Selling
Where to Sell Stamps
You can sell stamps to a dealer, through a specialist auction, on an online marketplace, or directly to other collectors at societies and fairs. A dealer offers a quick, certain sale; an auction offers competition between collectors and is best for rare and valuable stamps; marketplaces and direct sales can realise more for some material but take time and effort. The best place depends on what you have and how much effort you wish to put in.
At a glance
The main places to sell
| Where | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| A dealer | Most material, speed and certainty | A wholesale, not retail, price |
| A specialist auction | Rare and valuable stamps | Fees and waiting, but competition |
| Online marketplaces | Common material, reaching collectors | Time, effort, fees, your own selling |
| Societies and fairs | Friendly, direct selling | Limited audience, mostly common material |
Selling to a dealer
Selling to a dealer is the quickest and most certain route. A reputable dealer buys outright, so you have your money without fees, waiting or the work of selling, which suits much everyday and moderate material.
A dealer necessarily pays a wholesale price, below the retail value, since they must resell and carry the cost and risk of doing so, as our guide to how much a dealer will pay explains honestly. For the right material, the speed and certainty are well worth it.
Selling at auction
For genuinely rare and valuable stamps, a specialist auction is usually the best place to sell. An auction puts your stamps before collectors who compete to buy, and that competition is what reaches the highest prices, more than any single dealer can offer. It takes longer, and the auction charges fees, but for valuable material those are easily outweighed. Our guides to auction versus dealer and selling at auction explain how it works and what it costs.
Dealer, auction, online, direct
Match the place to the stamp
Rare and valuable stamps do best where collectors compete, at auction. Common and moderate material is often best sold quickly to a dealer, or directly to fellow collectors. The right route depends on what you have, which a free valuation will tell you.
Online marketplaces
Selling yourself on an online marketplace can realise good prices for some material, and reaches a wide audience of collectors, but it is work. You photograph, describe, list, price, pack and post every item, handle questions and returns, and pay the marketplace's fees. For collectors with the time and knowledge, it can be rewarding, especially for moderate and individual stamps. Our guide to selling stamps online covers this route in detail.
Societies, clubs and fairs
Selling directly to other collectors, at a society, club or stamp fair, is a friendly and economical route, with no marketplace between you and the buyer. It suits more common material and those who enjoy meeting fellow collectors. The audience is smaller than a marketplace or auction, but for the right stamps, and the right seller, it is a pleasant way to sell.
Which is right for you?
Find out what you have first
The honest answer is that it depends on what you have and what you want from the sale. For rare and valuable stamps, an auction almost always serves you best; for common and moderate material, a dealer or a direct sale is usually quicker and more sensible; and if speed and certainty matter most, a dealer is hard to beat. The surest way to choose is to find out what you have first. Our free valuation tells you, honestly, what you hold and the market most likely to serve you, whether that is a sale to us or a recommendation elsewhere, at no obligation.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on what you have. Rare and valuable stamps usually do best at a specialist auction; common and moderate material is often best sold to a dealer or directly. A dealer offers the quickest, most certain sale.
To a reputable dealer, who buys outright without fees or waiting. This is the fastest and most certain route, suited to much everyday and moderate material.
For rare and valuable stamps, auction, where collectors compete. For common and moderate material, a dealer or direct sale, since auction fees and effort can outweigh the gain. Our auction versus dealer guide weighs it up.
Yes, on online marketplaces, which reach many collectors and can realise good prices, but it takes time and effort to list, price, pack, post and manage sales, and fees apply.
Dealer, auction, online, direct
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Founder and stamp dealerLast updated June 2026