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Clueless!

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

Some people like to think that eBay makes the market or at least can help you find out
how much your stamps are worth.

Don’t believe it.

Recently, I saw a single copy of a three-cent 1952 stamp offered on eBay for 12 dollars!
Other copies from other sellers were priced at 99 cents. Better, but still high, in my
opinion. The same seller wants 12 dollars for another 1952 issue.

eBay doesn’t set prices, and it doesn’t tell buyers when their prices are out of line.

And sometimes there are bidding wars: If two collectors really, really want the same
stamp, they may bid up the price. I once had that happen with a two-and-a-half dollar
item I was selling: It finished at 55 dollars! But the following week, another copy
didn’t sell at all.

So which is the real value? 55 dollars or zero? Or two-and-a-half dollars?

If this guy can sell those stamps at 12 dollars, my hat’s off to him. But if you want
to know how much stamps are worth, get a catalogue.... or see a professional stamp
dealer. You can find one near you at stamps-dot-org.

Better yet, do both.

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

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