Overview

bidStart is an online marketplace and community connecting buyers and sellers of collectibles; including stamps, coins, comics, sports cards and more; offering auction & store items. bidStart stands out in the industry by offering unrivaled customer service with a personal touch and low selling fees.

In November of 2012, bidStart was sold to Stanley Gibbons, the most well-known, respected and trusted name in philately and collectibles. At the time of sale, the website was home to over 6 million item listings, with approximately 75,000 items sold monthly and yearly gross merchandise volume of $4 Million.

Features
bidStart offers sellers of collectibles the option to sell their items in auction, fixed price, and store inventory formats. All the features these sellers would expect from an online auction site, and more, are available to them, including gallery images, image hosting, best offers, reserve prices and listing upgrades. By implementing low insertion fees, bidStart has been able to maintain a high quality of items listed online, while at the same time allowing sellers to list their entire inventories. 

Goals & Mission Statement
For the collector, bidStart offers a wide and extensive inventory of collectibles for purchase, along with free tools and services such as want list management software, community forums, promotions and giveaways. 

By focusing exclusively on collectibles, and understanding the collector, bidStart is able to offer collectors a home and sense of community which is lost on most other auction websites. By working together with our members, we believe we can build a better, stronger, community and marketplace for all.

Stanley Gibbons

The very first stamp was issued in 1840, the same year that Edward Stanley Gibbons was born.
Over 150 years later, Stanley Gibbons Ltd is the market leader in the stamp collecting market and the Gibbons name is synonymous with the hobby. Our catalogues are considered the standard reference guide for the stamp collecting world. 

We were awarded the Royal Warrant by King George V in 1914 and continue to hold the Warrant to this day. We have also been awarded the Queen's Award for ‘Industry for Export Achievement'.

Located at 399 Strand, across the street from the Savoy Hotel on the River Thames, Stanley Gibbons houses a stock of more than 1 million stamps including a range of specialist items principally from Great Britain and the Commonwealth countries. No other stamp dealer comes close to the quantity and quality of stock and level of expertise that we offer.

Stanley Gibbons set up a designated Investment Department during 2003 to cope with increased interest in rare collectibles as an investment following a wave of positive press. The Department, which has grown considerably since inception, now has rare stamp and autograph portfolios of over £20 million under management, with a £12 million 'Wants List' from collectors for rare items.