWO GOOD OPTIONS.
HOW CAN YOU GET THE BEST PRICE FOR YOUR STAMP COLLECTION?
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TALKING TO MULTIPLE DEALERS, COLLECTORS OR AUCTION HOUSES CAN ENSURE YOU GET THE BEST PRICE FOR YOUR COLLECTION. SELLING IT DIRECTLY TO A COLLECTOR DOES AVOID A MIDDLE MAN SO IF YOU HAVE A COLLECTOR INTERESTED IN BUYING THAT MY BE YOUR BEST OPTION.
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REMEMBER AS A STAMP COLLECTOR YOU ALREADY HAVE A LOT OF KNOW HOW THAT WILL HELP YOU GET THE MOST FROM YOUR COLLECTION. YOU ARE YOUR BEST ADVOCATE, SO USE YOUR PHILATELIC EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE TO GET THE MOST FROM YOUR STAMP COLLECTION!
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