do people still collect stamps?

[dylan11235813]

it is no suprise that australia post is running at a loss (so they say) when I can buy perfectly good stamps at about 70% of face value. All the people htat collected stamps are getting rid of them now. Do people people still buy them as an investment?

[stampingpaws]

Hi Dylan,

Yes people still collect stamps. Generally older people in retirment. However, they do not collect modern stamps as both the Post Office and the album producers have combined in the oversupply of stamps specifically for collectors.

I am please to say I am retired and I collect stamps. I also, sell stamp albums for collectors. See my listings

[maconii]

My father still collects stamps occassionally, but has moved more towards coins.

[dylan11235813]

I remember years ago people that I knew used to by full sheets of stamps and put them in storage. The only reason I remember is because they complained when Oz post used to release high value stamps like $20 each or somthing, thats going back about 20 years too.

I have a couple of sheets of stamps.. if I was to use them for postage is it possible to claim it as a business expense? I guess I could give them away and then buy them back. would that be legit?

[kg5collector]

Used high denomination from 2000 to now are selling very strongly

simply because very few people use stamps for mailing these days.

More people collect stamps than coins!

[i-love-my-sheep]

I often see people buying First Day Covers from the PO. It must be hard to keep up with them these days because it seems there are new stamps coming out all the time.

I still post using stamps and usually buy a book of 20 a week, sometimes several times a week if I need to use EFTpos. The last 3 weeks, I have had 3 different lots of stamps!

As far as collecting, I collect coins. When I was growing up I'd just collect any old circulated coins, often foreign ones. These days I stick to proof coins. I also collect bank notes, both pre decimal and decimal. Proof coins are like stamps, there are so many new ones coming out regularly, so it's nearly impossible to collect them all. I tend to stick to ones that I think may increase in value over time. Anything to do with the Royal family or ones with animals/insects, especially dangerous animals/insects. I think when the Queen checks out a lot will be sought after.

That said, if I see a sheet of older stamps going cheap, I try and buy them.