Collections ~ Have you ever sold one?

[VaCollector]

The original "worthless" collections thread and a previous thread (that I could not find) about those of us that actually still enjoy collecting something got me to wondering if anyone here had ever sold their collection?

If so ~ advice please! Did you do it yourself? Would you change anything if you had it to do over again?

Me.....as my forum name might indicate, I love stuff....lots of stuff....but I found my true passion about 10 years ago and have since amassed a collection worth $150K maybe. I have also been the beneficiary of a couple more "collections" that have similar values.

For this conversation I will limit my discussion to MY collection.

I discovered old United States currency while I was resuming a collection fantasy from my childhood ~ coins. It seemed much more fun when I could actually BUY the things that I was drooling over than when I was a kid and all I could do was (mostly) look I actually ran a little buying ad in the local newspaper and was fortunate enough to buy a collection that contained my 1st look at old US currency....and I was hooked!



I collect something that most people don't even know exists so the market (compared to coin collecting) is actually very thin, although it has grown exponentially, the collecting community is quite small by most standards. While I continue to enjoy my hobby, the thought that someone might come along after I've left this planet and take advantage of my DW has me thinking about the benefits of MY disposing of the collection....and hence my question ~ has anyone here had to/taken the time to/decided to liquidate their collection(s)? If so, the who,what,how,why, when?

[Htown Harry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VaCollector ~ has anyone here had to/taken the time to/decided to liquidate their collection(s)? If so, the who,what,how,why, when?

I occasionally think about a similar situation, for a collection of historical (non-monetary) paper that I have collected through 10 years of eBay purchases and a once-a-year trip to the local collectors show.

The value is probably in the $2000-$3000 range.

DW and DD's have zero interest in the collection.

I have a vague, inactive plan to donate the whole lot as a gift or bequeath to a local library that has a similar collection. That's years away, however, as I am still enjoying the discovery and accumulation of new items.

The shorter-term objective is to sell some of my duplicates on eBay, but first I need to invest the time to figure out how to be a seller.

[Sam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VaCollector ...but I found my true passion about 10 years ago and have since amassed a collection worth $150K maybe.

If you were to liquidate the above $150K collection within a reasonable time frame, say 3 months, how much can you get?

I have never had a collection of anything. The closest I came to was to buy well kept classic or almost classic cars and motorcycles, used them for a few years and sold them after I got tired of them. Made a few bucks along the way most of the time.

[VaCollector]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam If you were to liquidate the above $150K collection within a reasonable time frame, say 3 months, how much can you get?.

The $150K is very conservative....some of the stuff I have hasn't been in the general market publicly for a very long time and so could stir up considerable interest....but one never really knows.

[Sam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VaCollector ....but one never really knows.

That's the part I'm most interested in. It appears to me that collector items are usually appraised at a much higher value than the actual sale price, when they actually get sold, of course. Am I wrong?

[Moemg]

I sold my SO's collection of comic books on ebay . I was going to sell them to a big company but they give you so little . I decided to cut out the middle man . I sold them a few at a time after I researched them. Collectors watch ebay like hawks so it's pretty easy to know if you have a hot item . You will immediately get people offering you more for your item . Do not do it . Let it play out and you will do a lot better . I also liquidated my late husband's autograph collection but that I sold to a collector who after researching it gave me what I felt was a reasonable price .
I also sold a collection of chintz dishes . I started to sell them in a large bundle but after researching it . I sold them off two at a time and made much better money . I would say give ebay a try . Start with only one or two items . You will then be able to see if there is interest . If no interest then you really need to go another route .

[kcowan]

During the family estate sale, I sold a ollection of old Popular Mechanics magazines fo $1 each. Who knew? 11948 through 1964.

Also sold over half of a collection of LPs for about 25 cents each. Some German pressing purchased in Europe in the 60s.

Had a movie set provider buy a bunch of old looking stuff even if it did not work.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Htown Harry The shorter-term objective is to sell some of my duplicates on eBay, but first I need to invest the time to figure out how to be a seller.

Holiday shopping season is coming, so now's the time to start selling!

You may be beyond the basics, but you could start with one of Marsha Collier's "... For Dummies" books and her website.

There are seller-specific tips on this thread:
http://www.early-retirement.org/foru...ure-46150.html

I sold over a dozen items (including one to Germany) and I managed to only visit the post office once. I could have avoided that if I'd had a postal scale. Otherwise most of the shipping/postage can be done over USPS' website.

I've also been warned to not let more money pile up in the PayPal account than you're willing to have repossessed for whatever purpose PayPal/eBay deem necessary.

You're in a fairly big metropolitan area, so depending on the uniqueness of your items you may do better on Craigslist. You keep more of the profits and you usually don't have to deal with the mails, but you don't get bidding wars and you may have to deal with lookie-lookies & whackos.

[VaCollector]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam That's the part I'm most interested in. It appears to me that collector items are usually appraised at a much higher value than the actual sale price, when they actually get sold, of course. Am I wrong?

I don't think so.... appraisals are meant to be high as most seem to be for insurance purposes and are looking to cover possible inflated replacement value. My valuation is based on current trends and pricing in today's market.

I should add that I am an avid eBayer and have bought and sold there since 1998 ~ with great success and it would be my current 1st choice for selling my collection. I brought up this topic hoping for other success stories that may have used an alternative selling method or source as eBay fees when coupled with Paypal fees add up nowadays to roughly 10% (sometimes more) of the selling price...still not a bad deal for the number of potential buyers...but still too much for a LBYM'er like me

....and yet others have had success on Amazon....maybe an auction house?....another alternative that someone has had success with?

Thanks for all of the replies!

[Sam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VaCollector I don't think so.... appraisals are meant to be high as most seem to be for insurance purposes and are looking to cover possible inflated replacement value. My valuation is based on current trends and pricing in today's market.

Sounds good! I hope you will update if/when you complete the liquidation.

[Sam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords There are seller-specific tips on this thread: http://www.early-retirement.org/foru...ure-46150.html

Wow! I had no idea you're so well versed in Ebay selling even at $5/hr.

[Htown Harry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VaCollector ....maybe an auction house?....another alternative that someone has had success with?

You may be aware of them, but here are two alternatives to eBay that specialize in currency, stamps, coins and collectible paper goods:

Paper Money (U.S.) - Buy Large Size Notes, Small Size Notes, Obsolete, Confederate | Paper Money (U.S.) on bidStart.com!

http://coins.delcampe.net/page/categ...tes-Coins.html

I discovered both recently, so I can't say too much about them other than I have made some purchases from both. My impression is that there are lots of high-volume dealers set up as storefront sellers - many are refugees from eBay selling.

Perhaps you could list similar items across the three outlets and compare the results?

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VaCollector as eBay fees when coupled with Paypal fees add up nowadays to roughly 10% (sometimes more) of the selling price...still not a bad deal for the number of potential buyers...but still too much for a LBYM'er like me ....and yet others have had success on Amazon....maybe an auction house?....another alternative that someone has had success with? Thanks for all of the replies!

You do not have to sell the whole collection but putting out a few teaser items will bring the collectors to you and sometimes you can start a dialogue to sell more items direct to that collector surpassing ebay . I hope I don't go to ebay hell for suggesting this .

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Wow! I had no idea you're so well versed in Ebay selling even at $5/hr.

Well, I could keep turning over aloha shirts every week for more $5 hour deals, but it started to get in the way of surfing...

It is kinda fun to sit down Sunday afternoon with a frosty beverage, watching the bidders snipe away at each other as the auction winds down through its last 60 seconds. (Optional: cackling with glee and rubbing your hands like Montgomery Burns.) The trick is to have one ending every 5-10 minutes (the auctions, not the frosty beverages) so that you can make the entertainment last for a while.

[Sam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords It is kinda fun to sit down Sunday afternoon with a frosty beverage, watching the bidders snipe away at each other as the auction winds down through its last 60 seconds. (Optional: cackling with glee and rubbing your hands like Montgomery Burns.) The trick is to have one ending every 5-10 minutes (the auctions, not the frosty beverages) so that you can make the entertainment last for a while.

I've never looked at it that way, but yeah, that sounds fun.

I told myself a gazillion thousand times to get on Ebay and sell most of the junks I've been collecting over the years. The thought of having to answer questions, packing and dragging those items to the post office simply overwhelms me. I rather do nothing instead ;-)

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam The thought of having to answer questions, packing and dragging those items to the post office simply overwhelms me. I rather do nothing instead ;-)

I got very few questions. Most of the eBay buyers know what they're looking for and will either understand what you're selling (good) or pass you by for some other listing (not so good but you'll never know). If you miss an important detail in a listing then you'll get the same question about 30 times and can just update your listing. I did a lot of cut & pasting.

Packing is a drag. Figure out how you want to do the items and stock up on the supplies. The two worst parts are preparing for the packing and doing the packing one time. If you turn it into a business then you'll quickly automate the mailing labels and other aspects. Otherwise, you're right, this is the most labor-intensive part. The good news is that padded mailing envelopes and the USPS' flat-rate Priority Mail containers have come a long way. Wal-Mart's padded mailers are cheap and come in many sizes. The USPS envelopes/boxes are free for the taking and greatly simplify the process.

You no longer need to drag items to the post office. The website lets you fill out/print mailing labels (at a lower price than standing in line at the post office) and pay online. You can stuff the outgoing parcels in your mailbox or you can use the website to request that the mail carrier make a pickup-- for example on your front lanai. I have heard that some mail carriers in some parts of the country are much better at this than others.

I haven't actually had to stand in the post office and talk to one of their counter staff for several years. We both like it that way...

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam I've never looked at it that way, but yeah, that sounds fun. I told myself a gazillion thousand times to get on Ebay and sell most of the junks I've been collecting over the years. The thought of having to answer questions, packing and dragging those items to the post office simply overwhelms me. I rather do nothing instead ;-)

Yes but the thought of getting rid of the junk plus getting some money in return always motivates me .

[kcowan]

For sale: SIM card for Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) with 25 euros credit. Value $40. Best offer.

OOPS this is not a commercial site! OK please ignore.