The Web and Philately

Kindles are now priced at $139 and this year it is expected that more books will be sold online than will be sold as paper. Yesterday, the publisher of the New York Times said that he expected that eventually the Times would not be published on paper. Over three quarters of our business comes to us from the Web, rather than from paper catalogs or people attending our auctions. These are trends that have accelerated over the last ten years. As a stamp dealer this means higher velocity of turn over (catalog lead time was a major source of delay between time of listing and time of sale)and decreased costs (catalogs are expensive to print). That’s why we can offer lower value lots, scan virtually everything and ship all invoices within 48 hours. The Internet has meant lower barriers to entry-anyone can sell stamps- and we’ve responded by ramping up our already excellent customer service. Every lot is returnable for instant refund and we guarentee rapid shipping, accurate descriptions, and fair prices. The modern world has changed the modality of selling but the recipe for success is still the same.