How to Buy Stamps

Finding free stamps is nice - you can get them from your own mail and from friends and relatives. But at some point (usually soon) those free stamps just aren't enough to satisfy you. Either you already have them or you just want to branch out into something different than what you see in the mail. Fortunately there are many ways to build your stamp collection if you're willing to spend a little money. Once you begin buying stamps, your problem will be too many stamps to choose from, and not enough money.

Stamp shops aren't as common as they used to be, even just a few years ago. They still exist, though, and there are 1,200 stamp shops in the US, with thousands more throughout the rest of the world. To see if there's a stamp shop in your town, look in the telephone yellow pages under "stamps for collectors."

Online stamp shops like The Stamp People are taking up the slack from the lower number of brick and mortar stamp shops that are still around. Online stamp dealers, like any other sellers, are generally reputable, honest and professional, and their stamp offerings are of the same quality as an in-person stamp dealer. Online stamp auctions also exist on a number of websites.

Another source of stamps are the public stamp shows that are regularly held in the US and all around the world. Some are very large, but others are much smaller with fewer dealers. The smaller shows are perhaps a better place to start: big stamp shows feature hundreds of dealers and can be a bit overwhelming unless you've been to one before. Learn where and when local stamp shows will be held by asking your stamp dealer, reading philatelic newspapers and checking stamp websites. You'll find stamps, covers and supplies at just about every stamp show, and sometimes paper ephemera and vintage postcards too.

Some stamp dealers offer mail-order stamp services: some are worldwide stamp dealers, while others are much more specialized. Some stamp dealers, including some pretty large ones, will send you stamps on approval, where you pick and keep those you want and return the rest along with your payment.

You can also buy stamps (new issues only) at any post office. Not all post offices carry every current stamp, but all should have at least a few different stamps to choose from. Some of the post offices in larger cities have a special philatelic window that serves the needs of stamp collectors. If you're lucky, one of these "retail stores" will be easy for you to get to. But don't panic if there isn't one in your area: the US Postal Service also offers a mail-order Philatelic Fulfillment Service Center. You can also buy stamps on the USPS website, located at www.usps.gov. And every country that issues stamps has its own postal administration. Many take stamp orders from collectors that are located elsewhere, and they often have websites, making it far easier for you to make purchases.