# Philately > Selloff helps philatelic auction houses describe stamps and covers with catalogue references, follow lots sent for certification and import bids from Philasearch and other platforms. - URL: https://www.selloff.auction/industries/philately - Language: English - Last updated: 2026-10-07 - Français: https://www.selloff.auction/fr/secteurs/philatelie.md ## Challenges - **Catalogue numbers and values** — Stamp lots are identified by catalogue numbers and often priced against catalogue value. Each Selloff lot stores a reference catalogue, a reference and a catalogue value alongside its description. - **Certificates and expertise** — Important items go to an expert before the sale, and buyers may ask for a certificate after it. Selloff tracks lots sent for certification and holds the consignor’s payment while a lot is in extension. - **Albums, boxes and collections** — Collection lots come as albums, stock books and boxes of very different weights. Packaging type, quantity and weight are recorded per lot and feed the shipping costs and the number of labels printed. - **Bidders on several platforms** — Philatelic buyers bid on Philasearch or Stamp Auction Network as well as directly with the house. Selloff imports these bids and results into one book, with each bidder matched to a client record. ## Built for philatelic auction houses A stamp auction mixes single rarities, covers and postal history with large collections sold by the album or the box. Each lot needs a precise description, its catalogue references and often an expert's opinion. Selloff manages these lots from the consignment receipt to the consignor's settlement. ## Describing stamps and covers Every lot records a reference catalogue, a reference and a catalogue value next to its title and [description](https://www.selloff.auction/features/lot-descriptions.md). Additional fields, named as you wish, hold details such as condition or perforation. Packaging type, quantity and weight are part of the lot record, so a box of albums is priced and labelled differently from a single cover. [Lot references and barcode labels](https://www.selloff.auction/features/lot-references-barcodes.md) keep every item traceable in the stockroom. ## Certificates and extensions Selloff follows lots sent to a certification authority, with their status: sent, returned as authentic or returned as not authentic. When a buyer asks for a certificate after the sale, the lot goes into extension: the consignor's payment is held until you close the extension, and the [consignor settlement](https://www.selloff.auction/features/consignor-settlements.md) follows. ## Bids from every channel Collectors bid on specialist platforms. Selloff imports bids from [Philasearch](https://www.selloff.auction/integrations/philasearch.md) and Stamp Auction Network through their APIs. All bids end up in one book, next to those received by email, phone or on your website. ## After the sale Invoices go out for the whole sale in one run, and the [shipping cost matrix](https://www.selloff.auction/features/shipping-cost-matrix.md) calculates shipping fees from the total weight and the destination country. Selloff is used by philatelic houses such as David Feldman SA, Feldman International Auction and Le Timbre Classique. ## Works with - [Philasearch](https://www.selloff.auction/integrations/philasearch.md): Import the bids placed on Philasearch for your stamp and collectibles sales into Selloff, with each bidder matched to an existing client or created as a new contact. - [Biddr](https://www.selloff.auction/integrations/biddr.md): Import absentee bids and sale results from Biddr into Selloff, and import your Biddr bidders into your client records. - [Drouot](https://www.selloff.auction/integrations/drouot.md): Export your catalogue in the Drouot format, import the bidders registered on drouot.com and the results of your sale, and link each lot to its Drouot bidding page. - [Interenchères](https://www.selloff.auction/integrations/interencheres.md): Export your catalogue from Selloff as an Interenchères XML file, with lot identifiers, estimates, reserves and photo links already in the platform’s format. - [Label & barcode printing](https://www.selloff.auction/integrations/zebra-label-printing.md): Print lot labels with barcodes, lot-number labels and address labels on Zebra thermal printers straight from the browser, using Zebra Browser Print. - [WordPress](https://www.selloff.auction/integrations/wordpress.md): Run your auction website on WordPress with the Selloff plugin: catalogues, lot pages, client accounts and online bidding read live from Selloff. ## Related features - [Lot descriptions](https://www.selloff.auction/features/lot-descriptions.md): Describe lots on a screen you configure, with texts, custom fields, categories and images, and generate repetitive headings and descriptions automatically. - [Lot references & barcode labels](https://www.selloff.auction/features/lot-references-barcodes.md): Give every lot a unique reference in your chosen format, print barcode labels on Zebra printers from the browser and scan them at every step. - [Catalogue building & numbering](https://www.selloff.auction/features/catalogue-building.md): Assign lots to a sale, order them by category or any field, number them automatically or by scanning, and check the catalogue for errors before it goes live. - [Bid import from platforms](https://www.selloff.auction/features/bid-import.md): Bring bids, results and registrations from Drouot, Sixbid, Numisbids, Philasearch, Biddr and Excel files into your sale, with contact matching and a review step. - [Consignor settlements](https://www.selloff.auction/features/consignor-settlements.md): Generate consignor statements for a whole sale, deduct commission, fees and VAT, pay consignors once buyers have paid and export transfers to your bank. - [Shipping cost matrix](https://www.selloff.auction/features/shipping-cost-matrix.md): Calculate shipping costs on invoices from weight, destination zone and purchase amount, with matrices, percentages, fixed fees and limits. ## Frequently asked questions ### How does Selloff handle lots that need a certificate? Lots sent to an expert are shipped to a certification authority and listed with their status: sent, returned as authentic or returned as not authentic. After the sale, a buyer’s request for a certificate puts the lot in extension, which holds the consignor’s payment until the extension is closed. ### Can I record catalogue numbers such as Michel or Zumstein references? Yes. You maintain the list of reference catalogues in the settings. Each lot then records its reference catalogue, the reference in that catalogue and the catalogue value, which you can print in your catalogue and search on. ### Which platforms can I import stamp auction bids from? Selloff imports bids through the APIs of Philasearch, Biddr, Sixbid and NumisBids, and registrations and results from Drouot. Bids from any other source can be brought in with the XLSX bid import template.