One of my favourite ways to trade stamps is to create a long-term approval arrangement.
When trading via packets, it's very likely you will continue to see the same stamps over and over, and yet you may still end up missing some common stamps you need due to bad luck. On the other hand, trading with want-lists and scans can become cumbersome.
Trading via Approvals work like this ... one person will start and he/she will include a selection of stamps according to the other's interest, usually of at least 50 stamps. The receiving party will select what he/she wants, and return the rest with a selection for the other person. This continues for as long as both parties are in agreement. Stamps taken are tracked via a log-sheet that is included with each mailing, and if the arrangement ends, any resulting overage/shortage is reconciled in the final trade.
The advantages include:
- Parties are effectively choosing the stamps they want
- Encourages traders to seek out rarer materials so that they send something that will be picked
- Allows each trader to avoid taking damaged stamps, or other things they might not want like CTOs
- Allows for regular correspondence with the excitement of receiving a nicely franked cover, and the fun of sorting and picking out what you really want
