"and the stamp licking - is that really an option or a joke?"
Not a joke.
I have been doinbg it since 1987.
Many eBay sellers do it.
I should add that purchasing and using discount postage is not only a Canadian thing.
You see plenty of American and British sellers using American or British postage stamps on their outgoing mail. It is all a matter of how much a seller is willing to pay for postage and the efforts required to sort the postage stamps and lick them.
Sales pitch?
No. I do not have any of these large face lots anymore. Sold out.
Typically, when selling on eBay, a $5,000 face lot would go for about $3,400; a $1,000 face lot for $700 and a smaller $500 face lot for about $350 (I sold two last week). I have sold hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of excess inventory over the years. Until recently, I supplied a Canadian eBay seller with $3,000 face value monthly. Then I ran of of stock (remember - I closed my store last year and am now retired).
"Are antique stamps still legal tender? "
Yes, all Canadian stamps issued since 1859 can be used on your outgoing mail (stamps issued before 1859 were in Sterling and cannot be used). Even stamps from Newfoundland issued since 1865 and denominated in cents can be used on Canadian mail. I do it from time to time, just for fun!
"an image of how many old 1 cent stamps"
In most lots a buyer would usually find several denominations with relatively few one to five cent denominations. Take a look on eBay. You will see a large number of "face lots" currently being offered. Some offer higher denominations and generally sell for a smaller discount. One should be careful to only purchase mint stamps with full original gum, not uncancelled stamps (no gum) which have gone through the mail already. It is illegal in Canada to reuse those stamps.
You will find even more on eBay.com for American postage. It is very popular South of the border. Sellers like to save money. Savings are much better than PayPal, if you do not mind a little work and some investment in stamp inventory
Start here:
Keep in mind not all listings are for Canadian stamps valid for postage (some may be revenue stamps).
Many sellers do not use "face value" in their title, they only use ""face'. You will find many more here :
"the biggest fish"
Not really.
There is a stamp auction house in Toronto who holds public auctions three times a year. The first 40 lots or so are generally face lots (some with face value exceeding $10,000).
Keep in mind that the prices realized for each lot as shown on their website do not include the 15% buyer's premium. Then add shipping and taxes. So a lot selling for $6,250 would cost $6,250 + 15% = $7,187.50 or 36% below face value in the case of lot #1 (tax extra).
http://www.mareschstamps.com/488/auction.php?Start-Lot=1&InLine=
As you can see, lots 5 and 6 went for less than 50% of face, lot 7 for slightly more.
" do you have to attach anything else to the package"
It depends.
If shipped domestically, I get the postal outlet to confirm the weight and they give me a $0.00 receipt with appropriate receipt or tracking number (the receipt will typically show the amount of postage, the amount prepaid (same) and a balance of $0.00)
If shipped outside the country, the procedure is similar except a Customs Declaration is required or I can use the USA Expedited form (I need to be careful to leave enough space on the parcel for their large label). Once again, the parcel is handled by the postal clerk and a $0.00 receipt is issued.
All stamps are cancelled by hand by myself - whether they are on an envelope or on a parcel. It only takes a few seconds but I make sure they are properly cancelled without defacing the stamps. My customers (stamp collectors) appreciate the little extra effort.
I have a question for you Pierre.
When using discounted stamps do you have to attach anything else to the package (Light & Small Packet U.S. & International) besides the completed CN22 form and the blue Airmail stickers?
At the postal outlet they attach an OS sticker even when they have pre-affixed postage. I don't see those stickers available on the CP Venture One site and they won't give them out at the postal outlet.
Thanks.
Most of my sales on eBay goes with Light Packet and I used discounted stamps for quite a while. About 6 months ago, I received a phone call from someone at the Canada Post sorting facility that they were holding my shipments because I had no enough stamps on the envelopes.
I learned that Light Packet was not on their chart and they were using Small Air packet to confirm the amount needed to ship. Several emails later I stopped using discount stamps to send light packet...
"Light Packet was not on their chart and they were using Small Air packet to confirm the amount needed to ship."
Wow! We just do not pay these guys enough! 😞
It reminds me of a call I received way back in 1996 from a "supervisor" at Canada Post informing me I should not be selling stamps below face value and sales of postage stamps in my area was already allocated to one of their franchisees.
I told the "supervisor" to please take me to court. "I can sell whatever I want at whatever price I want and there is not a darn thing you can do about it. You cannot sell exclusivity rights to anyone, more so when you - Canada Post - are the worst offender selling to anyone anywhere in the country from your philatelic office".
That was the end of that. Never heard from them after that quick conversation. 🙂
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