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The Stamp Trade

The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries.

A discussion of where the stamp hobby is today inevitably leads to buying and selling, 
but there's another way to get or dispose of stamps: Trading.

It may sound like something only children do, but it's not. Many adults do it, too.

Most stamp club meetings allow some time for those attending to trade, and, if it's not 
on the agenda, it happens anyway before or after the meetings. It's only natural that 
if you have an extra copy of the Jubilation T. Cornpone stamp, and need a J. Fred Muggs 
stamp, and your friend has an extra Muggs but needs Cornpone, you'll swap them.

There's also stamp trading using the Internet, although it's more complicated. It's 
always a good idea to know the person on the other end of the trade, especially if you 
can't see the stamps before the deal. If you DON'T know the other person, start small, 
with inexpensive items. Or ask if they're a member of a national stamp collecting 
society, and then check to make sure.

Some of the people seeking trades on the Internet are from countries with repressive 
governments that won't allow their citizens to send money outside their borders. They 
offer their countries' stamps for yours....but beware! There's probably no recourse if 
they don't send anything in return.

And don't forget to figure in the cost of postage to determine whether the trades are 
worth it.

In any trade, you may also need to agree in advance on which catalogue or price guide 
to use as the basis for the trades. 

I'm Lloyd de Vries of The Virtual Stamp Club. For more on stamps and stamps collecting, 
visit virtual-stamp-club-dot-com.	  

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