I'm thinking of selling everything.
All binders, cards duplicates - the lot.

Do you think that it would sell at a show in one pop, or do you think that it would be better to split it up?

I don't really want to split it up, as some base cards etc never sell....

Do you think that the dealers at the shows would be interested in buying it all?

I am most intereted in the response to this question as the time will arise when I am faced with it. I have no doubt that the bigger the collection the harder it will be to dispose of it. Do you sell sets complete with all inserts?
Do you sell inserts seperate as full sets or split them up to individuals? What do you do with the inevitable mountain of commons? Is Ebay an option? So many questions, so few answers.

Just a bit of thinking from my experiences as a buyer. First, if you're looking to sell your entire collection (especially a big one) to one buyer, expect to sell at a great discount, and a show might not be the right place. You'd probably have better luck with an ad in publications like NSU. On the other hand, if you sell complete sets, insert sets, binders, etc at a show, you'll move a good bit of stuff if you price the cards to move. As for extras, you could sell them as lots, and sell them cheap to get them out of the way.

You could talk to dealers at the show to see if they're interested, but you're going to get even less than you'd get from a collector. The more organized your collection is, the easier it will be to sell. If it's essentially ready for a dealer to resell he'll offer you more, and if he has to spend hours sorting cards and collating sets he probably won't be interested at all.

eBay is certainly an option if you sell sets individually, but setting up your own table at good show could cost you less per set in the long run (eBay fees add up fast, while a table fee is a set price regardless of what you sell). If you have a decent flea market in your area, that's even cheaper to set up and can still bring some results, especially selling cheaper full sets and lots. As btlfannz says, there's a lot of questions unanswered. How big is your collection? Are there complete sets? Are the insert sets complete? How many extras are you talking about here? Are the binders in mint condition? Are the cards in the binders? What are you looking at regarding autographs, sketches, costume cards, etc? How are things arranged?

Just my thoughts as a buyer and (former) eBay seller.

Do you have a list of what you have in your collection that you want to sell?
I am always buying complete collections.

You will never get value for your collection if you sell it all at once. Break it up and sell as singles, and sets.

I would just echo some of what has been said already.

Very few dealers are buying anything from the public these days. They only do it if they know the sets/cards can be re-sold fast. They don't want to store more stuff that doesn't move, so they are sometimes willing to try to cherry pick a collection, but are rarely interested in the whole thing, even if its dirt cheap.

And if you want any kind of value, you have to put in the work and sell individual cards and sets. The convenance of a bulk sale means that you will get perhaps 5% - 10% of any book value. That's a rough estimate, but its what I've seen on bulk purchases.

Basically the dealer will tell you that he sells everything at 50% of book and he needs to double his money. So that puts the sale at 25% of book for you. But that's only for the very popular cards, and most are not. So now you are down to that 5 - 10 cents on a dollar, if you're lucky. If you're not lucky the dealer will simply decline because there are not enough items in your collection that he even wants.

What you need to find are other collectors who also collect what you have. It may take longer and be more labor for you, but you will get more money in the end and make other card collectors very happy.

What are those great big birds circling over this thread?

chris unless you need the money, box it all up and store it safely, base cards chase cards and a lot of the common autos and costumes sit in folders for years, if you write a list of all the binders and higher end items you might make some of you money back, its hard times out there , you are more likely to sell if you have a great list of your stuff, you could put an add on NSU and a price you would like But be prepared to haggle ( just my opinion but I have been called a moron recently LOL) good luck with it anyway JOHN

I think it is very difficult to sell a complete collection as there are not a lot of people who can invest the large amount in one go, also, part of the fun is the chase, having everything in one go doesnt appeal to everyone.

When I have bought large collections before I have always managed to negotiate 40-50% off the advertised price.

I would deal privately with people on this forum first, then put the rest on ebay as collections of series, so sell a series as one item. You could also pull some of the bigger cards and sell them indivdually, remember, when selling individual items on ebay be wary of the ebay fees, they add up pretty quickly, especially when things dont sell.

In stamp collecting there is a rule of thumb: Stanley Gibbons gets their full list price, dealers get 2/3 list price and collectors get 1/3 list price. The way to get the best price for an individual set in your collection is to put an ad in a magazine such as NSU.

You are all assuming that the price guide is the actual value for whatever cards are out there. Remember it is just a guide. So If you have cards and you are looking to move them, the value is based on what someone is willing to pay for them. And just because we collected cards for years doesn't mean they are worth anything. I always said, if you are in this hobby for the money, you are in the wrong hobby.
I find that people don't have the time or space to keep what they have. So to sell it as a whole is beneficial to the seller as well as the buyer. And if someone makes an offer, it doesn't mean you have to accept it. Not all dealers "flip" stuff they buy to make a quick buck. The smart ones will sit on what they buy and wait. What's the rush. That also works for the collector. If you don't need the money and have the space, I would keep everything and wait. There are only 2 possible scenarios. The value (or offer price) can go up or down. Simple. I like buying cards no matter how an individual sells them, either as single cards or a collection. So whatever decision chris makes, it's a good one based on his present situation.

I am interested in selling it, and putting the money towards further education.... university isn't cheap. I see this collection as a money pit.

I'm thinking about doing lots, and then doing rarer cards individually.....
Not sure what I'm going to do yet.....

I might even end up putting them in boxes and storing them for the time being etc.

glad to see we are all on the same page, getting rid of stuff is always hard there are other ways to get thru uni

Good luck with whatever you decide.
Id say just take a breath and wait unless you are so totally strapped for cash you have no choice.
I once sold off a big collection of comic book art and animation art. Now i really wish i hadnt (or kept some special pieces).

Again, good luck with whatever you decide.

Probably best to set up at a larger show and try to sell whatever you can at near retail. Don't expect a windfall in this economy though!

Good advice given above....try waiting out the tough times and only sell if you absolutely have to! This is a buyer's market right now.

quote:

Originally posted by beamer:
You are all assuming that the price guide is the actual value for whatever cards are out there. Remember it is just a guide.

True, but have you noticed how both buyers and sellers quote price guides whenever its to their advantage?

Yes that is true. I am more of a realist. I look for the same cards selling on the internet and use those selling prices as my guide.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
True, but have you noticed how both buyers and sellers quote price guides whenever its to their advantage?

I've noticed that but I've also seen that there is a 'nobody wants to go first' approach to buying and selling too. If someone posts something they want to sell and asks for offers, quite often the sort of 'offer' that comes back is 'What's your best price ?' This happens quite a bit on eBay too if you post an auction style listing with a reasonable starting price, you then get people asking for 'your best price' when they actually mean how much are you willing to reduce it by. This seems to be especially true if you are trying to sell complete sets, to bring my ramble back on topic

Chris Byrne, you must get a plan. If you want to sell them fast be ready to get "cents" for a collection of "hundreds" of dollars.

As a seller I sell my duplicates/extras in eBay and other marketplaces in sets, singles, and lots. I spent more time classifying and writing description than posting items. Right now in eBay, I'm using the "free 50 promo" and the "penny promo" because the insertion fees can kill any revenue in less than a second.

As a buyer. I saw a lot of collectors selling their collections in eBay in lots. Buyers prefer this item than "mommy or daddy" taking out trash from their university kids. But I never see these collections go near 50% of their value.

My recommendation:
1- Make an inventory.
2- Get a price guide as reference.
3- Decide the best way to sell the items (sets, lots or singles).
4- Choose your shipping carrier and know the shipping cost. Never sacrifice item price to cover S&H because you are a collector not a Mile High Comics or a Walmart.
5- Get boxes and any other shipping material.
6- Choose were to offer your cards. Try first "free" forums like http://www.nonsportscardforum.com/ , then go for the paid forum like this one, and marketplaces like eBay.
7- In marketplaces like eBay open the auction to buyers, in US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and France.

And one more time to remember. If you want to sell them fast be ready to get "cents" for a collection of "hundreds" of dollars.

quote:

Originally posted by kane1:

Try first "free" forums like http://www.nonsportscardforum.com/

Just to point out that this forum is not free and is not open for sales unless in the proper paid section for advertisers.

Thank you.

This message brought to you by Wolfiemod.