Catalogue Values. What is your view

[tony]

Hi Stampers


I collect used stamps and mainly use Stanley Gibbons, I have noticed how values have increased in the catalogue, were as if you search for a certain stamp in can be found for sale at very a low price.


I have some stamps from Germany with catalogue values of £2-3 or even £10 -12 and higher, take a look on google and they can be found for less than £1.



I had a website to sell world stamps at 30% of catalogue value due to rising cost and almost no sales I closed it, I now have signed up to Hipstamps which appears to be the same.



To sum up, are Catalogue Values of any real value in todays world of internet selling

[khj]

Great thread topic!

Yes the catalog values are useful, because they still give you an "order of magnitude" idea of the value of a well-centered stamp with no faults, even if they are often noticeably inflated. It is very useful if one does not know the specific stamp area very well.

There will always be a pretty significant price range for a given stamp because of condition, dealer type, catalog publisher, where the dealer is located, and most importantly -- how badly the seller wants to sell the item.

Of the big 3 (Stanley Gibbons, Michel, Scott), I consider Stanley Gibbons the least reliable (in general, although there obviously will be many exceptions). This is because their catalog also serves as their sales catalog -- it is in their best interest to inflate prices as much as possible.

Both Scott and Michel are more accurate, but remember they reflect prices in US and Europe, respectively. Either way, the prices in both catalogs are in general, inflated. I do find Scott is usually a LOT closer to what I typically pay, although still quite inflated. Remember, Scott is the "average" price you can expect to pay from a full-time (i.e., professional) dealer in the US. If you buy off the internet, you can expect to pay a lot less -- but you'd best know your material very well if you are going to buy premium items.

Catalog values tend to be more accurate for high premium items (i.e., US$1000+), and in some cases (especially issues targeted by speculators or "hot" areas such as China during Cultural Revolution), the catalog values are noticeably too low.

[tony]

Thanks for your reply.



Some very good points, I try to sell my spares to help offset the cost of collecting ( addiction! ) I buy bulk lots and one country lots, as is expected you end up with a lot of spares.

Quote There will always be a pretty significant price range for a given stamp because of condition, dealer type, catalog publisher, where the dealer is located, and most importantly -- how badly the seller wants to sell the item.


Some very true points, also can your listing be seen before all others, there are a lot of sellers.
May be I need to ask myself how badly I need to sell my spares!!

[khj]

It will depend also on what type of buyer you are targeting. If you are targeting bargain hunters, you will be hard pressed to maintain a heavy discount as bargain hunters tend to have very little loyalty if the heavy discount does not remain competitive.

Some sellers will target buyers that are willing to pay a little extra for reliable service/quality/knowledge.

Many of the bigger name professional sellers don't want to mess around with anyone who wants more than a token discount. They aren't relying on volume, but profit margin per sale. They are counting on the seller to appreciate their reputation/quality more than any discount. I will say, for sure, there are more than a few of them for whom this reputation/quality are well-deserved.

Likewise, there is also a long list of them that have been expelled from major philatelic organizations and more than a couple that have been convicted of felonies relating to their stamp activities. Two decades ago, one very friendly dealer I was rather fond of who sold good quality premium stamps suddenly disappeared. He had excellent service/stamps, with a fair discount, and his return policy was second to none (with the exception of his refusal to accept certificates from one specific expertizing organization). Later, I found out he had been convicted of insurance fraud regarding stamp shipments. This dealer has done the wise thing and left the stamp business to get his life and family back into perspective. His family still has my best wishes. He did keep one stamp dealer as a contact, but for the sole purpose of fulfilling unresolved obligations.

On the other hand, other dealers who have been expelled, and a few who have also been convicted, continue to be active in the stamp business. They can stay active because there are plenty of collectors who don't know the dealer background or only care about the stamp rather than the seller. I can tell you that one thing I've noticed is a clear correlation between buyer complaints and those stamp business that are either operated or are affiliated with someone who has been expelled or convicted. I didn't notice this at first, because several of those expelled/convicted dealers hide behind a company name.

But I've strayed from the thread topic. Sorry.

[Craig]

I rely on the Scott catalog values. When I was a part-time dealer, my prices in general were 60% for HR or HH, 70% for used and lightly hinged, and 80% for NH. IN GENERAL. I bought most of my stock at <20% for collections and about 25% for sets.

[darkormex]

As a teenager and a little bit in college during the summer when I was off, I used to work for stamps in a brick and mortar stamp store call Bookery Stamp & Coin here in Grand Rapids, MI. The owner always sold his stamps at "half cat" or half of the published Scott catalogue value. Since then I have always found this as a useful guide for the typically "cheap" stamps I buy.

I am basically a used collector and always use this as a guide to how inflated someone's price is on eBay. Like you tony,I like to buy bulk or old, cheap collections and fill my spaces that way and sell off the rest. Occasionally you run across a gem which is always nice but I never take the catalog price literally.

[tony]

Hi stampers

 Some very interesting comments keep them coming guys would like to hear more.


I am working the Hipstamps venue looks quite good have listed 4 Germany stamps just to get the feel of how it all works.


I have priced them at 30% of SG catalogue with a minimum of £0.30.

[Gordon Lee]

Greetings Mr. tony, and All Other SB Boarders
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Here is my opinion of CV (catalog values)as strictly an non-buyer/non-seller of stamps.
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Since I'm in the States I rely mainly on Scott for identification and values. I use the CV only as a guide of a stamps uniqueness. I would rather they publish the amount of stamps issued rather than cost to a buyer/seller. Either way, it is just a guide of how often one would be likely to come across a particular stamp.
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Respectfully,

Gordon Lee