This is certainly the first of the questions asked when starting this hobby! Basically, stamp collecting is very simple, cheap and fun.

You might be roaring to get instantly to stamp collecting, the key is dedication. You should dedicate at least some time of your life to make stamp collecting rewarding and fascinating. You should be driven by the Purpose that you chose stamp collecting for the pure fun of it and not because of the lame excuse that millions of people have been doing it. Thus, a stamp collector should thirst for knowledge. To learn about a craft by being informed is the path to mastering it. To begin, browse the Beginners section for suggested readings.

Also, you should be diligent enough to study the new things to help you in your hobby as well as to try out things your own way and learning from your own mistakes. Perseverance is characterized by a steady, earnest and energetic application and effort. If worse comes to worst, a lot of on line resources could be referred to with a click of the mouse.

One last thing, though not the least, is Patience. Be patient enough if your stamp collection is not complete overnight. Search, trade, buy, accumulate, search, among others, are frequent words in stamp collecting. There is never a complete collection, unless of course you own the postal services.

Thus, you need: Purpose, Perseverance and Patience, these attributes come handy and valuable in your new-found hobby. Happy stamp collecting!