Also available in .pdf (use 8½ x 14 paper).

A list of common mistakes and problems we see when working with the Sales Division sales books is available in .pdf format.

Stamps and Covers on Approval
For more than 100 years, Sales Division has served as a middleman for APS members who wish to buy and/or sell stamps and covers. It provides an excellent vehicle for members wanting to dispose of unwanted or duplicate material, and offers a leisurely at-home perusal of these items for members in search of new material for their collections.

Our inventory consists of more than 42,000 sales books, with a total value in excess of $8.5 million; annual sales are more than $1.8 million.

Thousands of APS members are active participants in the sales circuit program, many of them for 20 years and more. Members may chose to buy or sell in one of more than 165 circuit categories.

What is a "circuit"?
APS sales books containing stamps or covers from a specific category (country, topic, etc.) are distributed to prospective buyers in "circuits" grouped by zip code number.

Buying
How do I begin?
• Submit a completed Circuit Request form, available from Sales Division at APS headquarters or online at www.stamps.org.

• Based on your delivery zip code, you will be assigned to a circuit list for each category you select.

• You will receive an acknowledgment that lists the circuits to which you have been assigned.

• We ask that you purchase a rubber stamp containing your initials and APS number to mark the spaces in the sales book where you have removed a stamp or cover for purchase.

• Approvals will arrive several times a year, depending on the popularity of the categories you have chosen.

How does it work?
• Sales Division sends a selection of sales books to the first person on the circuit list. That person purchases any desired items, marks the resulting vacant spaces with his/her personal stamp, and then forwards the books and paperwork to the next member on the circuit within seven (7) days.

• Each circuit must be forwarded via first class, priority mail, or parcel post, and signature confirmation to require a signature upon delivery.

• Payment for items selected should be sent directly to Sales Division.

• Each member on the circuit list, in turn, follows this procedure. The last member on the list returns the circuit to Sales Division.

• When a circuit returns to Sales Division, the first person on the list drops to last place, and all other members advance a position on the mailing list for the next set of books to be sent out. This ensures that everyone on the circuit list eventually will be the first person to receive a new set of sales books.

• Detailed instructions, rules, and other information are printed in each sales book.

Local Club Circuits
Local APS chapter clubs may request sales circuits for their meetings. Mailings may be scheduled as frequently as once a month. The contents of club circuits are selected based upon the specific collecting interests of the club's members.

Direct Individual Circuits
Members residing outside the United States and Puerto Rico may request direct sales circuits. There are minimum purchase requirements, and the recipient is responsible for any import or customs tariffs.

Other Buying Opportunities
• Members living in the United States may request the Sales Division's multiple-name circuits, which offer general and specific categories to meet each member's specific interest areas. Members also may request those same categories through their local club circuits.

•Any members traveling in the Central Pennsylvania area may stop at APS headquarters and browse through the in-house inventory, selecting material for a direct circuit to take with them or purchasing material on the spot.

Selling
How do I begin?
• Material to be sold must be mounted in one of three types of sales books, available for purchase at cost from Sales Division:

Single stamps — 16 pages, 12 spaces per page.

Blocks of stamps — 16 pages, 6 spaces per page.

Covers — 14 pages, each having a pocket.

• Each sales book measures approximately 5x8 inches; items larger than those dimensions cannot be accepted.

• Mounts — Sales Division also sells mounts for use with the sales books. They are closed on three sides, and each has a flap on the fourth side with a self-adhesive strip on the back, so that all four sides are secured. Mounts are available for definitives and standard commemoratives, large single stamps, definitive blocks of four, and commemorative plate blocks.

• Detailed instructions, suggestions, and rules are printed in each sales book.

I have the books — now what?
• Seller mounts, describes, and prices items within each sales book, and sends the completed book(s) to Sales Division via insured or registered mail, depending on the value of the package.

• Sales Division checks each item for pricing, clarity of description, and proper mounting, and assigns the book to a category, based on its contents.

• For the protection of sellers, the contents of each book are microfilmed when received and an acknowledgment of receipt is sent.

Circulation time
• Sales books are circulated for approximately 18 months, after which time they are automatically processed for retirement and returned to the owner with payment for items sold.

• A book will be retired before eighteen months if there is less than $10 in unsold material remaining.

Payment and Charges
• Payment is made to the seller upon retirement of the sales book, and after deduction of appropriate charges.

Sales Division FAQs
Q: How many times a year will I receive circuits?
A: On average, 3–4 circuits per year for each category you request.

Q: How many categories may I request?
A: Six at first, but you may request more after you see what is involved in handling them.

Q: I think one of the stamps in my retired sales book has been substituted or damaged on a circuit. What recourse do I have?
A: Ask for a form for filing a Damage/Substitution Claim. Send the completed form and the book with only the claimed item. After checking against the microfilm record, the claim will be processed accordingly. If you are right, the APS will pay your loss.

Q: What do the entries on the backs of sales books mean?
A: Each entry documents the specific circuit (multiple, club, or direct) to which the sales book was sent. Logging each circuit ensures that the book is not sent out on the same circuit again.

Q: Which catalogue should I use to price my stamps?
A: You may use any generally recognized catalogue, as long as it is identified in the space provided on the front cover of the sales book.

Q: What percentage of catalogue value should I charge for my stamps?
A: Net pricing should be based on the condition and demand for the stamp. We suggest pricing at 10–20 percent below retail prices. Retail value is not always the same as catalogue value.