Survey: Where & How do you get your collectibles?

The bulk of my stamp collection has been built from auctions. I used to attend in person or leave bids at brick and mortar sites but over the past 5 years it has been pretty well exclusively on line.

Like Rob REL1948 I have done a lot of buying and selling on eBay and I have a love/hate relationship with them as they continue to find ways to add fees for sellers. When buying on eBay I prefer auction format over BuyItNow although I do list by that method after trying auction format a few times. 

With on line auction houses a week is a good length although the one where I buy most better items is usually open for about 6 weeks. That is because their catalog is so big with in access of 6000 lots and they actually do mail out a paper copy of the listing in 2 volumes. The 2 auction houses I deal with at this time have no buyers premium which is nice. 

I am very trusting I guess and have no trouble using my credit card on line to pay and I also have PayPal.

I hope this has helped Linda. 

Linda, I buy and sell on ebay, the selling being duplicates I acquire from buying larger collection lots either in person at Auction houses close to where I live. Theses auctions last just a day and I pay via my bank account. If I cannot attend in person I register with the auction house and bid on line and on some occasions leave absentee bids via online access. Payment again from the bank account.
Due to postage costs on large lots I only buy from the local Auctions houses so I can go and collect.

Linda, please see answers above in blue.  For what it's worth, I think that convenience is a big factor in all this.  If it was a hassle to track an auction, place a bid, or make a payment, then I would probably just forget it.  The only way I would put up with all that is if the item was a holy grail of sorts, otherwise, it wouldn't be worth it, at least not to me.

Hope this helps!

I am sure Linda will reply herself but I can assure you the intention was not to learn our secrets to success when bidding on auctions. The research was in hopes of taking their Ukraine support project to market in the best possible way to insure success. Thus the questions about how long an auction should be and the preferred way of paying etc.. 

Dear René, I am sorry to have caused you this feeling of insecurity. Please believe that I didn't mean to steal your secrets away.

I am doing this survey among both collectors and non-collectors to figure out the best auction platform for the Ukraine support maxicards my global team and I produced last year. It's meant to raise funds for Ukraine relief effort, so obviously, I want to maximise the net proceeds that can be donated.

Right now I have 3 options:
(1) use eBay's platform
(2) have Charity Auctions Today to customise a 1-year platform for this cause
(3) entrust the auctioning of these cards to the Vancouver-based All Nations Stamps and Coins

Forum member's answers will help me decide between these 3 options.

#3 would be the easiest for me to handle, but my worry is that they seem to use an old-fashioned kind of platfom (the bids are entered by hand and not live, etc.) that I at the age of 36 have never experienced before. I don't know how well the non-collectors would feel about it.

I need to attract more non-collectors to increase the market demand (the higher the demand, the higher the final price that will be realised) because my maxicards are 'non-traditional' and non-FIP-compilant, not every 'regular' collector would want to purchase them. So finding a balance between what collectors are accunstomed to and what non-collectors would be willing to try is an important step in this project.

I hope my explanation gives you a little bit of sense of security. And I totally understand if you don't want to respond to my survey. No obligation!

As for the forum being 'public' -- this forum is not as 'public' as, say, Postcrossing, because one needs to login to see the discussion threads. (Stuff posted on Postcrossing forum can be seen by outsiders who have no registered accounts. That's why on the project's website, I put the Postcrossing forum thread instead of TSF's ... Rethinking it, I think I will put a link to TSF too because this is where it all started.)

Hello, Linda. Here are my answers:

(Q1) Did you ever try to acquire a collectible by auctionning (whether or not you won)? Yes.


(Q2) Where did you participate in the auction and how does it work? It's a monthly online auction held by a reputable stamp house in France with whom I do frequent business.


(Q3) How many days did the auction last? And what's the maximal amount of days you are willing to wait for the auction to end? The auctions are up for three weeks. I would go up to a month in length.


(Q4) What was (were) the payment method(s) accepted? Payment by credit card upon delivery (because I'm a good return customer).


(Q5) What's your preferred payment method(s) for an auction, if you were to participate in one? Credit card suits me fine.


(Q6) What, from the logistical point of view, would make you wiling to bid on an item? The online format and several weeks duration lets me think through which items I might be interested in bidding on, and at what price. The auction engine allows you to enter a maximum bid, and will automatically bid for you if other bidders manifest themselves, notifying me by email at every step. Also, if a bid happens very close to the end, the bidding for that item stays up for another 5 minutes after the last successful bid, so sniping can be somewhat avoided if you are monitoring the auction in its closing minutes.

I don't know that there are any 'secrets', as to acquiring stamps, Rene. :-):-) If you have lots of money then you are able to buy expensive stamps - if you're less than affluent, then you can't. Places like ebay or any other online auction, and of course public auctions attended in person, don't favour those who may have any special kind of 'knack'. These are venues where all are equal in terms of ability - the only secret really is to have deep pockets. There is no secret except knowledge - and judging by the bidding competition there seem to be plenty of folk who always want the same stamps I want. You may benefit from using 'snipe' at online auctions, but if you fail then be patient and your desired stamp will appear again before too long;-);-)

no never tried to acquire full collection. 
just bought on eBay bits and pcs. 

as mentioned eBay is easy to use.  and the bidding is live. almost.  if you really want something bad that is 
one place you can get it fast.  ofcourse its not the best.  but reasonable price and many many options.

(Q1) Did you ever try to acquire a collectible by auctionning (whether or not you won)? If yes, please go to Q2. If no, please go to Q5. Yes


(Q2) Where did you participate in the auction and how does it work? Online platform, auction house, in-person auction, etc. Vance Auctions (bid online...bidding has a time deadline)...Weeda Auctions (bid online...bidding stops when bidders stop)


(Q3) How many days did the auction last? And what's the maximal amount of days you are willing to wait for the auction to end? 30-60 days...It's hard to wait but that also controls my buying habit


(Q4) What was (were) the payment method(s) accepted? Credit Card, EFT


(Q5) What's your preferred payment method(s) for an auction, if you were to participate in one? Credit Card, Pay Pal


(Q6) What, from the logistical point of view, would make you wiling to bid on an item? E.g. the platform is easy to use, the visual is attractive, offers my preferred payment method, etc I'm interested in the item, there is a visual, the price is right

I've bought a few items on eBay, but my majority of stock came from a local seller, who I've dealt with for the last 30 years he buys collections locally and anything GB mint he gives me first choice, which I go through and take what I want then we haggle, always cash and let's me pay monthly if it's a big haul 👍