Collecting stamps on a budget
As a worldwide collector I have few practical guidelines that keep me on my (somewhat limited and small) annual budget.
My do-not’s
First, I don’t buy/order new items from GPO (General Post Office). I admit it might be the handiest way to get new issues, but personally I don’t consider it as collecting. There’s no “fun of hunting” – all you get is just a monthly dispatch with all the stamps neatly sorted and a HUGE bill. It’s simply much more fun to go out and seek the items in used condition.
Secondly, I try to avoid buying single items or complete sets from dealers/auctions. No matter how you look at it, they are usually somewhat expensive way to complete a collection. Getting something at 20-40% of catalog value might sound a good deal, but it’s not unless you’re buying a superb grade Penny Black or some other hard-to-obtain key-issue.
And third… I don’t surf “commercial” auction sites more than 2-3 times a month. This is to avoid impulse purchases. If I was sitting on top of bottomless money pit I could shop easily 24/7/365 on sites like eBay, StampWants etc. But as that’s not the case, it’s much simpler to avoid the temptation from the beginning.
My do-follows
Buy (or trade) LARGE lots… This is my main guideline. When buying stamps, I try to buy them at least in hundreds, preferrably in thousands, or even better in kilograms/labels. The larger the better. I acquire a random unsorted (off-paper) mixture, kiloware, stamp packages, old stamp collections or similar about once every month or so…. I admit that one ends up with lot of duplicates and “junk” this way, but that’s just part of the deal. Duplicates are good for trading, and the junk… well, it remains junk. But with a price as low as tenths of cent per stamp there’s very little reasons to complain.
My second rule of thumb is “never pay more than intended”. Especially with last minute online auctions it’s more than easy to get carried away and bid some more. As dumb as I may sound I normally make just one bid (either manually or using sniper) on lots I’m after. If my bid doesn’t success, then the item has fallen out of my price range and it’s not of my interest.
And my third rule… Knowledge is power. Educate yourself as much as possible. The more you know, the better deals you will make… Below are some BSAC (British South African Company / Rhodesia) stamps I got for “free”. Since they have fiscal/revenue cancels + perfins + minor perf. faults, an auctioneer had not counted / included them to lot description. What a bargain I got …I’ve seen much worse grade copies sell for 50-100€ ea.
1892 BSAC - 5£ and 10£ stamps with revenue/fiscal usage.
Closing words
While writing the above I realized something funny… Most likely I have spend more money on collecting accessories (stockbooks, catalogues, tools, magazines etc) than on stamps. LOL
Now’s your turn…Do you have any “tricks of trade” to keep your collection on the budget?
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Great post!
I do things something different so far.
Now, I only spend money in stamps from Argentina and the Falklands. Some for new issues, and some for internet bargains.
Other countries, come from gifts and exchanges mostly.
Best,
Pablo.
I totally agree with your philosophy of collecting and hope I will not deviate too much here from the topic of collecting on a budget. Being a generation older than you, I acquired most of my stamps prior to the days of e-mail when used stamps were easy to find in the trash, from businesses I frequented, and from family and friends.
Since the advent of the internet and email, I have not been able keep up with technology and figure out how to acquire stamps as inexpensively. Although I have been collecting since the 1950’s, only recently have I learned what “kiloware” means. I have yet to figure out where and how to acquire kiloware and would appreciate any leads.
“Free association” is a wonderful byproduct of the hunt. It happens best when a mixture of stamps can easily be arranged and rearranged.
Most of my collection is used, and I organize my collection somewhat thematically. In order to remain non-competitive and low budget, I began to focus on duplicates. Only by lining up hundreds of the same stamp can one discover new errors and appreciate common variations.
Design and aesthetics are important to me, so I am not interested in most albums. I like to design my own pages with original combinations of stamps. When I exhibited a portion of my collection publicly for the first time (2008), I actually won people’s choice, best of show for my exhibit titled “Fun With Duplicates.”
The social aspect and stories behind stamps are what make them come alive for me. I get a lot of enjoyment out of simply listening to collectors talk about their travels and hunts. Often, what the stamp looks like isn’t as interesting as how old it is and where it has been. Sadly, too often most of a stamp’s story is a mystery.
@carol:
Your response has some great insights. I think many (me included) will value them greatly.
“I have yet to figure out where and how to acquire kiloware and would appreciate any leads.”
Personally I buy kiloware either from eBay or by mail order from stamp dealers. eBay is good for general worldwide kiloware, while stamp dealers provide very good channel for country specific mixtures.
The thing to look out with kiloware are postage (and possible customs) costs – they can make a real killing.
Keijo, thanks for explaining where to search for kiloware. Now I just have to find a knowledgeable techie to teach me how to survive the eBay jungle. I’ll go to my local stamp club and start asking. Hmmm….
Carol,
I saw your exhibit last year at the KPS show and I was very impressed,I wish I had the talent to express with stamps the way that you do,. How about
giving us some brief instructions at one of the meetings, if you decide to give a lecture it should be announced in our monthly flyer, I’m sure it would be the most attended meeting of the year.
Looking forward to seeing more of your work,
Marry a non-collector and let them know of EVERY purchase you make,….great way to stay on budget or end up in divorce court!
I have set a limit of $2.00 per item and only once have I exceeded that limit so far in a few years of attending (very few) stamp shows and dealing with StampWants this year.
I know I`m spending too much though, and will try some of your suggestions. I go to the FQP (Federation Quebecois de la Philatelie) meetings and last time I won a 20-lb. box full of envelopes for $9.00 (auction) which was fun! Many of the stamps were interesting. The box included 5 different envelopes from Santa`s Workshop, about 100 letters from various town halls with Quebec`s lovely place-names on them* (this is a new branch of philatelic collecting, I hear!) *Every small town, even those with English names, has had a saint`s name appended to it – such as St. Adolphe d`Howard, and yes, St. Louis de Ha Ha! I sold those envelopes for $5 to someone who helped me sort through them. (I think I would have had to sell them outside Quebec, which I am not yet educated enough to do.)
Hi Keijo
The manner in which you collect WW makes great sense. With such a broad scope collection you simply can’t afford to pay many dollars per stamp, or even a $100 for a penny black (unless its a desperate want – but then you you end up with several months of nothing else). The internet age has made this WW collecting much more viable with easy access to multiple exchanges/trades contacts. To this end I just bought a bulk lot of NZ to get me going – if I get 500 different out of that I’ll be happy, with the balance being possible trade bait once I get organised.
Regards Laurence