Indian Stamp Dealer Sells 1000s of Stamps on Line

India's Business Standard features an article about Rakesh Kumar Gupta, owner of the Indian Stamp Company.

Reporter Aabhas Sharma writes, "About 30 years ago, when Rakesh Kumar Gupta set up the Indian Stamp Company in Meerut, it was more out of a hobby than anything else. As a child, Gupta was fascinated with stamps and used to collect stamps from all over the world. 'Stamps were my window of knowledge as I came to know about countries which I had never even heard of,' says the Meerut-based owner of some of the rarest stamps available.

"Even in this era of e-mails, Blackberrys and social networking, Gupta gets inquiries from not only India, but all over the world. Five years ago, he decided to go online with his stamp collection and since then, his business has grown considerably. On an average, he says that online he sells more than a 1,000 stamps per week.

"His buyers are mainly middle-aged people as they are the ones who have actually been exposed to stamps and know their importance, he says. 'The current generation is too busy on Orkut and playing online games to indulge in such a wonderful hobby,' he rues. But still, he doesn’t believe that is a dying art or hobby. 'Several of my customers come from different parts of the country and sit for hours with their kids browsing the collection,' he says."

To read the entire article, click here.