If you are a newcomer to the rec.collecting.stamps.* newsgroups, that is,
to

rec.collecting.stamps.discuss
rec.collecting.stamps.marketplace

then welcome! The rest of us here hope that you will enjoy the
discussions of stamps and stamp collecting, and take advantage of our
"virtual marketplace" for buying and selling stamps.

Although this posting focuses mainly on the r.c.s.* groups, you should be
aware that there are other stamp-related groups, for example
rec.collecting.postal-history (for collectors of stamped and stampless
envelopes, postal cards, etc., as they relate to the development and
history of postal services) and alt.collecting.stamps (a general-purpose
newsgroup about stamp collecting).

In order to use the r.c.s.* groups effectively, you should know something
about their purposes and history.

rec.collecting.stamps.marketplace (r.c.s.m) is basically for buy/sell
advertisements from stamp dealers and collectors

rec.collecting.stamps.discuss (r.c.s.d) is basically for
discussion-type postings, announcements, and requests for trading
partners for stamps.

You can find links to the "charters" for these groups, which define what
kinds of postings are appropriate for them, at

http://web.presby.edu/~jtbell/usenet/rcs/

Please note that these two groups were created specifically to separate
"discussion" type postings from buy/sell advertisements. Some people are
particularly sensitive to ads in r.c.s.d, and if you post one there, you
will likely receive e-mail about it. Some responses may be less tactful
about this than others. If you posted an ad because you didn't know about
the "rules", don't take these responses personally. We all make mistakes
once in a while. Simply post your ads to r.c.s.m in the future, to
prevent this from happening again.

For general information about stamp collecting, see the "Collecting Stamps
FAQ" at

http://www.stampfaq.org/


--
Jon Bell