Dealing With Stamp Dealers

Gary Eggleston, BellaOnline's stamps editor writes, "Working with a stamp dealer is not the same as going down to your local hardware store to buy a screwdriver. A good stamp dealer will take an interest in what you are collecting. A good dealer will keep an eye out for items that you are looking for. This type of dealer will help to keep the spark in your stamp collecting adventures."

Eggleston advises, "Before you locate the one or more 'great stamp dealers' who can help you through your stamp collecting odyssey, you will need to shop around some. If there is only one dealer in your locale, you will need to cultivate a relationship with this dealer. If you have more than one dealer in your area, then by all means see which one offers you what you are looking for."

According to Eggleston, "A stamp dealer’s membership in a recognized stamp dealer’s organization or guild is very important. but it shouldn’t be the only determining factor...The reasons that a given stamp dealer chooses not to join a stamp dealer’s organization are varied and do not always indicate that the dealer is a shady operator. Of course it doesn’t hurt to inquire as to why they don’t belong to such a group."

To read the entire article, click here.