Set break re: selling whole set together?
 

I see PWCC has a huge set break tonight of Willard Chocolate cards.

Wonder how the economics work out of giving it to them to break out and sell as scores of individual cards (some valuable many not so much) or list with REH and have them sell the whole lot. Guess it could vary considerably. I would figure you'd do better as a seller to sell the whole lot whole as the buyer would likely be buying with an idea of breaking it up himself later. Anyone have experience as a seller?

almost always better to break up and sell piecemeal!

Thanks. Learn something new every day. Hopefully......

set building is almost always a money losing proposition...especially if you sell whole.

Wait, what?!?

As a seller you would do better selling whole to a buyer who will break it up, rather than breaking it up yourself?

You would likely do better breaking the set up to sell

question....
 

I have a related question to this topic. I seem to remember a major auction house that will list your complete set AND also auction EVERY card in your set individually (typically they are all graded). Depending on how all of the cards do cumulatively is the trigger point for them to either sell them all individually or sell it as a set depending on what total is higher in the bids.

This obviously maximizes the return for the seller and makes some buyers left out in the cold.

Does anyone know which auction house offers this service?

Thanks!

Mike

Yes, typically. I was paraphrasing what the OP had said.

I think a seller would have to be extremely lucky to find a collector willing to pay a premium for a complete set. Maybe if it was very rare, or #1 on the registry, and you found that one buyer out there in a private sale. But usually you'd want to break it up to maximize value.

There was an interesting example in the recent Memory Lane auction. They had a complete PSA 10 86 Fleer basketball set up, as a complete lot, and also broken up into individual cards and small lots. If the set sold for more as a whole it would be sold that way. Looks like it only came up $58 short (69,000 vs 69,058 + 20% BP). I didn't think it would be that close.

Edited to add: I must have typed this at the same time as Mike's comment. Looks like the answer to your question is Memory Lane, and perhaps others.

I remember several years ago the whole set of 1914 Crackers were sold this way. I forgot exactly when and which AH.
But it was back before the 1914s blew up in price for a minute.

I agree. I'm selling my 1965 Topps set, and I'm breaking it up. I estimate that selling it as a whole would reduce the price by 30%.

I also agree that set building is too costly. I'm hoping that I can make enough from the stars and rookies to cover the commons. I'll be happy just to break even. :(

About 3 years ago I gave a complete master 1956 Topps Baseball straight PSA 8 set to a major auction house and they set a reserve which was not met at $45,000 (SMR was $46,000+, the set stopped at $35,000). I broke it up card by card last year on ebay and netted, after fees, $42,000 and kept the Mantle, Aparicio and Aaron for myself. I think some sets like 68, 70, 73 Topps baseball etc. would be better to sell as a whole if they were complete PSA 8 sets. The population on some of the cards are so high in PSA 8 they will go nowhere and the set has its value without the nuisance and shipping costs of a card by card break. It can depend on the set.

That's pretty impressive. Did you list them on eBay yourself or consign?

A friend of mine had a 33 Goudey set that he put together card by card, all in PSA 6. When he sold it, the auction house sold it as a set. I don't know if that was his decision or theirs, but when the auction concluded he figured he lost around $30K on it. He would have done so much better if they would have broken it up and sold it individually.

Since we're on the subject....what's everybody's experience/thoughts on selling small sets like some of the "E" sets or others when the sets number around 20-30? I know this is different because in those sets you tend not to have commons per se.If an individual complted a very difficult set....1914 CJ,T204 Ramly...to name a few ,it would be a shame to break them up just because of the rarity and historical significance.
Thoughts?
Scott

1954 Topps set
 

Im 20 cards away from this set in VG and I am Going to sell it to try and get a 51 mantle bowman and I am having a hard time deciding which way I go? Sell all together or separate ??

I think that VG gets pretty tough to make money on the commons - usually they come with a $.50ish per card handling fee - along with a 20-25% charge. In addition, they charge 3-3.50 for postage. VG commons for 54's will probably not average $3 apiece - therefore, people are going to be asked to pay more for postage than for the actual card. In addition, $.75 plus $.30-$.50 will go for the consignment charge. As a result, a $3 VG card sale will net you $1.75ish - a $2.00 VG common will net $1.00 ($2.00 - $.50 commission - $.50 handlng). With only 250 cards and several commons (I believe I counted 200 commons in the set), you need to do very, very well on Aaron, Kaline, Banks, Williams, Williams, Robinson, Mays to come out ahead of selling it as a set - as you probably won't do better than $200-$300 on the 200 commons.

I listed them all myself. The entire set took about 8 months to sell, every card was a buy it now. I remember the Dale Mitchell brought in around $1,800 at the time, even more than the Clemente.

You mean giving to an auction house to break it up? The time suck to break it up yourself and ship to 100's of different sellers and hope to get paid for everyone, then ship to each buyer, has got to be a big time time/money suck. IMO, were not very far off from AH fees sucking the life out of selling individual cards in a set, especially the commons, unless they are over $20.

If you've got a buyer for the whole thing, I would take that. If you value your time at $0, than I would break it up.

PWCC has recently bundled PSA 9 commons from some set breaks, and I go after those regularly. They also bundled a bunch of '71 PSA 8's, and I won every one of those 6 groups. If these cards were sold individually, they wouldn't even make my watch list.

PWCC has recently bundled PSA 9 commons from some set breaks, and I go after those regularly. They also bundled a bunch of '71 PSA 8's, and I won every one of those 6 groups. If these cards were sold individually, they wouldn't even make my watch list.[/QUOTE]



Yeah I bid on all of those 1923 V100 Willard Chocolate SETBREAK cards that PWCC was selling last night (139?) minus Ruth (original poster mentioned them).........My cell phone was going crazy with update notices for about an hour ha ha........didn't win anything. Thought I would be able to sneak a lowball in...Nope. Wasn't fun. I wonder how the seller came out versus selling as a bundle?......Needless to say I'm not doing that again. Just going after one card at a time....... I'm still learning this posting thing so please ignore me trying to quote someone above.....didn't work

I was watching those Willards. That was a very fresh looking group. Some of the highest graded ones I have seen AND with huge borders (as opposed to the many tiny bordered cards in high grade holders).



Yeah I bid on all of those 1923 V100 Willard Chocolate SETBREAK cards that PWCC was selling last night (139?) minus Ruth (original poster mentioned them).........My cell phone was going crazy with update notices for about an hour ha ha........didn't win anything. Thought I would be able to sneak a lowball in...Nope. Wasn't fun. I wonder how the seller came out versus selling as a bundle?......Needless to say I'm not doing that again. Just going after one card at a time....... I'm still learning this posting thing so please ignore me trying to quote someone above.....didn't work[/QUOTE]

Breaking up or selling a set as a whole depends on a number of factors. The year and condition being the biggest..I flip low grade sets all the time, if I come across NM sets I almost always break them.

Why do you think people on the board are always asking to buy your "NM or better sets?" It's not because they are just collectors........

Mid grade 50s sets and forward, I would sell whole. It's not worth my time to maybe make a little more money but then have to package up and ship out all those cards. High end sets I think would be worth breaking up. There are many more buyers that can afford (and are looking for) a high grade single card than there are collectors who can afford (and are looking for) a high grade set.

I thought the tale of the Williards was revealing. First, although not a mainstream set, it carries some great qualities: issued at a time when there were few sets, beautiful sepia 'fotos, many of them unique, and really all the stars of the day sans the Babe. I took a run at many of them, was the underbidder on the Cobb and brought home the Duffy (wonder what is that huge tome he is reading?) and Evers (no wonder they call him the Crab). I wonder what considerations drove the consignor to choose PWCC for cards I doubt we will see for a long time rather than an auction house: no consignor's fee, huge, receptive Ebay audience, simple, easy distribution. All of the above?

i breaking up my 1954 topps psa 8-9 set for that reason

this makes no sense?

There are many more buyers that can afford (and are looking for) a high grade single card than there are collectors who can afford (and are looking for) a high grade set.


so breaking up a 54' high grade set makes no sense in light of that comment by another poster?

Wha ??
 

...now that makes no sense..

..