I recently had someone tell me that my prices were way too high on my approval business. They were buying stamps on eBay for as little as a penny each in many instances. His penny bids may be successful, but what is the total cost of this stamp?

Some sellers on eBay offer free shipping to attract more bids. But many sellers have, in my opinion, rather steep shipping charges for some of the items sold. I’ve seen charges of upwards of $3-$5 shipping for a single stamp or plate block that can easily be sent by first class mail. I realize some of this added cost is for tracking because of eBay’s policy that if a seller says they never received an item and the buyer has no proof of mailing, eBay rules in favor of the buyer and refunds the cost to the buyer. The seller is left holding the bag.

Back to these penny stamps. Sometimes shipping may be free. I’ll wager though that many times shipping is not free. Yes, the stamp was a penny. But if you factor shipping costs in, the total price is going to be at least 50¢ or more. Combining lots from a seller into a single shipment will save money, but it still increases the cost.

I do not sell stamps for a penny and never will in my pricelist.