Well you have to buy, sell or trade, collector to collector to get anything close to BV, and that's just how it is. The problem is trying to connect with a collector that is in close physical proximity and needs what you have. If they are a like minded collector of some experience, they may already have a good portion of your cards. If they don't have them, it may just be because they have no interest in them in the first place.

It was once explained to me this way by a dealer . . .

He sells "hits" at 50% of high BV. He wants to make at least double his money on any cards he buys off the street. So right away that means he will only pay a collector 25% of high BV at the most. And that's only if he thinks he can make a quick turn around on the card(s) because he has a customer(s) that buys them. If he has no immediate customer(s) he will pass or low ball it to an insulting percentage, preferring not to waste ready cash on inventory that may sit on his shelf for many months. Forget about base sets or no-name common hits, they are bargain box items and he doesn't need any more. Looking at it from the dealer's point of view, it's hard to argue with the logic.

Now for premium hits that are in the three figure range and are popular it is a slightly different story. You still won't get high BV, but a $200 card should get you $125 from a dealer when it is limited and still in demand. You as a private buyer will always be asked to pay BV on such "investment" grade cards. But should you ever decide to sell them back to a dealer, chances are you bought at peak price and the only advantage is that you can probably find a dealer who will now offer 65% of BV for a big card.

You are correct Raven , I expected that response from toy people or muscle car parts people but not from non sports people.

Back in the 2000s we were moving so decided it was time to sell may Star Wars collection that I have been building since the late 70s. Contacted one of the bigger Star Wars guys and I will never forget the conversation.
He started off: First, let me let tell you on how to understand the price guide. (Thinking to myself so I have been collection longer than you have been alive and you’re going to tell me about understanding a price guide ) A guide is just that a guide so don’t believe any of the prices as they are wrong and pretty much worthless. ( So a few months ago when I asked about a piece first thing out of your mouth was it guides for $$$ then the prices are correct, sorry I digress) So he continued take the price listed in the guide and automatically cut it in half as that is closer to true price give or take. Then take at least half of that amount and that is closer to the value of the piece. So then I respond what you are telling me is that my collection that should be valued around 25 to 30 thousand dollars is really only truly worth between 2,500 to 5.000 dollars and that is what you will pay? His response: yes depending on condition. My response: you’re out of your damn mind. His response you will be contacting me again as no one else will pay you as much as me. I then hung up on him.
Took the collection to an auction house and they sold the collection for me. Even with their fees and such I was happy with the outcome.

I have been out of the non sports game for a few years so I see a lot has changed with the hobby.
I am still in the old school mind set of being treated fairly and respectfully which is my fault I guess.

It is honestly hard to swallow that you have a set or card that say is worth $500 and then being told that it is really worth $50 to $100 dollars. Guess need to start having the mind set in collecting like you do when you buy a car. Soon as it leaves the lot the value starts to decrease.

Most of us don’t view collecting non sports or collecting in general as an investment but as doing something you like. The sad reality is when it comes time to move on or down size your collection most of the time it’s like a slap in the face. Like I was told on here a years ago if you don’t like the way the hobby is going leave others will take your place.

Anyway, I have spent too much time on this and will be moving on. If one day anyone sees a bunch of non sports stuff from B5 to the Monkees show up at Commons 4 Kids then I will be officially done with this game.

In closing, hopefully some people have gotten a better understanding on this topic and the reality of the hobby and that people like Raven , Wolfie, Batman and others will keep things going the best they can here keeping people informed.

All the best and good luck to everyone.

Just to try and stick up for the poor old dealer here who allways seems to come in for some stick when it comes to buying and selling.

The costs associated with being a dealer are massive, just setting up as a dealer at a show can cost a fortune, there are all sorts of costs that people do not immediatly think of. However, collectors still turn up expecting everything for nothing and if they have stuff to sell expect the dealer to give them top dollar for it and i include myself in this.

Most people think that stuff they have is worth more than it actually is and that goes for collectors and dealers, the only way it is all going to work is if everybody is prepared to give a little, meet in the middle somewhere etc.

I'm allways sorry to hear that people are leaving the hobby as there are ways of making it all work, you just have to find them and then implement them into your collecting.

Do i have too much stuff? yes

Will i be getting rid of any of it? No

Will i be getting more stuff? yes

Do i expect this stuff to be worth loads of money in the future? No

So why am i doing it? well people keep telling me it's fun.

I went through a period with card collecting where I was buying a ton of base sets ($3 plus $4 shipping? Yeah, I want that base set from The Golden Compass!) and random boxes trying for big hits and being stuck with autographs I didn't want but can't offload since there are already 50 of them on eBay with $5 buy-it-now prices.

I have tried to combat that excess by only buying what I know I will still care about in a few years (Legends of Star Trek) and concentrating my budget to a few primary sets (Game of Thrones for the last few years, and maybe Doctor Who once it comes out - and I know I will still care about Who because I have been collecting DW dvds, magazines, audio plays, toys, etc for 20+ years). But I am still stuck with a ton of cards I just don't want, don't value, and don't know what to do with. My problem was that I accumulated with no purpose, so I am trying to curate my collection instead of just accumulating random nonsense.

quote:

Originally posted by Jason00:
My problem was that I accumulated with no purpose, so I am trying to curate my collection instead of just accumulating random nonsense.

Amen to that!

It is very tempting to get in too deep. There is a current premium product coming out now that I think is potentially a really good value. I will not name it, but I was seriously considering spending a fair amount of money on it. The problem is, I never had any interest in the subject and still don't. Last year I probably would have placed an order, this year I passed. Personal growth? Maybe, but I might regret it for awhile.

As to wolfie's point, a dealer is in the business of selling cards, not buying them back. They are under no obligation to do it, not even if you are their best customer. If there are card collectors operating under a different assumption, they are setting themselves up for disappointment.

Your card collections are not worthless, they are personal treasures if you are doing it right. It's just that, if you don't have vintage items that were picked up for pennies decades ago, a modern collection of average size is not going to be converted back into the same amount of cash you put into it.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:

quote:

Originally posted by Jason00:
My problem was that I accumulated with no purpose, so I am trying to curate my collection instead of just accumulating random nonsense.

Your card collections are not worthless, they are personal treasures if you are doing it right.

This.

Some of the comments in threads like these made me sad and frustrated in equal measure.

I would hope that the money people spend on cards, or other hobbies, is disposable income. You can get lucky sometimes and the values of certain cards can shoot up, but I don't understand griping if market values change over the course of DECADES. Tastes can change and a lot can happen in any industry. Cards are not an investment. Buy what you really like, at a price you are comfortable with, and you can't go far wrong IMO.

Be it trading cards, or any other commodity of some value, isn't the aim of the game always for the seller to sell high and the buyer to buy low? Does this really surprise anyone?
As wolfie said, a middle ground needs to be found and come common sense applied. If the customer never bends and pays a little more than they are comfortable, they will forever miss out on some cool cards. If the dealer is never flexible with prices then their high priced, "rare and valuable" inventory will rarely get sold. If someone leaves you feeling insulted by an offer, like the Star Wars toy dealer above, just walk away. There are always other options so long as you have realistic expectations.

When it comes to re-selling (anything) the more effort you put in, the more (£/$) you will get out. Time and patience is key. I have sold lots of cards whilst streamlining my collections. I have lost money on lots of cards, but also made a killing on a certain few others which helps balance it all out.
If you are a private collector selling your collection, it is best to do it piecemeal. Cut your loses with the low value stuff, and with the more desirable stuff, wait for that right buyer and work with them when they do come along. As has already been said, bulk buyers are looking for the top cards to cream of the top: they want the quick and easy wins. If You want to sell everything, and sell it quick, to those whose sole aim is to make profit, they'll offer you next to nothing, obviously.

Pity me then 'cos I'm a completist so I have to have absolutely everything!!
I have just recently completed 800 sets (including wrapper and all inserts),all pre-2000 which was when I stopped collecting the new and just went for completion of the old. This was to be my retirement income - yeah right!
Now I am faced with nothing better than a dump bin,
This has created a shift in attitude. Now the (almost) total value of my collection is just measured in the pleasure that it has bought me over the years. And you know what? I don't begrudge a dime of what I have spent. I cannot put a price on the amazing amount of happiness that my collection has bought me.
I'm still buying cards because my collection will never be complete. Who cares - I'm happy!

quote:

Originally posted by btlfannz:
I'm still buying cards because my collection will never be complete. Who cares - I'm happy!

Hear Hear!

quote:

Originally posted by btlfannz:
Now the (almost) total value of my collection is just measured in the pleasure that it has bought me over the years. And you know what? I don't begrudge a dime of what I have spent. I cannot put a price on the amazing amount of happiness that my collection has bought me.
I'm still buying cards because my collection will never be complete. Who cares - I'm happy!

And that sir, is doing it right!

Glad to hear you got there in the end.
I have only been collecting about 16 years.
I decided a while back to cut down all my collecting. I was out of cash and out of space.
I was ruthless and put what I thought had value online and sold it for whatever I got that meant I still had some cash left over after postage.
The stuff without much or any value was donate.
Then last was whatever a charity/goodwill store wouldn't have use and had no value to anyone. These were mostly easy to recycle like duplicate empty boxes.
It took a whole summer in small chunks but it was great to have the space back and know that what I have now in my much slimmer collection truly means something to me and that I value it for what it IS and not because it is/was/might be valuable to someone else in the monetary sense.

I've been collecting on and off, but have recently gotten back in to it.

Funny thing is, I'm actually looking to add some of those cheap base sets to my collection. The problem is, there are no stores around me that sells non-sports especially the older ones I want.

This leads me to look for the cards on eBay, which is usually at least $5 and up with shipping. Factor in, if it comes with the binder it will run me around $20 and up.