For most philatelists, aside from collecting the rarest stamps ever published, you may also look for a profitable way to trade your stamp collection for cash in the future. Either it’s a family heirloom or you’ve collected them since, in the younger days, there are several ways on how you can trade your stamps, either from stamp shows or online.
What Is The Best Way To Sell Your Stamp Collections?
Regardless of the technology that we have right now, collecting stamps will never go out of style. There are several ways on how you can turn your collections into great investments. Learning how to trade them is as essential as knowing which one should be added to your collections.
Stamp collection, aka Hobby of Kings, is leisure and discretionary income, whether big or small. As a serious stamp collector, you’ll own a significant amount of these optional funds. Philatelists spend a great deal on their collections regardless of whether the economy is stagnant or growing.
If you have a massive stamp collection, at some point, you may have thought of selling them for a great deal, especially if you have plenty of rare stamps. You may opt to sell them on stamp shows or one way, may have thought, “Where can I sell my stamp collection?” where you’ll have better odds of winning. The great news is that you can take advantage of technology and sell them online.
Here are several essential factors on how you can have a great deal when selling stamps online:
- Find reliable software solutions that provide an excellent user experience
A reliable digital business for your stamp collections requires a powerful software platform. Proper research and careful tool selection are essential. Support and reliability are crucial factors that affect the business’s daily performance. Check insights from previous clients to properly weigh your options.
- Research the process of shipping your products
As a collector alone, you’ll understand the value of proper shipping, especially if you’ll be sending these tangible and fragile products. Selling stamps digitally will help you make the best options for packaging and shipment. This also means sending your items at an affordable rate via USPS or through a partnership with other couriers is essential.
- Build up your online presence from popular auctions for restock
While you have a massive collection of stamps today, take note about restocking them later on. Selling them digitally means you’ll need to understand the process of restocking your products for potential demands in the future.
Establishing your digital presence from several popular sites can help you better identify market demand. The trick with selling stamps online is purchasing them, at a lower price and selling them at a higher profit.
- Launch site to the public
Whether you have your website up and running doesn’t stop the work from there. Selling stamps can be a complex process and requires powerful marketing tactics to spread the word from your prospective customers or community.
The best way to let the public know of your business is to establish an excellent social media presence from various platforms. Check forums and connect with your target audience even before you start selling and earning. You need to build your credibility for collectors to buy from you.
The idea of selling stamps digitally can be a fascinating way to make a good turnaround of your collections into great investments. Before you start selling, you’ll need to understand the whole process of:
- Preparation
- Packing
- Shipping
How Will I Know If My Stamps Are Valuable?
Collecting stamps is an excellent pastime for all ages. It allows you to take a glimpse of the history and be connected with tangible materials. Keeping your collections in great condition is vital. Either you want to trade them for cash later or planning to pass it over to the next family generation.
If you wonder the value of your stamps, whether out of curiosity or for future business options, here’s a guide for you:
Stamps value is determined by several factors and this includes neatness. Whether you inherit a huge amount of stamps, clipped or randomly dumped in boxes or albums, assembling and checking their condition is like searching for long-lost treasures.
Whether they are carefully mounted, numbered or in a catalog, the value of your stamps varies with their overall condition.
Valuable stamps are those:
- Dated before the queen reigns (pre-1952)
- Neatly arranged and labeled
- Stamp collections are focused on a theme or by country instead of a mixture
- Collection must have higher denomination or face value printed on the stamp
Stamp collections with value to the family or relatives sure have a fair value to another philatelist. Note that catalog stamp values are inflated and most of these are 40% worth their value compared to reference price guides. Supply and demand also affect the overall value of every stamp, even the rarest or limited editions.
To ensure the overall value of your stamp collection before selling them online, you can do the following:
- Conduct thorough research from fellow collectors
- Participate in stamp auctions and shows
- Check sites like eBay, and more
- Find a stamp dealer near you
Conclusion
Digitally selling those stamps gives you a higher price, especially if you have rare or limited edition stamps. However, it’s important to do your research first. Usually, dealers will get more interested in rare or limited edition stamps when you sell them alone. This means the one’s dealers won’t be interested and leave you with stamps you won’t be in a position to sell. Therefore, plan before you sell and provide a better deal.
