We present a selection of member recollections for Delcampe’s 20th birthday. We asked three questions: How did you discover Delcampe? What memory or anecdote about the website would you like to share? What do you wish Delcampe for its 20th birthday?
Our members are our best ambassadors! Thanks to Mainlypostcards, Vanvliet59, Wiru_historycards and Timbrophile for sharing their stories!
I discovered Delcampe in 2008. Up to that point, I was using eBay. When they made changes to their general terms and conditions and/or pricing, I realised it no longer worked for me. I discovered Ebid looking for an alternative. The sales were terrible. Then, on a number of forums, I noticed that some of the other sellers were in the same situation as me, including “Somersethedge”. He had a subscription to an English magazine for postcards sellers (sorry, I can’t remember the name). He found an advert for Delcampe in one of the issues and sent me the information. We both joined the site at about the same time.
The forum was a lot of fun during the first Delcampe years. I also had a really good experience when I split up an aviation postcard collection and sold the cards individually. It was pretty exciting sometimes when several collectors were interested in the same postcard and the bids just kept coming.
Happy birthday, Delcampe! Keep up the good work and we’ll celebrate your 25th birthday.
Mainlypostcards, United Kingdom
I discovered Delcampe in 2002 when I was in Belgium for work. I was already selling postcards on eBay. I think that I was one of the first Italians to visit Delcampe.
During the first years, Delcampe was a supplier of items I bought then resold on eBay. Then I started selling on Delcampe too and now I sell exclusively on the website. It’s a more specialised website for collectors and it’s less expensive.
I wish you long life and I have a recommendation: don’t make too many changes to the website. It’s fine the way it is and it works very well.
Vanvliet59, Italy
I discovered Delcampe when I was looking for Neumarkt postcards on the Internet.
I remember many happy customers I was able to satisfy thanks to Delcampe!
For me, as a seller, it’s absolutely vital that my customers be 100% satisfied.
I wish Delcampe all the best for its 20th birthday and continued success.
My customer base is growing every day with new collectors who are very pleased to discover Delcampe!
The new Delcampe website has been very well received by them. Keep it up. I’m very satisfied!
Wiru_historycards, Austria
When I discovered Delcampe in 2008, I was a member of another, very well known, auction site. The two websites are very complementary. Let’s say that the other website is like an enormous flea market, whereas Delcampe is a giant online multi-collection trade show. You can find really nice things at a flea market, but it’s more comfortable to dawdle in a multi-collection show.
I have many memories of the site. It isn’t often that a day goes by and I don’t make a little visit to Delcampe! As the readers of Delcampe Magazine know, I have two main speciality areas: Paris’ pneumatic mail system and the history of philately in the 19th century and associated topics. My research for my first speciality is sometimes published in Documents philatéliques (the Académie de philatélie magazine), Feuilles Marcophiles or Entier postal, where I may propose a new vocabulary or a nomenclature in an article. I’ve seen words and nomenclatures I’ve proposed used in the description of items for sale by Delcampers soon after the publications came out.
Last summer, for my second speciality, I proposed an article to Delcampe Magazine about Jean Kerhor, the illustrator and author of stamps from the colonies and the son-in-law of Pierre Mahé. At the same time as I was writing the draft article (inspired by a purchase on Delcampe), I found an archive with Kerhor autographs on Delcampe.
Happy birthday, Delcampe! Shall we meet again in 20 years?
Timbrophile78
