The APS Sales Division is one of the most important benefits of membership in the American Philatelic Society. The success of this service has drawn thousands of new members to the APS to become buyers and/or sellers.

• More than $1.8 million in sales annually
• $8.5 million in inventory in 42,000 sales books
• 165+ categories
• Items priced from one cent to $1,000 -- Majority in $1 to $40 range
• Fully insured

The APS Sales Division acts as an agent for members who wish to sell some of their philatelic material. The members purchase blank sales books, which come in four different styles for mounting stamps and covers:
      Singles books--contain 16 pages/12 spaces per page, 5" x 8"
      Blocks books--contain 16 pages/6 spaces per page, 5" x 8"
      Cover books--14 pockets, 5" x 8"
Low-cost mounts are also offered for use in the sales books:
      C ½ - for definitives and standard commemmoratives
      C1½ - for large singles or definitive blocks of four
      C3½ - for commemmorative plate blocks

After mounting and pricing his/her material, the member sends the books to the Sales Division. We review the books to make sure the pricing is not out of line, microfilm the books to protect against substitution, and assign the books to one of our 160+ circuit categories.

The books are sent in "circuits" to a list of individuals who have expressed an interest in receiving that type of material. Each circuit consists of about ten books with a total value of no more than $4,000. The books are sent to the first individual on the list, who reviews the stamps, purchases items of interest, remits the payment directly to the APS, and forwards the circuit to the next member. The circuit may go to as many as ten individuals who are arranged geographically (to minimize postage costs and transit times) before being returned to the Sales Division by the last member. These "multiple" circuits are sent to members in the fifty United States and Puerto Rico.

We check the circuit against the purchaser's record received from each member and select a different set of books in the same category to send out to the same group of people. However, this time every member moves up one position on the list, with the person who received the previous circuit first moving to the end of the list. The position of a member's name on the different circuit lists varies, because the circuits operate independently. Each multiple circuit has processing and mailing instructions included.

While traveling through our area of the country, members may stop in to browse through the inventory we have at that time and/or take a circuit with them. We also send direct circuits to APS chapters and members outside the fifty United States and Puerto Rico. These circuits are sent to the chapter or member and are returned directly to the Sales Division. The report sheets included with these circuits provide simple processing instructions.

Members' books circulate in this fashion for 18 months or until the remaining net value of the sales books has fallen below $10. At that time the books are retired and returned to the owner along with payment for items purchased. Our commission is 20% of the amount sold is deducted from the sales amount and an insurance fund fee of 2% of the book's remaining value is charged to provide insurance on the owner's material while in our possession.

Guidance for both buyers and sellers also is provided in the pages of each sales book. Additional information may be found in the monthly "Sales Talk" column in The American Philatelist.

The multiple circuits are great for members who are beginning a new collecting interest or adding to an intermediate collection. They offer general and specific categories that may be requested for full coverage of the interest areas. Members also may request those same categories through their local club circuits. Our goal is to help each Sales Division buyer reach the point where he or she can no longer find needed items in our inventory. We invite all members who are starting a new interest area or are building on an existing collection to try the Sales Division.