Stamp Dealers - To Use Or Not To UseStamp dealers deal in postage stamps and its related products, basically of the philatelic type. They could either be individuals who sell postage stamps for daily use or a company who does it on a large-scale basis. There are many types of Stamp dealers who specialize in various fields, three of which are mentioned below- 1. General Dealers: This type of dealer covers most countries and topics and is usually big time. He has large stocks of used and unused stamps for sale. 2. Country Specific Dealers: This type of dealer concentrates mainly on one country and may also include neighboring countries if need be. 3. Topic Specific Dealers: This type of dealer concentrates on stocking stamps of specific topics such as animals, national flags etc. Many Stamp dealers have local clients who they have built a rapport with over the years. Big time dealers have printed catalogs of all the stamps in stock, which they mail to regular customers as well as prospective clients. Some dealers have gone a step further and adapted to the internet. They have created websites of their own to cater to customers the world over. Many dealers usually pack used stamp packets of 50, 100, 200 each or more. These in turn are categorized into countries and topics, and then sold. Stamp dealers who have huge stocks of used and unused stamps have come up with a novel way to woo clients. They have a system in place with clients, to send stamps to them on an approval basis. The client goes through all the material sent, keeps what is useful and returns the balance to the dealer. He pays only for what he has kept. In short this benefits both the stamp dealer and himself. His requirements are fulfilled without any dead stock factor and the stamp dealer benefits in the sense that he could sell much more to this potential customer. Some Stamp dealers make readymade packets of stamps in a country wise fashion. This is done with the intention of drawing new collectors into buying the same. These packets normally contain all stamps issued in a calendar year. The only drawback being, older or rare stamps would either not be available or rather expensive. They usually segregate the packets into used and unused or mint condition. Used packets generally cost less with small time dealers. This is not a problem with larger dealers and there is almost no difference in cost, even if so very minimal. |