What is it like to sell full time?

[90feetaway]

Happy holidays to everyone first of all. I'm curious if anyone would be willing to share what it's like selling cards, memorabilia and related full time? For example, is it somewhat enjoyable due to the nature of the items or strictly business? Is moonlighting to something else common?

John

[Rich Klein]

I'm surprised no one has responded. Since everyone who is, or has been full-time has different experiences, I think this is an very interesting question.

[daves_resale_shop]

I sell memorabilia part time... All of my profits are used to secure items for my collection... I think that I'd lose some love for the hobby if I had to rely on memorabilia sales to support my family...

[Bicem]

^^this^^

[Snapolit1]

If I had any job where I had to deal with the public constantly I'd be an unhappy guy. Just can't do it. Been there, done that. Just don't have the patience any more.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

If I had any job where I had to deal with the public constantly I'd be an unhappy guy. Just can't do it. Been there, done that. Just don't have the patience any more.

Me neither ...

[Bocabirdman]

My wife could not tolerate the irregular income. I was a house painter early in our marriage and the feast or famine nature of the money didn't work for her. I get selling out of my system every once in a while with my $7 Auctions here on the BST. I don't make a pile of money, just enough to show the wife that I am not wasting my time. I generally do a three month run and then I am shot. Full time, where every deal counts as you have a monthly nut to pay would sap the fun out of the whole affair. Perhaps a money making diversion in retirement would work but a full time job with a mortgage and retirement etc. to worry about is ugly from where I stand.

I know we have full time dealers here on the 54 but really, I wonder how many. I can think of a double fistful, some bigger than others.........

[Republicaninmass]

If I didnt have a family, and was independently wealthy, I think it'd be great!

[Stampsfan]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

If I didnt have a family, and was independently wealthy, I think it'd be great!

So would golfing every day at a resort.

[Republicaninmass]

Worst "sport" ever!! Besides you could do that during the week and do shows on the weekends

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[drcy]

"Being a lodge leader is a great way to make a living, assuming your wife works."-- Red Green

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by drcy

"Being a lodge leader is a great way to make a living, assuming your wife works."-- Red Green

The greatest show ever made. Did you see my vest in the "Show your red and greens for Christmas" thread?

[rhettyeakley]

Originally Posted by daves_resale_shop

I sell memorabilia part time... All of my profits are used to secure items for my collection... I think that I'd lose some love for the hobby if I had to rely on memorabilia sales to support my family...

This has always been my philosophy regarding the hobby.

That being said, I have been selling long enough that it has kind of taken on a life of its own and I am almost to the point where I need to hire someone to help me manage everything.

My wife has always been pretty supportive of my hobby (probably because when we were dating I had her help me sell one higher end card, whatever that card went for was the money we had to spend on an engagement ring. Once she saw that they weren't stupid pieces of cardboard she gained a lot of respect for what we do and for the passion which we do it with.

Once I graduated from school and had steady income for the family we came to an "agreement" that I wouldn't use "family money" anymore and everything that I sold as far as cards go was essentially mine to buy stuff I wanted (my regular income was for the family).

So far it has worked out well, although I was asked very politely to come up with a down payment on our house with my "card money" which, of course, I did.

[Snapolit1]

One of the best feelings for me in the hobby is selling off something I bought, making a nice profit, and then rolling it into the purchase of something nicer. If I can keep that going for a few hundred years I'm set. I will be a billionaire.

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by Leon

Me neither ...

A lot of nice people everywhere. Unfortunately there are also too many aholes everywhere as well. Sorting them out is exhausting.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

I made the plunge this time last year. My wife had secured a contract job as a teacher finally so she would have been replacing my income almost exactly so all I had to do was replace what she had been making subbing which shouldn't have been very hard.

Of course the best laid plans, the school where my wife had gotten the job was a scary mess and I had already given my notice at my job by the time we figured out she couldn't stay.

So she's been long term subbing and I've been keeping my fingers crossed on health care (she's covered) while watching our credit score slowly drop and payments get made progressively later while it's been incredibly hard for me to pump money back into inventory since every dime I make is being used for bills.

It's fun!

[hangman62]

Yea...sounds like it..sign me up !

[thecatspajamas]

Originally Posted by Bocabirdman

My wife could not tolerate the irregular income. I was a house painter early in our marriage and the feast or famine nature of the money didn't work for her... Full time, where every deal counts as you have a monthly nut to pay would sap the fun out of the whole affair. Perhaps a money making diversion in retirement would work but a full time job with a mortgage and retirement etc. to worry about is ugly from where I stand.

Pretty much my experience in a nut shell. Had Ebay selling as something to fall back on during the recession when nobody was hiring civil engineers. Did it full time for about five years before going back to engineering, and now just do it "on the side" again.

It was great and awful all at the same time. Tough to work from home with the constant distractions, and stressful when the ups and downs of my sales didn't match the more-constant bills. Going back to work full time was a welcome financial relief, and has allowed me to enjoy selling as more of a hobby again with what little free time I have.

[Brian Van Horn]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

If I had any job where I had to deal with the public constantly I'd be an unhappy guy. Just can't do it. Been there, done that. Just don't have the patience any more.

Bingo! Meaning as it applies to dealing with the public, not dealing with fellow collectors/buyers.

[C-mack]

The comic business is grand! Been working for for the same guy for the past 7 years and I couldn't be happier you're either made for it or now but I'm sure the sports dealers who are successful enjoy their work like I enjoy mine

[mrmopar]

I sold on ebay for a shop in the late 90s for a while and it seemed I was always getting a few jerks/deadbeats/problem makers in every batch I sold. It was uncanny, as I never listed more than about 50-100 lots at a time. I don't think I ever listed a round of items and failed to have at least one problem transaction. I scattered in some of my own items around the same time and had about the same ratio of grief selling for myself. I am pretty laid back and easy to get along with, but I guess I just attracted deviants!

Aside from not really wanting to get rid of anything, the hassles of the packaging and mailing aspect and now the concern with chargebacks and claims by crooked buyers (I never accepted paypal, as this was all done before it became a requirement), I dread even the thought of trying to sell that way ever again. The reality is though that my kids have zero interest, so I need to get rid of it all someday and I am not getting any younger.

[Jantz]

John

I can tell you this much, its a lot of work and you have to be quite savvy. The closest I came to being a fulltime dealer was back in 1999. Shows were a good way to make income buying & selling cards, but Ebay was even better. Much harder back then though since cell phones were just that....phones.

Before I go any further, I should mention that I was a modern card dealer and I can't believe that I'm going to admit this, but I even sold Pokémon cards. Please forgive me! Give me a second to put that skeleton back in the closet.

It was a good time for selling modern cards since game-used cards had just started appearing, autographed cards in packs were taking off and rookie cards were a solid sale.

Buying & selling at shows was very enjoyable for me since I got to meet and make friends with many people. Some of those people are close friends to me now. Selling on Ebay was different as in, all business. Given the impersonal nature of the internet, no face to face, basically it was list it, sell it, mail it and on to the next sale. Only twice did an Ebay sale touch on a personal side and that was when I sold a card to Tom Pagnozzi's nephew & the second time when an older Japanese gentleman living in Japan reached out to me and bought a Roy White autograph card from me since he was a teammate of White's when they played together in Japan.

I ended up getting out of it a few years later. I had a fulltime job during those years, but was making more selling cards than working on the clock. Kinda funny looking back now because my boss would ask me if I wanted to work overtime on the weekends and I would tell him no thanks since I could make more money sitting at home selling on Ebay.

How the times have changed in just the last 20 years.

Jantz

P.S. Anyone want to buy any Pokémon cards? Lol

[MULLINS5]

I've been selling books full-time for a few years. I kept my day job in retail for a good two years before I felt comfortable leaving. A lot of the profits I make end up going back into inventory.

I am starting a new career this January (teaching) and have started scaling down the books. Pretty much everything valued under $50 went straight to donations. Now bookselling is a part-time job (hopefully).

Let me say this, because it took me by surprise, but when I left retail I thought I'd be spending more time with my son. I was so wrong about this. My son is only three and it absolutely breaks my heart when he comes into the office wanting to play, because he doesn't understand what I am doing, and probably feels like I am ignoring or don't want to play with him. I try to get him involved, so when I pack books I place an "X" on each package, he puts a FRAGILE sticker on them, and seems to really love helping.

[glynparson]

I have done it several different times. In fact it is currently my job, having sold my Employment service. If you want to be successful you can't really collect much because you want to keep all your best product, you should also have either a very deep inventory, a nice wad of cash, or both (ideally). You also sometimes need to cut better deals than you would like and sometimes buy swill just to flip and make a couple dollars. Honestly can be fun but can also take away a lot of the fun you get from it as a hobby. It certainly changes how "excited" you get from a purchase. As a collector rarity tends to excite you as a dealer it is value which are not always one in the same. One thing many have touched on is it can be feast or famine. Being able to spot what to get graded and what to sell off raw is an almost necessary skill in this day and age, if you want to sell cards for a living. So if you don't have knowledge, inventory, and cash and want to became a full time dealer you best have a lot of luck. One final thing sometimes you end up dealing with people as a buyer or seller that you'd tell to pound sand if you were doing it for fun but when it is your livelihood you have to put up with more tire kicking.

[90feetaway]

(thanks Rich for the friendly bump on the post too). It seems like a challenging, somewhat frustrating and marginally profitable business to most.

[vthobby]

Originally Posted by 90feetaway

(thanks Rich for the friendly bump on the post too). It seems like a challenging, somewhat frustrating and marginally profitable business to most.

John,

Just like most of the jobs we work in day after day after day.........

I had my own card store for 11 years in the 1990s. Would not have traded that experience for anything.

I'm close to starting back up and quitting my full time employment but will change with the times and be internet focused: eBay, comc, amazon, net54, blowout boards, card shows, etc......

There are still a lot of nice collections out there to be had but tying yourself to 1 location nowadays seems tough. Very tough as in trying to get out and buy collections if you are tied to that 1 spot all day every day!

Can't wait to "pull the trigger" so to speak on crossing back into that world full time!

If you know what you are doing, passionate about it, good at customer service, then you should be fine. I know I will.

Peace, Mike

[jiw98]

+1

Originally Posted by Stampsfan

So would golfing every day at a resort.

[conor912]

Originally Posted by glynparson

One final thing sometimes you end up dealing with people as a buyer or seller that you'd tell to pound sand if you were doing it for fun but when it is your livelihood you have to put up with more tire kicking.

Having the option to tell anyone, at any time, for any reason, to go pound sand, is crucial to my happiness.