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Stamp sales have been slow this summer. Dealers at major shows report less business than 
normal. Potential customers looked but didn't buy. Internet stamp sales are slow, too.

And we know why. Two reasons.

First, there was a once-a-decade international show in Washington around Memorial Day. 
Many buyers blew their budgets at that show, both for purchases and travel. Collectors 
came from all over the country, all over the world, really.

And while there, they saw many of the same American dealers they would see later in the 
summer. Unless a dealer had a major turnover in stock, there wasn't that much new to 
see at the later shows.

The other reason is more universal: High gasoline prices. Not only did the cost of 
traveling to a stamp show go way up this summer, but the pain at the pump cut into 
everyone's discretionary income. When it costs more money to get to work or the store, 
something has to give -- like hobbies.

I'm Lloyd de Vries of The Virtual Stamp Club. For more about stamps and stamp collecting, 
visit virtual-stamp-club-dot-com

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