Tasmanian Stamp Council

Selling Stamps and knowing their  value

There are a number of options available for selling stamps or knowing their value.

  • Selling stamps to your local stamp dealer
  • Auction Houses can sell your stamps
  • Selling Stamps on eBay
  • Stamp Fairs/Market Days
  • Stamp Clubs

These are covered in full detail  on the Australian Philatelic Federation website APF Website selling/valuing stamps

The following is a summary of options for buying and selling stamps;

This 4d early Tasmanian “Courier” stamp has a high catalogue value but as its been cut to shape its only worth a fraction of the cat. value. However the Numeral 24 postmark is rare and worth far more than the stamp.

The market for stamps, postmarks and postcards is still strong but more common material can be hard to sell. New material bought from Australia Post since the 1970s can often be hard to sell and generally, you have the option of using the stamps for postage pr selling at 50% or less of the face value. There is a lot of such material and a relatively low number of buyers. It’s not unusual for large quantities of mint modern Australian stamps to be sold for postage and less than face value. Auction houses will usually only accept material that they know is in demand in the market. Some may have a minimum value per lot.

Stamp Dealers may be interested in buying your material but bear in mind they must pay less for it than they hope to sell it for.

EBay has a large category for stamps and postmarks of all types. EBay will change a range of fees.

Local Stamp Dealers

The Coin and Stamp Place, 110 Collins St, https://www.tazitiger.com/ ph  (03) 6224 3536 buys and sells coins, stamps, postcards and other collectables.

Sandy Bay Stamps https://www.sandybaystamps.net/ 

or email Matt at matt@sandybaystamps.com

Tasmanian Stamp Auctions https://www.tsauctions.com/  20 Watchorn St, Hobart TAS 7000

Auction

Tasmania’s only local auction house is Tasmanian Stamp Auctions, managed by Ross Ewington. TSA can give you an idea of the value of your stamps and whether your items are suitable for sale by auction. The Address is 20 Watchorne St, Hobart, website http://tsauctions.com/

Stamp Fairs/Market Days

Both Launceston and Devonport Stamp Clubs conduct market days twice per year. Contact the clubs to check the next market day or visit their websites https://launcestonstampclub.org.au/ and http://devstampclub.org/index.php

eBay

Not all items are suitable for sale by auction. Dealers will not always want to buy your collection. Ebay is a huge on-line market for selling stamps, postmarks, postcards and similar items. As a general comment, auction or stamp dealers will be a better option for valuable material bur Ebay can offer a means of selling items one by one.   To sell on Ebay you will need to establish an account. You will also need to be able to produce large good quality images of your material, either a scanner or a digital camera. You should be able to get an idea of the process by checking current listings. Some people list items at a low price and let the market decide the sale price.

Clubs

Most Clubs in Tasmania have “Exchange Books” where club members can buy and sell items. Devonport and Launceston have two Market days per year and its possible to rent a table or take your material along to see if any small dealer will buy it. Clubs may also conduct auctions of members’ material at club meetings.