Most of the people who I buy stamps from are very ordinary folks. Sometimes I can strike a deal. Sometimes I don’t.

There are a few people though who I feel that they are taking advantage of me.

Someone sent me a photo of a very valuable stamp with a high selling price. I took one look at the photo and the stamp was very questionable at best. The seller assured me that I was the first to see this stamp. Meanwhile, I went to an online auction site and found that they already tried to offer this stamp online, but there were no bids and it didn’t sell. Geez, I wonder why!

Dealers are generally a friendly bunch. They talk to one another. It is a close knit community. Dealers try to look out for one another. No dealer wants to see another dealer be taken advantage of, even if the other dealer is a direct competitor.

For the few sellers who try to pull a fast one, it usually doesn’t work. If I spot a seller that I don’t think is being honest with me or if they are offering very questionable material, I will contact other dealers and see if they know the name or the material. Many times, I find that I ‘m not the first dealer this person has come to. I politely decline and send the seller on their way. I don’t need to get mixed up in that mess.

Again, 99.99% of the sellers I encounter are ordinary people and I have no problems. But there are a few who live on the edge. I quickly dispose of them and move on. I’m sure a few of these shady individuals take advantage of inexperienced dealers and they are able to make a few quick bucks. Unfortunately, with access to online auctions, I think some of these shady characters find that they don’t get very far with dealers and then try to sell their questionable goods to unsuspecting collectors via online auctions.