the trouble with cards that don't often come to market

[abothebear]

I may have to sell or trade some of my collection in the near future. My collection is by no means extensive or particularly valuable. But of the few cards I have, some are somewhat rare. And by rare I mean that I can find almost no recent sales on ebay of them, or of anything resembling them. And as someone who does not buy or sell very often, and never in auctions outside of ebay, I do not know my way around the "adult table." There have been several times lately when I've made a move to sell or trade and been paralyzed about what to do in terms of value. I don't want to overvalue, yet I can't afford to undervalue. I also don't sell on ebay, so I am afraid to put something there and not have bidders because of having no sales history to inspire confidence in bidders.

One example is the !936 Goudey Type 3 (borderless) Premiums. There are almost no sales listed on ebay for any of these cards. The PSA population is extremely low. I happen to have a few that are in surprisingly good condition. They are not graded, but would likely grade at or above the top in the pop. Two are HOFers and the other is nearly so. I imagine there aren't too many collectors out there clamoring for this set, but I would like to find them. And if I had to sell one of the HOFers in particular, I am sure there would be player collectors interested in it.

Another one (low-value category) is a low-condition MP&co 3-card strip with 2 HOFERs on it. MP&Cos were inexpensive, but are on the rise. I have seen several multi-card strips before, so I know they are not particularly rare, but there is no ebay sales history to draw from.

And there are others.

So my questions are these...

What do y'all do to establish a good market value for these kinds of cards when trying to price them fairly for both buyer and seller?

If I sell or trade them here, how do people generally consider sales listings with listed price "or best offer"? Have sellers had success with that method? Do buyers make offers?

Lastly, I have a Churman's Ruth, but it is ungraded. I hate to get it graded, though I don't mind the look of the SGC slabs. I suppose if I had to sell that one, graded would be necessary? or not? I guess an add-on to this question would be should I get the Goudey Type 3s graded if I am selling or trading? And is there a line where grading doesn't matter for sales, or it is better to not grade (I have a Harrington's ice cream card in lower-condition, for example)?

Thank you for your help!

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