Stamps on Approval Program

[rbridge28570]

 Anyone participate in a Stamp on approval program? Jamestown Stamps want me to join program. If you do how often do they send stamps? Do not want them to send me a bunch everyday!!! Got to watch the budget!!!

[cbavier]

I wouldn't get involved with this type of offer. They send them once a month or sometimes every two weeks. The stamps are Too expensive plus you will never get a full set. They break them up so you have to keep buying in order to complete a page or set. almost all the companies try to get collectors to buy on approval.

[Gordon Lee]

Greetings Mr. rbridge28570
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Some folks here at Stamp Bears swear by these companies (Jamestown, Mystic, Kenmore, etc.) I, however, am not a big fan.
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For the older issues they seldom offer a primo stamp, but they sell them at primo prices.   The stamp will be defective, one way or another (never centered, missing perforations, thins, etc.). T he price tag will be almost as much (and sometimes more) than the current Scott CV (Catalogue Value) regardless of condition.
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The Reverend Mister Chuck (Mr. cbavier) is correct.  It is not often a complete set of stamps are included for approval.  But you can fill out the set -- if you pay a lot more.
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They will offer appreciation gifts (and make it seem like a big deal). Normally these are pretend stamps, issued by stamp brokers.   Again, you will only see partial sets. Most of these stamps are CTO (cancelled to order) straight from the printing press and readily available to unsuspecting newbies that don't know the difference.   These are called by real collectors as "jam jar labels."  (A good way to tell jelly jar labels with a CTO is that the original glue is still on the stamp.)   It is a rarity to see any of these stamps used through a real postal system.
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Reverend Mist Chuck is also correct that they will bombard you with approvals.   They may start out by sending them to you once a month, but soon they will begin sending them to you as fast as remit payment or send the approvals back.
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And the thing that really jacks-my-jaw about these approval companies is that they hardly ever, if ever, use stamps. All you will find on their mailings are postal labels. What is ironic is that their customers return the approvals/remittance with postage stamps -- providing these companies with future inventory.
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If you need to buy stamps, your best bet is visiting a dealer at a stamp show. They normally sell stamps at "market value" and based on the condition of the stamp.   A better way is asking family and friends to save stamps from their mail for you.   Also, contact local business if they would not mind giving you used envelopes from their mail. (My biggest gathering of stamps came from dumpsters behind stores with lots of mail customers.)  Duplicates make excellent trading fodder.
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Now, these are only my opinion.  I'm sure others will disagree about the approval companies.   But that's the way I see it.
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Respectfully,

Gordon Lee

[samb]

I agree with everything that has been said about these programs by others. I will say this tho about Mystic Stamp Co..... I like their prices and quality on supplies (Albums, mounts, hinges, etc.) and I recommend trying to get one of their US catalogs to use just for reference. I use it while sorting my US because it has every stamp listed and scott numbers.

If you are interested in finding a way for you and your daughter to receive some more stamps, I can offer the SamB Approval Program. You send me your shipping address, I will send you some stamps, You keep them or trade to others... and its FREE!!! I have duplicates I'm willing to send to new collectors, all I need is an address and some collecting interests. Let me know what you want to do...

[tomd]

Way to go Sam

[Admin Bear]

Oct 22, 2013 17:00:06 GMT -5 samb said:

I agree with everything that has been said about these programs by others. I will say this tho about Mystic Stamp Co..... I like their prices and quality on supplies (Albums, mounts, hinges, etc.) and I recommend trying to get one of their US catalogs to use just for reference. I use it while sorting my US because it has every stamp listed and scott numbers.

If you are interested in finding a way for you and your daughter to receive some more stamps, I can offer the SamB Approval Program. You send me your shipping address, I will send you some stamps, You keep them or trade to others... and its FREE!!! I have duplicates I'm willing to send to new collectors, all I need is an address and some collecting interests. Let me know what you want to do...

And to add to this a lot of members here are willing to help folks get started, not to mention (ok shameless plug here) lottery's, games, and other giveaways on this and our Facebook page on an ongoing basis.

once you hit that magic 25 post mark you can put up a "wanted" post in the market place and members will likely help you out a great deal.

[gbauer8946]

I have dealt with Jamestown, Kenmore and Mystic on their approval programs. No real complaints but sometimes they all can be a little pricey. I have actually had pretty good luck with random searches on ebay.

[Deleted]

My question is; if you save stamps from just one country, do the dealers send stamps on approval from just that country? As I am only on my fifth country would they cater their offers to these. Also if you don't want them how often can you send them back. Also can you keep some and send back what you don't want. Also who pays the P&P?

[Craig]

The approval companies get their stamps in bulk, mostly short sets that cost them pennies. The markup is high (they profit due to quantities sold), they'll sell a short set that cost them a nickel for 35¢.

Polar, they send out what they can get, so they might not be able to handle just one country at a time. If you ask, though, they might be able to send a country at a time for a while. You can send back what you don't want, with payment for what you keep. They'll pay postage to you, you're expected to pay postage to them when you pay or return anything.

Your best bet is to buy from a local stamp store (or at a bourse at a stamp show) or a price list online or sent to you. Or, try eBay, Stamps2Go, Bonanza, or similar websites.

[Deleted]

Apr 11, 2014 1:43:25 GMT -5 Craig said:

The approval companies get their stamps in bulk, mostly short sets that cost them pennies. The markup is high (they profit due to quantities sold), they'll sell a short set that cost them a nickel for 35¢.

Polar, they send out what they can get, so they might not be able to handle just one country at a time. If you ask, though, they might be able to send a country at a time for a while. You can send back what you don't want, with payment for what you keep. They'll pay postage to you, you're expected to pay postage to them when you pay or return anything.

Your best bet is to buy from a local stamp store (or at a bourse at a stamp show) or a price list online or sent to you. Or, try eBay, Stamps2Go, Bonanza, or similar websites.

Thank you for the infirmation and for an introduction to a new French word. I looked it up and will remember it now.

[stampfan]

Jamestown is probably the most expensive stamp company, if you look on their website you can have a good laugh.

[rayb]

25 years ago if you lived in a rural community 3 days camel treck from the nearest stamp fair, or were too infirm or busy to travel around, approvals were your lifeline - the only way to get to see stamps without having to commit to buying them.

Now with the Internet all that is turned upside down. Online you have an infinitely larger choice, prices tend to be cheaper and you only pay postage on stamps that you want. I particularly recommend Delcampe.

To be honest there are really only 2 situations where I would use approvals. One is if you can find a really good dealer who has vast stocks in an area which is not well repesented online. I used to receive wonderful approvals from a dealer in US Precancels. But eventually I was forced to give up because the postal costs (I had to pay both ways) between US and UK meant I had no money left to buy the stamps! The other situation is if you are specialising in differences of shade - colour reproduction on computer can be very misleading.