Selling off my dodger programs!

[EYECOLLECTVINTAGE]

I hate to do this, but it's getting to the point where I need to focus on one thing and consolidate. This is by no means a sale thread. I need advice guys.

I obviously want to get the most money as possible for these as I have spent time and money. I want retail 100% if possible. I have over 230 scored Dodgers programs between 47-56 home and away and another 50 from the same period that are not scored.

What do you guys recommend as far as selling these?

Some great programs in here like Jackie's first hit, Hodges first Home Run etc.

Do I go the AH route? That 20% fee is suicide. I definitely am not going to sell these to a dealer as I have too much invested in them. While I expect to possibly take a hit on what I have spent, I refuse to take "that kind of" hit.

Ebay? That seems like a slow death lol

I just want to explore all my options so if anyone has had experience selling off a large concentrated collection like this before please post your thoughts and recommendations.

I look forward to and thank you in advance for all the help.

[Dave Grob]

Really depends on how long you can wait to get paid out. I would recommend building a spreadsheet listing by:

-Year
-Team (Dodgers at Cardinals or Cardinals at Dodgers)
-Date
-Scored or Unscored
-Comments (condition, event, etc)
-Price

Once complete, make a post in the for sale section and let people contact you for a listing. Monitor sales and when you get to the point where they are not selling, consider looking at packaging or groups.

Be realistic about your asking prices since you probably paid a premium for many since you attached a high priority to a project that may not resonate in all cases for all collectors and all programs.

Dave Grob

[icollectDCsports]

Yep -- your time frame will be an important factor. Mayl be hard to get what you want out of them if you dump them on the market in a short period of time.

Also, did you purchase these quickly and through auctions? If so, you're zealousness to get them may well have temporarily driven the prices up for scored Dodgers programs of that era. Nothing wrong with that, but it may mean you were willing to pay more than others and that others will still not be willing to pay what you did for them.

But maybe you were able to purchase some at bargain prices if you bought in bulk. A lot of variables here.

Overall -- what you "have into" your items will not set the market. Demand will.

[hcv123]

Originally Posted by icollectDCsports

Overall -- what you "have into" your items will not set the market. Demand will.

+1

[slidekellyslide]

Since you purchased these recently you will likely not come close to 100% of what you have in to them because you've taken yourself out of the equation. If money is not a problem for you then I still think you should put these things away in a closet or under the bed so you aren't thinking about them and then re-visit the collection a year from now. I honestly wish I had done that with some of the items I got rid of in haste over the years.

[bbcard1]

If you don't think the 20% commission from an AH is tough (and it is), you really end up close to 15% with eBay plus you have all the listing and packing and risk.

[EYECOLLECTVINTAGE]

Originally Posted by slidekellyslide

Since you purchased these recently you will likely not come close to 100% of what you have in to them because you've taken yourself out of the equation. If money is not a problem for you then I still think you should put these things away in a closet or under the bed so you aren't thinking about them and then re-visit the collection a year from now. I honestly wish I had done that with some of the items I got rid of in haste over the years.

I really gave it a lot of thought. my love is for the stubs.

Originally Posted by bbcard1

If you don't think the 20% commission from an AH is tough (and it is), you really end up close to 15% with eBay plus you have all the listing and packing and risk.

That's true, but a lot more eyeballs on eBay

[Econteachert205]

I hope this advice helps. You said you were narrowing your focus in collecting and I've noticed you've been selling/trading a lot on the bst. If I were you I would finalize your collecting focus in stone, asap and stick to it. Really think about it. You are impulsive and like a lot of stuff. That is your problem. Once you decide what that focus is, sell all the cheap stuff, and keep the best, research the price history and slowly sell them, using this money to fund new purchases but not introducing new money as I can tell you already have plenty of skin in the game

This is the advise I would give to myself if I were in your shoes.

[perezfan]

I would use ebay with a "Buy It Now" price + Best Offer Option. That way you can scrutinize the price of each one. And prospective bidders will see all of the others you're offering... which could very well lead to selling multiples to many of the buyers.

Just don't price them too aggressively or be greedy... unless you want them to stagnate and sit there forever (like 90% of the stale merchandise on ebay).

Getting your desired price here on the BST would be near-impossible.

Going through an Auction House would be painful, as they will want to group them in lots together. And these things never sell for even close to full value that way.

So that pretty much leaves ebay.

[EYECOLLECTVINTAGE]

Originally Posted by Econteachert205

I hope this advice helps. You said you were narrowing your focus in collecting and I've noticed you've been selling/trading a lot on the bst. If I were you I would finalize your collecting focus in stone, asap and stick to it. Really think about it. You are impulsive and like a lot of stuff. That is your problem. Once you decide what that focus is, sell all the cheap stuff, and keep the best, research the price history and slowly sell them, using this money to fund new purchases but not introducing new money as I can tell you already have plenty of skin in the game

This is the advise I would give to myself if I were in your shoes.

Originally Posted by perezfan

I would use ebay with a "Buy It Now" price + Best Offer Option. That way you can scrutinize the price of each one. And prospective bidders will see all of the others you're offering... which could very well lead to selling multiples to many of the buyers.

Just don't price them too aggressively or be greedy... unless you want them to stagnate and sit there forever (like 90% of the stale merchandise on ebay).

Getting your desired price here on the BST would be near-impossible.

Going through an Auction House would be painful, as they will want to group them in lots together. And these things never sell for even close to full value that way.

So that pretty much leaves ebay.

Thanks guys!

[JLange]

Collecting focus is great but I am personally not blessed with as much as I should have. If you enjoyed the pursuit and ownership while it lasted then don't beat yourself up for not being able to extract top dollar on the way out. My guess is these will do well overtime but maybe not as a bulk offload so close to your own purchase dates. Find enjoyment in selling them and enjoy the moment of clarity you have now that you know can part with them. If you are like me, it may not last!

I also like the idea of putting them aside for awhile if you can. I've found more than once I may be looking for items to purchase for a new project only to "find" some of them in my own "tagged for deaccession" bin