Buying Stamps at Wholesale Prices - Stamp Kiloware and Stamp Mixtures
When I first began collecting stamps I bought all of my stamps in low-priced mixtures. Either on-paper kiloware or off-paper stamp mixes, I didn't care which. Most of the time, those stamp mixtures I bought as a kid didn't have much in them that had any significant value, but I always hoped that there might be a nice find or two. And even when all the stamps in a particular mixture were pretty common (which didn't always happen, sometimes I did find some nice stamps worth a few bucks each), they sure did fill in a lot of holes in my stamp collection.
Filling in the "missing links" in a stamp collection is one of the main purposes of buying wholesale-priced kiloware and stamp mixtures. Sometimes those pesky holes are very common stamps that should be very easy to find, but just aren't. And sometimes you'll find nicer stamps even in a low-priced mixture: one or two of these can more than pay for the whole bunch.
If you collect used US or used foreign stamps, there's no cheaper alternative than buying stamp mixtures. Generally you'll get better mixtures when you pay more per ounce, but even high-priced mixtures are far cheaper than buying stamps individually.
Compare the mixtures you receive from different dealers - good stamp dealers will provide good quality and a lot of variety at a reasonable price. There are stamp mixtures being offered today that have good stamps in them, so shop around. When you find a stamp dealer that sells mixtures that you like, buy more from that dealer.
Showing posts with label bulk stamps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bulk stamps. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
New Wholesale-Priced Stamps at The Stamp People
The Stamp People, an online stamp shop that sells wholesale-priced bulk stamps as well as vintage and recent stamp sets and singles, received several new shipments of US kiloware and US bulk off paper stamps within the last few days. These stamp mixtures are now available at great prices on their website at www.thestamppeople.com
The new stamps, which came from several different suppliers, are from a wide time period and include stamps from the 1800s all the way through 2009.
The Stamp People are known for providing stamp collectors with bulk stamp mixes that have far fewer duplicates than the mixtures that can be bought from other stamp dealers. Stop by their website today. You'll be sure to find something you'll want.Monday, March 30, 2009
Advice for Charities Selling Stamps to Raise Money (Part 2)
Yesterday we discussed some tips for charities raising funds through stamps. Here are some additional ways for charities to maximize their fund-raising efforts.
To sort or not to sort - that is the question.
Some charities sort the stamps they sell, while others do not. We'd guess that it depends on whether the charity has volunteers who are willing and able to sort stamps into different categories. Sorting stamps will always result in more money being paid for the stamps, because the stamp dealer who buys sorted stamps will be willing to pay more for a sorted bunch than for a general, unsorted box of stamps.
But whether or not they're sorted, the accumulated stamps should always be prepared for shipping: someone at the charity should remove any excess paper and also take the stamps out of any smaller envelopes, boxes and other containers they may be in before the stamps are shipped to the buyer.
Charities can sort stamps in several different ways to provide maximum return: an example of "basic sorting" is one box or bag for US stamps of all types and ages and another box or bag for foreign stamps of all types and ages. But sorting can be taken to an even higher level if the charity wants a high return for their stamps. Sorting stamps is best left to volunteers who have at least some basic knowledge about types of stamps, but for those who want to try it, here are a few tips for sorting stamps into their types:
1. Definitive or "regular" stamps (all denominations, including high values). A definitive stamp is a stamp that's on long-term general sale, not issued in honor of a specific event or person and only available for a few months. Most definitive stamps are the smaller size stamps that are used from the date they're issued until the next postal rate increase, but a few definitives are a larger size.
2. Commemorative stamps. A commemorative stamp is almost always a larger-size stamp that pictures an event, a person or group of people, specific scenery, etc. Generally they're the "pretty" stamps that are only sold at the post office for a few months each.
3. "Other" stamps, including Christmas, Love and airmail stamps. Christmas stamps may be religious or secular scenes as the US and many other countries produce both. This category basically includes all stamps other than definitive and commemorative stamps.
4. All off-paper stamps which have already been soaked from their backing paper should be separated from on-paper stamps. The off-paper stamps are much more fragile and can easily be damaged if they're mixed in with on-paper stamps.
There's no need to sort stamps by issue or their face value, and in fact that will reduce the price paid for the stamps as the stamp dealer-buyer will just need to re-mix them.
A couple of other no-no's: don't pick out what look to be the better or more uncommon stamps - leave them in the mixture along with all the others; and don't include stamps that are paper-clipped together (this can ruin them). We buy and sell hundreds of pounds of bulk stamps every year and we know what a typical unpicked charity mixture should look like. A mixture where the better stamps have been picked out and what's left has tons of duplication will always fetch a lower price than an unpicked charity mix. The better the quality of the mixture (more interesting and less duplication), the higher the price a stamp dealer will pay.
The Stamp People is always looking for new charity mix sources. If you're selling bulk stamps to raise money for a good cause, send us an email!
Yesterday we discussed some tips for charities raising funds through stamps. Here are some additional ways for charities to maximize their fund-raising efforts.
To sort or not to sort - that is the question.
Some charities sort the stamps they sell, while others do not. We'd guess that it depends on whether the charity has volunteers who are willing and able to sort stamps into different categories. Sorting stamps will always result in more money being paid for the stamps, because the stamp dealer who buys sorted stamps will be willing to pay more for a sorted bunch than for a general, unsorted box of stamps.
But whether or not they're sorted, the accumulated stamps should always be prepared for shipping: someone at the charity should remove any excess paper and also take the stamps out of any smaller envelopes, boxes and other containers they may be in before the stamps are shipped to the buyer.
Charities can sort stamps in several different ways to provide maximum return: an example of "basic sorting" is one box or bag for US stamps of all types and ages and another box or bag for foreign stamps of all types and ages. But sorting can be taken to an even higher level if the charity wants a high return for their stamps. Sorting stamps is best left to volunteers who have at least some basic knowledge about types of stamps, but for those who want to try it, here are a few tips for sorting stamps into their types:
1. Definitive or "regular" stamps (all denominations, including high values). A definitive stamp is a stamp that's on long-term general sale, not issued in honor of a specific event or person and only available for a few months. Most definitive stamps are the smaller size stamps that are used from the date they're issued until the next postal rate increase, but a few definitives are a larger size.
2. Commemorative stamps. A commemorative stamp is almost always a larger-size stamp that pictures an event, a person or group of people, specific scenery, etc. Generally they're the "pretty" stamps that are only sold at the post office for a few months each.
3. "Other" stamps, including Christmas, Love and airmail stamps. Christmas stamps may be religious or secular scenes as the US and many other countries produce both. This category basically includes all stamps other than definitive and commemorative stamps.
4. All off-paper stamps which have already been soaked from their backing paper should be separated from on-paper stamps. The off-paper stamps are much more fragile and can easily be damaged if they're mixed in with on-paper stamps.
There's no need to sort stamps by issue or their face value, and in fact that will reduce the price paid for the stamps as the stamp dealer-buyer will just need to re-mix them.
A couple of other no-no's: don't pick out what look to be the better or more uncommon stamps - leave them in the mixture along with all the others; and don't include stamps that are paper-clipped together (this can ruin them). We buy and sell hundreds of pounds of bulk stamps every year and we know what a typical unpicked charity mixture should look like. A mixture where the better stamps have been picked out and what's left has tons of duplication will always fetch a lower price than an unpicked charity mix. The better the quality of the mixture (more interesting and less duplication), the higher the price a stamp dealer will pay.
The Stamp People is always looking for new charity mix sources. If you're selling bulk stamps to raise money for a good cause, send us an email!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Advice for Charities Selling Stamps to Raise Money (Part 1)
Many charities collect stamps as a method of raising funds. The Stamp People buys stamps from many different charities, and we're always looking for more. When we get some new kiloware, we set some aside for later sale, we mix material from different sources to provide the best bulk stam lots that we can, and we sell throughout the US and overseas. So we decided to write this article to give some guidance to charities who want to raise money through stamps.
The first thing to remember is that the more stamps a charity accumulates, the more money will be raised when the stamps are sold to a stamp dealer (we hope it's us!)
Use volunteers to gather the stamps - if a charity has to pay its staff to do this, your fund-raising efforts will suffer by the amount of their salaries.
Following these guidelines are a good way to maximize the money charities can raise through stamps:
1. Leave the stamps on their backing paper (unless you have stamps that have already been soaked off the paper), with a border of paper that's about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch left around the stamp. Following this guideline should keep your volunteers from cutting into the stamp or its perforations. This is a very important suggestion because stamps that have been damaged this way have very little, if any, value to a stamp dealer or a stamp collector.
2. Don't leave excess paper on the stamps (excess paper is anything that's more than the 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch border or double paper, where both the front and back of the envelope corner are present - just keep the front corner of the envelope and cut the back away). A little excess paper generally won't change what we'll pay, but too much excess paper will cause any stamp dealer to pay less for the stamps.
3. The bigger the box of stamps that you send at one time, the better. Larger quantities will make your stamp dealer-buyer a happy camper.
4. We sometimes receive stamps inside a large box where the stamps inside are themselves inside numerous envelopes, zip-lock bags, old check boxes and other small containers. Taking the stamps out of those "internal" containers takes a stamp dealer a lot of extra time, which in turn will lower the price you'll get for the stamp. The solution is easy - just ask your volunteers to remove the stamps from all those envelopes and containers and then put them into a large box all together.
Part 2 of our advice to charities raising money will be posted tomorrow.
Many charities collect stamps as a method of raising funds. The Stamp People buys stamps from many different charities, and we're always looking for more. When we get some new kiloware, we set some aside for later sale, we mix material from different sources to provide the best bulk stam lots that we can, and we sell throughout the US and overseas. So we decided to write this article to give some guidance to charities who want to raise money through stamps.
The first thing to remember is that the more stamps a charity accumulates, the more money will be raised when the stamps are sold to a stamp dealer (we hope it's us!)
Use volunteers to gather the stamps - if a charity has to pay its staff to do this, your fund-raising efforts will suffer by the amount of their salaries.
Following these guidelines are a good way to maximize the money charities can raise through stamps:
1. Leave the stamps on their backing paper (unless you have stamps that have already been soaked off the paper), with a border of paper that's about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch left around the stamp. Following this guideline should keep your volunteers from cutting into the stamp or its perforations. This is a very important suggestion because stamps that have been damaged this way have very little, if any, value to a stamp dealer or a stamp collector.
2. Don't leave excess paper on the stamps (excess paper is anything that's more than the 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch border or double paper, where both the front and back of the envelope corner are present - just keep the front corner of the envelope and cut the back away). A little excess paper generally won't change what we'll pay, but too much excess paper will cause any stamp dealer to pay less for the stamps.
3. The bigger the box of stamps that you send at one time, the better. Larger quantities will make your stamp dealer-buyer a happy camper.
4. We sometimes receive stamps inside a large box where the stamps inside are themselves inside numerous envelopes, zip-lock bags, old check boxes and other small containers. Taking the stamps out of those "internal" containers takes a stamp dealer a lot of extra time, which in turn will lower the price you'll get for the stamp. The solution is easy - just ask your volunteers to remove the stamps from all those envelopes and containers and then put them into a large box all together.
Part 2 of our advice to charities raising money will be posted tomorrow.
Friday, March 27, 2009
What to do With Bulk Stamp Mixtures
In the Nov. 24, 2008 edition of Linn's Stamp News, Janet Klug wrote "there is nothing more delightful for a stamp collector than acquiring a whole lot of stamps all at once. The feeling must be akin to that of a pirate opening up a treasure chest full of gold doubloons."
She also said "if you have ever acquired a fat album full of stamps or a cigar box lot crammed with stamps, then you know the feeling. But then the realization sets in that you actually are supposed to do something with this treasure."
In her Refresher Course article in Linn's, Imposing Order on Chaos: Processing Large Lots and Collections, Ms Klug says there are four main steps in processing a newly-obtained stamp accumulation.
1. Organize it (it must be sorted in some way)
2. Meld it into your current collection
3. Start a new collection
4. Swap or store the duplicates
Ms Klug says she prefers to sort a stamp accumulation by country first, then each country's stamps by their approximate time period.
She ends by saying, "the most important point to remember when working with a large number of stamps is to take your time. You do not need to do it all in one sitting. Spread it out over days, weeks or months, and before long your chaotic treasure chest will morph into a nice, well-organized collection."
We would add that not only do you not need to do it all in one sitting - it's best if you don't do it in a hurry. Sorting a stamp accumulation should be done at a slow enough pace that you will be able to savor the experience and wonder "just what stamp treasures will I find here." Many stamp collectors purchase stamp accumulations and stamp mixtures and spend days if not weeks organizing their stamp acquisitions, enjoying the process of sorting almost as much as the stamps themselves.
In the Nov. 24, 2008 edition of Linn's Stamp News, Janet Klug wrote "there is nothing more delightful for a stamp collector than acquiring a whole lot of stamps all at once. The feeling must be akin to that of a pirate opening up a treasure chest full of gold doubloons."
She also said "if you have ever acquired a fat album full of stamps or a cigar box lot crammed with stamps, then you know the feeling. But then the realization sets in that you actually are supposed to do something with this treasure."
In her Refresher Course article in Linn's, Imposing Order on Chaos: Processing Large Lots and Collections, Ms Klug says there are four main steps in processing a newly-obtained stamp accumulation.
1. Organize it (it must be sorted in some way)
2. Meld it into your current collection
3. Start a new collection
4. Swap or store the duplicates
Ms Klug says she prefers to sort a stamp accumulation by country first, then each country's stamps by their approximate time period.
She ends by saying, "the most important point to remember when working with a large number of stamps is to take your time. You do not need to do it all in one sitting. Spread it out over days, weeks or months, and before long your chaotic treasure chest will morph into a nice, well-organized collection."
We would add that not only do you not need to do it all in one sitting - it's best if you don't do it in a hurry. Sorting a stamp accumulation should be done at a slow enough pace that you will be able to savor the experience and wonder "just what stamp treasures will I find here." Many stamp collectors purchase stamp accumulations and stamp mixtures and spend days if not weeks organizing their stamp acquisitions, enjoying the process of sorting almost as much as the stamps themselves.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Stamp Collecting in a Troubled Economy
Most stamp collectors - like most people nowadays - probably have less money available to spend on their stamp collections than they would like. After all, collecting stamps is a hobby, and not essential.
But many (if not most) stamp collectors are absorbed, if not addicted to, their hobby. So what's a stamp collector to do now that the world economy is troubled and less money is available to spend?
Try buying a bulk wholesale stamp assortment or mixture. Something along the lines of a mystery box. They're inexpensive and fun to sort through - you never know what you'll find. And they'll let you start a new country collection for very little cash.
If you've reached the point in your stamp collection where every stamp you still need is very expensive, but you don't have the money, this can be a perfect solution to your dilemma. You'll be able to purchase a large number of stamps for very little money, and kick-start your collecting hobby by adding a new country or countries.
Perfect, even in today's economy.
Give it a shot, buy a mystery lot of stamps.
Most stamp collectors - like most people nowadays - probably have less money available to spend on their stamp collections than they would like. After all, collecting stamps is a hobby, and not essential.
But many (if not most) stamp collectors are absorbed, if not addicted to, their hobby. So what's a stamp collector to do now that the world economy is troubled and less money is available to spend?
Try buying a bulk wholesale stamp assortment or mixture. Something along the lines of a mystery box. They're inexpensive and fun to sort through - you never know what you'll find. And they'll let you start a new country collection for very little cash.
If you've reached the point in your stamp collection where every stamp you still need is very expensive, but you don't have the money, this can be a perfect solution to your dilemma. You'll be able to purchase a large number of stamps for very little money, and kick-start your collecting hobby by adding a new country or countries.
Perfect, even in today's economy.
Give it a shot, buy a mystery lot of stamps.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
The Thrill of Victory
Much of the fun in stamp collecting is in finally locating that elusive, hard to find "hole" in your stamp collection. It may be a common stamp that you just can't seem to find, or it may be a more expensive vintage stamp. For whatever reasons, it's missing from your stamp collection.
All stamp collectors have at least a few "missing links" that they would love to put into their collections, if only they could find them. There are a couple of different ways to try to find them. Most of these ways can be expensive, but there is one method that is very economical.
The least expensive way to fill many of the gaps in your collection - especially if you are a relatively new stamp collector or are just beginning a stamp collection - is to purchase a bulk stamp mixture. Wholesale-priced stamp assortments provide the opportunity to buy stamps at an extremely low price, many times for not even a penny a stamp. These kinds of stamp mixes can be already soaked and off their paper, or they be still be on paper. The choice is yours. And you can buy single-country stamp mixtures or assortments from a specific continent, group of countries, or the entire world. Again, the choice is yours.
Buy your stamp mixtures from a reputable stamp dealer and you'll be pleased with the price you pay and the assortment of stamps that you receive.
Much of the fun in stamp collecting is in finally locating that elusive, hard to find "hole" in your stamp collection. It may be a common stamp that you just can't seem to find, or it may be a more expensive vintage stamp. For whatever reasons, it's missing from your stamp collection.
All stamp collectors have at least a few "missing links" that they would love to put into their collections, if only they could find them. There are a couple of different ways to try to find them. Most of these ways can be expensive, but there is one method that is very economical.
The least expensive way to fill many of the gaps in your collection - especially if you are a relatively new stamp collector or are just beginning a stamp collection - is to purchase a bulk stamp mixture. Wholesale-priced stamp assortments provide the opportunity to buy stamps at an extremely low price, many times for not even a penny a stamp. These kinds of stamp mixes can be already soaked and off their paper, or they be still be on paper. The choice is yours. And you can buy single-country stamp mixtures or assortments from a specific continent, group of countries, or the entire world. Again, the choice is yours.
Buy your stamp mixtures from a reputable stamp dealer and you'll be pleased with the price you pay and the assortment of stamps that you receive.
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