If you open an item and look under the details tab, you will find the year of issue. I know that I input this data on all of my listings (my store is HdStampHunter).
Over a year ago Carol said "I don't think that there are many buyers or sellers who don't want to have the ability to BLOCK unwanted sellers or buyers. That was the original impetus of the thread and everyone is pretty much in agreement we want that ability as we had on Bidstart .and Stampwants." Has there been any progress along these lines? Regarding dealers wishing the ability to block a bidder inwhich they may have had repeated difficulties, are we left to an unenforceable request asking "please don't buy here". Should such an unwanted patron persist, is there a means of not following through without negative consequences? Can a buyer so inclined, hang the threat of negative feedback over us to perform? Is it too much to poll the 850 + sellers whether they would wish a blocking mechanism or is it incumbent on those sellers to independently submit such a request so as to generate enough interest for the site to take action? As previously mentioned, this ability is, and has been generally available on most sites. Is this request even in line for consideration/action? Any updates that I've missed?
I would love the ability to block sellers. One in particular floods the site with overpriced common material that makes bidding very cumbersome and time consuming to wade through it.
There are at least ten sellers that I'd like to block to improve my buying experience, some of them are major sellers. Delcampe has this feature, and I have a very healthy block list
Just to clarify, as a Seller on HipStamp, if you have had repeated issues with a specific buyer, you do have the option to block the buyer from bidding on, and purchasing items from you. While we do not currently offer a technical feature, such as a list to add a buyer's username to, you can send a message to the buyer requesting that they no longer purchase from you. However, this is not simply an unenforceable request.
Once you have asked that a buyer no longer purchase from you, if they were to make an additional purchase, you would be able to cancel the purchase per our terms and conditions, and the sale would be null and void. More importantly, if this were to happen, contact us, and we will follow-up with the buyer and take appropriate action with regards to their account.
That being said, in relation to the number of sales we have on HipStamp, this is a very rare issue, and the current system does work to address specific cases on an as-needed basis. If you're having an issue with a specific buyer, please reach out to our Support Team and we'll handle it accordingly.
Thank you Mark for responding to my particular concern. I'm now made aware and satisfied with the means in place to handle that infrequent (how should I say it..."incompatable") buyer. I don't anticipate the need to employ such measures but on a rare occasion, as the overwhelming interaction as a buyer and seller here has been most favorable. In previous posts on this topic, I was led to understand that there was no mechanism in place to address this, so I again offer thanks for the clarification.
Thanks for your response, and it's good to hear from you. As Steve says, can you please respond re blocking sellers items from searches? I can assure you that the inability to do so is currently losing revenue for you
It's very easy to minimize how many stamps from each seller appear on your searches. Mark has explained this many times. When setting up your search for a stamp, click on "Advanced Search". Scroll down and click either on the box "One Match Per Seller", or "One Per Seller (Catalog)". Therefore you only see one item, not a plethora of the same items from various sellers. It's not that difficult.
I would say that if you have a problem with a seller that you should contact site management to investigate. I'm sure that if they confirm a seller is a problem, and not following the rules, that they will take appropriate action. No need to block a seller who will probably get tossed off the site.
1. refuse to show a pic of every item 2. use stock images 3. upload pictures where it is possible to count individual pixels 4. list rubbish 5. refuse to sell to Australia, or expect payment in cash or cheque 6. list by Scott number, such as "Australia 54" (wait while I scurry to my dusty Scott to identify stamp and YEAR!) 7. charge additional item fees"
How can any of these issues be addressed by using the search engine? Even an option for "show items with images only" would get rid of a few thousand listings from my searches.
You can already see which sellers sell to Australia without seeing sellers that don't. On the left hand side of pages that show the stamps there is a box that says SHIPS TO. Select the country (Australia) and it will show you only the sellers and items that ship to Australia.
As far as sellers expecting cash or cheque, Mark set it up that all the sellers in order to get paid MUST accept Paypal. (Because Hipstamp was set up in such a way that Paypal was the only method of payment when it was first set up) Checks or mo were made in an EXCEPTION in which a BUYER must get pre-approved by the seller to be able to even send the payment that way. The seller CAN NOT force a buyer to send payment by check,cash or money order. Unless you are pre-approved by the seller when you check out you will go to the Paypal page.
Dave, My list of reasons why I want the ability to block sellers from 2017, is similar to yours and many other Hipstamp buyers. January 2017 edited January 2017 6 Likes Why do I want to block specific sellers @ various times? 1. Too many one of one more stamps. 2. Pricing consistently not competitive. 3. Items in incorrect catagory or format, 4. Bad experiences with seller. 5. Form of payment not accepted. 6. Too many missing images. 7. Shipping charges not competitive. 8. I do not want to purchase from a seller in that location.
I've been told about the browsing only one item per seller, and a similar feature of one item per seller per catalogue#. I found those tedious way to avoid a sellers listing. I have suggested a NEXT SELLER PLEASE feature; see the thread https://www.hipstamp.com/forums/discussion/1732/next-seller-please#latest There was little interest; probably due to my poor presentation of the feature . The thread was then allowed to change subject. Today I still strongly feel we buyers need a BLOCK SELLER feature.
Agree! There is one seller that is causing me to buy from APS stamp store more than sift through his garbage on here. I've told the admin but they do nothing
Re your item 3, as a collector and seller of British Commonwealth issues, I'll point out:
1. Somalia is not, and never has been, part of the BC. Somaliland Protectorate was a member until 1960 2. Togo has not been part of the BC since 1920 3. British Morocco Agencies is just that. French and German offices are not 4. Hong Kong has not been part of the BC since 1997 5. Egypt has not been part of the BC since 1920
When I do a search on a stamp to get a feel for what I may want to list one for, I like to sort "price low to high" and "price high to low", depending on whether what I want to list is junk or a really choice item. Usually when I am buying I go with low to high. Sometimes the price low-to-high makes a lot of sense. Sometimes mathematics comes into play as you narrow down how many screens you have to go through to get past the examples highlighting the concept of why somebody would want to block a seller. For example, go to screen #10. If that goes past the place you'd want to start, go to screen #5, and similarly divide and conquer as needed. There's actually an equation that tells the minimum number of screens you'd have to go through. I used to know what that's called, but I'm too feeble-minded now.
What has amazed me as a newbie is some of the very badly damaged stamps that are being offered as a collectable specimen. Now some of these sellers are perhaps not collectors per se, perhaps someone selling off an estate lot or a few stamps found in the attic etc - but they have a high sales success - one n the thousands - perhaps buyers have spotted items grossly under priced ?? ( I won't name and shame in case I have listed one in error )
Now don't get me wrong, I have been collecting for about 56 years, so I would hope to know a thing or two (emphasis on hope) and on occasions I have listed some imperfect stamps - (priced accordingly - I think) but these are usually stamps where the front face is still collectable - perhaps with a thin or similar - this fault is highlighted in the description. I may even list a stamp from a country with which I am not familiar - ( I generally use SG World cat or occasionaly an old Scotts) and may not have such a detailed expertise as perhaps I would like - This could result in a bargain for some one - or a item that sticks in my store - I understand that. But there are samples of grossly damaged stamps being offered at silly high prices which will never sell - and if they do then the hobby is dead.
So I can see the pros and cons of having a seller block but surely by searching for the stamp you are seeking you can appraise that stamp across the site. Sure you may get a Mint GB QV £5 Orange being offered for 10p (I wish- if you see one drop me a link) , you may get a damaged one being offered for £Millions - but you takes your pick. After a while you soon know the likely store to buy from.
What may be an idea for Mark to consider is an educational page to these sellers explaining that a ripped stamp with a massive section of corner missing is in fact valueless (unless it is a very rare stamp indeed)
Mind you if any of these badly damaged sell, I will be off to the tip to recover my waste thrown out this week.
David you are correct. Unfortunately there will always be a few posting these outrageously damaged stamps for astronomical prices. Damaged stamps often serve as fillers and are collectible at a small fraction of their catalog price. Sometimes the seller may have made a mistake but usually they are hoping to deceive someone which doesn't reflect well on them.
I just checked this link and found that the seller listed the same R1c with a huge tear, five times in four different currencies, and is selling it for 100% catalog value!!!
How about a common 4-cent plate block , VF+, for $2.95, which even I would be comfortable saying it isn't vf but maybe f. Price is $2.95, "check my feedback".....I wouldn't pay 2.95 if it were graded extremely file jumbo gem At these prices, I could buy feedback. I have a ton of 3 and 4-cent plate blocks, which I would sell for face value, maybe I should start listing them and undercut 2.95 by 66% and still get roughly 6 to 8 times face value. But, one sale at 3.00 = 12 sales at $0.25, that's a lot less work.
Crikey and stone the crows, lol, I have read the comments on this thread for over an hour now and both seller and buyer have been hotly debating the blocking issue. Surely there is enough constructive criticism out of all this for HipStamp to act on a mediative type of fix for both camps.
Personally I cannot see why a seller cannot block or blacklist an unscrupulous ripoff buyer and I also can't see why a buyer can't block an unscrupulous seller. I would guess without putting words into the moderators mouths HipStamp would not want these type of people on this site anyway.
My main reason for this posting is not so much wanting block a seller but to at least have the ability to skip the rather large listings of stamps I am not interested in, and yes to skip a seller that has previously dudded me or does not list with proper information or consistantly over inflates the prices.
Being an Oz that only collects Australian MNH OG stamps there is not much repertoire in this field among the myriad of overseas stamps listed on Hipstamp and also having said that I would not expect Hipstamp to make a major change to satisfy a small fry like myself. It becomes painful sifting past bulk listings, I cannot see why there is a problem with a buyer skipping a seller who does not carry the buyers required field or a seller that does not offer a solution to a prior shonky sale.
Before the knockers start, using the fields do not fully work, the fields are only as good as the seller wishes to list them, ie, In my search I list Australia and Oceana then list Australia on the secondary fields and still have to sift through a myriad of Christmas Islands, Papua New Guinea, Norfolk Island, Pitcairn Islands and so on, also Malta Samoa and New Zealand stamps along with some other way out of our zone places.
Any way, I have written this with a light heart and hope to get treated the same way.
It would be nice to have the ability to skip a large listing that you are not interested in, I would Like you Mark to verify that I have dropped off significantly in my purchases on the Hipstamp site the last being 08/29/18, the time consuming factor of finding what I want is the main reason.
I think Hipstamp is a great site and I will remain a part of it, but I could and should be using it more than the other sites I am mainly dealing with now.
If you type in "Australia" in the large box that says, "Search Items From All Sellers", at the top of the screen , and make no other changes, you will get 100% Australian listings.
Well I haven't contributed to this thread for a while but you have forced my hand Michael. I agree with Pete re the search function you have suggested, If I type Australia in the "Search Items From All Sellers" I find an assortment of items related to Australia (GB, AAT, Canada, etc). Too many too list.
Comments
If you open an item and look under the details tab, you will find the year of issue. I know that I input this data on all of my listings (my store is HdStampHunter).
This is how I list. Just saying
"Germany (West) 1953 30pf 150th Birth Anniversary of von Liebig Used"
Just to clarify, as a Seller on HipStamp, if you have had repeated issues with a specific buyer, you do have the option to block the buyer from bidding on, and purchasing items from you. While we do not currently offer a technical feature, such as a list to add a buyer's username to, you can send a message to the buyer requesting that they no longer purchase from you. However, this is not simply an unenforceable request.
Once you have asked that a buyer no longer purchase from you, if they were to make an additional purchase, you would be able to cancel the purchase per our terms and conditions, and the sale would be null and void. More importantly, if this were to happen, contact us, and we will follow-up with the buyer and take appropriate action with regards to their account.
That being said, in relation to the number of sales we have on HipStamp, this is a very rare issue, and the current system does work to address specific cases on an as-needed basis. If you're having an issue with a specific buyer, please reach out to our Support Team and we'll handle it accordingly.
Thanks for your response, and it's good to hear from you. As Steve says, can you please respond re blocking sellers items from searches? I can assure you that the inability to do so is currently losing revenue for you
"I want to block all sellers that:
1. refuse to show a pic of every item
2. use stock images
3. upload pictures where it is possible to count individual pixels
4. list rubbish
5. refuse to sell to Australia, or expect payment in cash or cheque
6. list by Scott number, such as "Australia 54" (wait while I scurry to my dusty Scott to identify stamp and YEAR!)
7. charge additional item fees"
How can any of these issues be addressed by using the search engine? Even an option for "show items with images only" would get rid of a few thousand listings from my searches.
You can already see which sellers sell to Australia without seeing sellers that don't. On the left hand side of pages that show the stamps there is a box that says SHIPS TO. Select the country (Australia) and it will show you only the sellers and items that ship to Australia.
As far as sellers expecting cash or cheque, Mark set it up that all the sellers in order to get paid MUST accept Paypal. (Because Hipstamp was set up in such a way that Paypal was the only method of payment when it was first set up)
Checks or mo were made in an EXCEPTION in which a BUYER must get pre-approved by the seller to be able to even send the payment that way. The seller CAN NOT force a buyer to send payment by check,cash or money order. Unless you are pre-approved by the seller when you check out you will go to the Paypal page.
My list of reasons why I want the ability to block sellers from 2017, is similar to yours and many other Hipstamp buyers.
January 2017 edited January 2017 6 Likes
Why do I want to block specific sellers @ various times?
1. Too many one of one more stamps.
2. Pricing consistently not competitive.
3. Items in incorrect catagory or format,
4. Bad experiences with seller.
5. Form of payment not accepted.
6. Too many missing images.
7. Shipping charges not competitive.
8. I do not want to purchase from a seller in that location.
I've been told about the browsing only one item per seller, and a similar feature of one item per seller per catalogue#. I found those tedious way to avoid a sellers listing.
I have suggested a NEXT SELLER PLEASE feature; see the thread https://www.hipstamp.com/forums/discussion/1732/next-seller-please#latest
There was little interest; probably due to my poor presentation of the feature . The thread was then allowed to change subject.
Today I still strongly feel we buyers need a BLOCK SELLER feature.
Re your item 3, as a collector and seller of British Commonwealth issues, I'll point out:
1. Somalia is not, and never has been, part of the BC. Somaliland Protectorate was a member until 1960
2. Togo has not been part of the BC since 1920
3. British Morocco Agencies is just that. French and German offices are not
4. Hong Kong has not been part of the BC since 1997
5. Egypt has not been part of the BC since 1920
You get my drift.....
What has amazed me as a newbie is some of the very badly damaged stamps that are being offered as a collectable specimen. Now some of these sellers are perhaps not collectors per se, perhaps someone selling off an estate lot or a few stamps found in the attic etc - but they have a high sales success - one n the thousands - perhaps buyers have spotted items grossly under priced ?? ( I won't name and shame in case I have listed one in error
Now don't get me wrong, I have been collecting for about 56 years, so I would hope to know a thing or two (emphasis on hope) and on occasions I have listed some imperfect stamps - (priced accordingly - I think) but these are usually stamps where the front face is still collectable - perhaps with a thin or similar - this fault is highlighted in the description.
I may even list a stamp from a country with which I am not familiar - ( I generally use SG World cat or occasionaly an old Scotts) and may not have such a detailed expertise as perhaps I would like - This could result in a bargain for some one - or a item that sticks in my store - I understand that. But there are samples of grossly damaged stamps being offered at silly high prices which will never sell - and if they do then the hobby is dead.
So I can see the pros and cons of having a seller block but surely by searching for the stamp you are seeking you can appraise that stamp across the site. Sure you may get a Mint GB QV £5 Orange being offered for 10p (I wish- if you see one drop me a link) , you may get a damaged one being offered for £Millions - but you takes your pick. After a while you soon know the likely store to buy from.
What may be an idea for Mark to consider is an educational page to these sellers explaining that a ripped stamp with a massive section of corner missing is in fact valueless (unless it is a very rare stamp indeed)
Mind you if any of these badly damaged sell, I will be off to the tip to recover my waste thrown out this week.
Happy collecting & dealing all
David
9. Sellers listing same items, multiple times with price in different currencies.
https://www.hipstamp.com/search?keywords=#R178+Commerce,+Used+[Torn+at+Top]+&parent_id=12
This is a marketing technique that has increased in usage recently. Annoying, when large quantities of items are listed multiple times!
At these prices, I could buy feedback.
I have a ton of 3 and 4-cent plate blocks, which I would sell for face value, maybe I should start listing them and undercut 2.95 by 66% and still get roughly 6 to 8 times face value. But, one sale at 3.00 = 12 sales at $0.25, that's a lot less work.
https://www.hipstamp.com/search?keywords=#R199+4c+Documentary,+Mint+OG+HR+Creased&parent_id=0
https://www.hipstamp.com/search?keywords=LIECHTENSTEIN+259-60+Mint+(ID+#+76669)&parent_id=0
Is it a BUG?
Personally I cannot see why a seller cannot block or blacklist an unscrupulous ripoff buyer and I also can't see why a buyer can't block an unscrupulous seller. I would guess without putting words into the moderators mouths HipStamp would not want these type of people on this site anyway.
My main reason for this posting is not so much wanting block a seller but to at least have the ability to skip the rather large listings of stamps I am not interested in, and yes to skip a seller that has previously dudded me or does not list with proper information or consistantly over inflates the prices.
Being an Oz that only collects Australian MNH OG stamps there is not much repertoire in this field among the myriad of overseas stamps listed on Hipstamp and also having said that I would not expect Hipstamp to make a major change to satisfy a small fry like myself. It becomes painful sifting past bulk listings, I cannot see why there is a problem with a buyer skipping a seller who does not carry the buyers required field or a seller that does not offer a solution to a prior shonky sale.
Before the knockers start, using the fields do not fully work, the fields are only as good as the seller wishes to list them, ie, In my search I list Australia and Oceana then list Australia on the secondary fields and still have to sift through a myriad of Christmas Islands, Papua New Guinea, Norfolk Island, Pitcairn Islands and so on, also Malta Samoa and New Zealand stamps along with some other way out of our zone places.
Any way, I have written this with a light heart and hope to get treated the same way.
It would be nice to have the ability to skip a large listing that you are not interested in, I would Like you Mark to verify that I have dropped off significantly in my purchases on the Hipstamp site the last being 08/29/18, the time consuming factor of finding what I want is the main reason.
I think Hipstamp is a great site and I will remain a part of it, but I could and should be using it more than the other sites I am mainly dealing with now.
Cheers Pete, East Gippsland Au
Part of the problem, as Pete noted, is that the search picks up anything with Australia included in the description,
https://www.hipstamp.com/listing/kangaroo-father-christmas-australia-canada-sc1502-used/9844475 is an example.
What would be great is a search that queries country only. I think most sellers would have to fill in that field right, wouldn't they?