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Newsletter #5, November 14th, 2000 |
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Our hobbies are in transition. Linn's Stamp News blames the internet for the decline of major city newspaper stamp columns. Clients claim stamp shows and internet auctions mean mom and pop operated store closures. Having a web site means you can visit our store even when we are closed for Remembrance Day. We cannot buy and sell exclusively on eBay. The market needs fresh material. Buyers and sellers still need brick and mortar stores. Because of high retail space rents, many dealers are relocating to offices. Other specialized service providers, such as doctors and lawyers, do not usually rent mall locations, so why should stamp and coin dealers? |
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Collectibles providers may cluster together, at show times, or all the time. Much of our business comes from dealer and client referrals. The internet is the biggest and best means of sharing information. The internet auctions are the greatest flea markets going. Collectors are going online. Walk-in retail clients are declining. Dealers and collectors must balnce these trends and drag our Edwardian pastimes into the twenty-first century. I originally thought that educational content was most appropriate for our web sites. Now I am not so sure. |
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The dealer sites I like best combine material for sale, with pictures, and historical background. I prefer a little material to look through, with frequent updates. Brick and mortar storefronts work the same way. Displays should change frequently. The best dealers remember what their clients want and give them first crack at new acquisitions. How is our business time best spent? Do we embrace this new medium for showcasing our hobbies and invest all our energies into stamp and coin education on the internet so we can grow our client base? Should our new purchases go into our retail stock or right onto the net? After all, auctions are traditionally a means of disposing of surplus, overexposed, or tired material, so the proceeds can be used to purchase newer inventory. |
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The traditional rules do not seem to apply anymore. Look at the music industry. The MP3 providers are being sued by the music industry for creating a demand for free songs and performances. There is certainly a demand for free collectibles catalogue information. Now the music industry and MP3 providers are trying to get together to grow and profit from the internet music market. How can stamp and coin collectors nurture a larger market on the net? The computer revolution is not the end of collecting as we know it, but it is a time of rapid change and new opportunities. |
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 All Nations Stamp & Coin
5630 Dunbar St. at 41st Ave. Phone: 604-684-4613 Fax: 604-266-4515 e-mail: collect@direct.ca |
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