Genuine Charity Kiloware - Is It Really Any Better?

I have bought genuine charity kiloware in the past, from a real charity selling its stamps on eBay, and havent been too impressed by what I got -- the actual stamps were pretty good, but there was way too much excess paper.

I still buy kiloware, but am pretty fussy about what I buy -- look at dozens of lots before I make a serious punt on one.

But I will say its better to buy charity kiloware from a real charity, rather than one of those dealers that claims his kiloware came 'straight from a charity' and is 'completely unpicked'!

My main kiloware charity has their stamps close clipped. They are very professional and this group of people have been together for a long time.

All the kiloware is sorted by me so all the defin's are out + all denominations eras are sort+ all world are sorted out + all pre-dec are sorted out. And yes it is unpicked that is why my kiloware sells with many repeat buyers and it is not cheap.

So I sell a lot of the New Australia $1 & 70c issues outside Australia so my buyers do not have to pay huge amounts on mailing for stamps of no value to them.

That is how it works for this kiloware seller.

Edit: Forgot to add that I always use the same image for $1 kiloware selling on eBay. Do not see any reason to change it. An image of 1kg kiloware is such a very, very small sample of what is in the offering.

I recently bought a large lot of charity kiloware on eBay and was incredibly disappointed at how poor the quality was. Very little foreign, almost no high-value GB commems and defins, and no unfranked. Just endless mounds of 1st and 2nd regular defin and Xmas issues. I wrote back and complained, and got a partial refund -- I could have sent the whole lot back, but I'm having an operation later this week and would have had trouble lugging the 8kg box to the nearest parcel courier.

Its amazing that kiloware should be so hard to source. Charities just have to stick it in a bag and sell it on eBay -- its not rocket science.

In a few years time, GB kiloware is going to be impossible to find. The post office never offer stamps, they always put labels on everything. The only people that use stamps are collectors, and ebay sellers that buy them cheap. I must admit I never use modern stamps, I am using up all my 1980s and 90s jamjar labels while they are still valid. Because when our present monarch passes they will be worthless.

Why? Death of a monarch has never invalidated earlier issues.

If you think the privatised post office are going to miss an opportunity like that, then good luck. We are pretty unique with Qe2, as she has been on the throne for so long the question has not arisen for almost 70 years. We can argue and discuss it all we like, only time will tell. My bet is they will be demonitised. I hope I am wrong.

Inflation has effectively demonetized all previous UK stamps issues. First class post was 3p in the early 70s, its now 20 times that. We havent had any really bad inflation for the past 20 years, but I think its only a matter of time.

Judging by what I see in kiloware and lots bought from eBay sellers, the PO isnt losing much money from old stamp collections being used as postage. Recycling of modern stamps is a much greater financial burden.

same as Australia!




The trouble is if you do not sort it 80% of the kiloware is recycled + unwanted forigen. Plus to take the defin's and concession out of Australia kiloware lessens the mailing cost burden. But then most of my sales are to Europe based dealers.




Because there is lesser kiloware getting through to the charities they are sorting out stamps they never use to do trying to get more funds out of incoming stamps for their needs.

I just came back from the post office and there was no line as usual so the clerk could chat a bit. He said they sell sheets to collectors all the time but the special sheets for collectors cannot have stamps torn off them like the bigger regular sheets. So, he held a "Collectors" sheet up and it is of trains with a fancy logo heading on top and cost 9 dollars and something where as a full sheet- the regular kind- has more stamps and can have them torn off or cut off for selling.
So my questions are; when did this start? and Didn't Farley's Folly's and the color shift Dag Hammarskjöld stamp and all that part the Post Office played intentionally releasing more color shift so the error would not make them worth anything, bring an end to post office printing of stamps aimed at collectors? I mean I like it but I did not know that they could do that.
Also, I see people using the Post Office all the time to mail letters and packages. It is overdone to say we don't. I just mailed three envelopes today.

Louise, Those sheets have been around for quite some time. Early 2000's at least. I am quitting new USA after this year. We used to buy a stamp. Now we have to buy 20 or 12. Ripoff.

Jack Kelley

As for kiloware, I always try to buy from Charities. At least that's what they say. I enjoy the soaking and the search. I gives me something to do.

Also, as for QEII, I really like the Machins and will be sorry when she passes. I wonder what the KCIII stamps will look like?

Jack Kelley

Just recently I saw a UK eBay trader selling supposed charity kiloware. It looks like rubbish, judging from the photo, and it turns out that that is a stock photo -- not the actual lot -- so no doubt the actual lot is even worse rubbish. Looking at the feedback, I see it is a very low rating, with buyers complaining about the quality of the kiloware -- heavily picked, no unfranked etc etc.

Of course the seller isn't an actual charity, but he says the stamps come from charity sources. Sure, anyone can buy real charity kiloware, pick it to death, then sell on the dregs and make the claim that 'it came from a charity source'.

I'm not going to provide any link, as I don't want to be involved in a libel action, but just be warned, kilo hunters, there is a lot of chicanery out there in the kilo world.

Real charity kiloware is bad enough these days, without unscrupulous people peddling the dregs as 'unsorted'.

The "no unfranked" complainants are, of course, crooks!

I suspect that the "unsorted, gathered by blind nuns" schtick goes back decades. Just another line to ignore. I give my unwanted stamps to charity - it doesn't mean they're any good.

In the last 10 years especially, I have been mostly surprised with my charity kiloware purchases. Sometimes they are good surprises, and sometimes they are big disappointments.

Obviously, when I find a good one, I do repeat buys...whenever possible.

I just bought a large lot (c. 20kg) of kiloware at auction, from a genuine charity. Please note I am based in UK.

These days Kiloware -- even genuine unpicked charity kiloware -- is pretty bad stuff. This reflects the huge drop in actual stamp usage. Long gone are the days when people would be buying lots of pretty commems at the PO to stick on their mail.

Even the percentage of high-value Machins (ie anything other than 1st and 2nd class) is vanishingly small. Certainly its not a good route for the beginning collector, as it was 20 years ago.

Charities and anyone will struggle to get stamps immediately after use for kiloware because so few people use the mail. When I go to the post office I insist on stamps not printed stickers.In The UK commemorative stamps are only sold at main post offices and even towns as big as Chestrfield (circa 100,000 pop) closed the main post office and have a counter inside WH Smiths. Afew years ago I bought a carrier bag full of Machins that had been picked over off an E trader I knew for £4.50. There were still lots of High values, and rarities but it took a lot of picking through and I only went through half the bag.
while working at the National headquarters of a bank over 10 years ago I asked about the postroom, I found it only despatched mail, one person looked at incoming mail as atiny part of her job. with millions of customers they averaged about 20 stamped letters and packages a day. My next question was anticipated- "mo you can't have them they are already collected for a charity."