How to be a Good Consignor
Most collectors end up buying material they don't need, in order to get material they do need. It's virtually inevitable, especially as the size of your collection grows and becomes more complete. There are several good ways to dispose of this excess material, one of which is to sell it to a dealer, or at auction. How you describe what you offer, how you prepare it for sale, and how you package it for shipping and display, will all play important roles in how much you can expect to realize from the lot. If you decide to consign them to a stamp auction, here are a few tips. A good consignor is worth his or her weight in gold to a busy stamp dealer.
Don't just send or bring in a box of stamps and ask that the dealer split it into lots. As a collector, you know how much work is involved and the stamp dealer probably doesn't have the time. If you've inherited the collection and you know nothing about stamps, that's different. In that case, it's usually preferable to leave it intact so you don't end up damaging anything. In my shop, I can either offer to buy the collection from you or I'll tell you that it would be better to put it in my weekly auction. Most often, you will realize more if you put it in the auction. The advantage to selling it outright is that you get the money right away. With the auction, it takes more time but you generally will get more money.
If you're mailing the lot to the auction house, wrap it well. If it's not in a box, use heavy cardboard, wrap the whole lot in a plastic bag and if necessary, use lots of packing tape on the outside of the parcel. For single stamps, just use a regular envelope and some cardboard and a baggie inside to protect it in case the letter carrier drops it in the rain. Even if you're bringing it to the stamp shop in person, be careful with transporting it. I've seen many people pull a proposed auction lot out of their shirt pocket where the stamps have become stuck down from the heat of their body. Wrap things well and use cardboard to protect the stamps or sheets from getting creased or folded.
It's best to keep any type of adhesive tape well away from stamps. Don't use them to seal the mounts on the album page, to repair a stock page or to seal an open-ended envelope. If the stamps slide around they can get stuck to the tape and be ruined. Don't use paper clips to hold down souvenir sheets or covers. They can make ugly indentations and in the long run they will rust.
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