Need to Sell? Please, Prep Your Sets First

[Republicaninmass]

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[marzoumanian]

I appreciate it. No, I'm not trying to sell anything, I assure you. I don't need money. I am not trying to buy anything, so help me God. I am just trying to help my fellow hobbyists organize their sets if they find themselves in tough times. Put another way, don't panic, prepare. It really is that simple and straightforward. No hidden agendas. I want to give back to the hobby in my own small way. Stay safe and healthy!

[Harliduck]

I agree that you need to prep your sets...if I unexpectedly died my wife would have zero clue what to do with my cards. That said, I was expecting some different advice to be honest. Here is some things I have learned buying and selling post war sets...

* Don't grade your stars if they will end up 5s or 6s. I routinely pop 4s, 5s, and 6s and they will actually sell for more on Ebay raw in a set break. I mostly believe this is the case because a well presented 4 will give a buyer hope the card is more than that. It's not misleading, its just the truth. Paying to grade mid grade cards just doesn't pay out. (also, no way your getting them back in 6 months right now!)

*You never mention Ebay, just auction houses. I do not have any frame of reference for Pre-War...but I routinely look at the results of most auction houses and mid grade almost always sells for less than Ebay. Mostly because they tend to bulk up lots, not a lot of individual. High end, yeah, use an auction house. But it looks like you were targeting the mid grade collector (like myself) and I would never use an auction house.

*The biggest issue I have with your advice, is the fact you are setting up folks to sell a set in whole. I don't care if you use an auction house or Ebay, you will not maximize a set by selling as a whole. Selling cards individually is the best way by far to maximize your money. Questions about how your stars look is not a factor this way. I thought you would be telling folks to scan both front and back of each card and keep that on file. Easy set break for the wife if something happens. One eye opener for me a few years back was a 1957 Topps set I had put together. Most of the commons were 7s and 8s (even a couple 9s) as I bought them off the guy who opened them in packs. I put up scans here on Net54 to sell the whole set (showed about 200 cards) as we were going through an adoption and I wanted to fund through cards. I asked $2200 or BO..I got several low ball offers around the $1200 range. I instead did a set break on Ebay and the set sold for more than $5500, and that was keeping the Koufax and Robinson back. I know of the grades because 3 people bought the bulk and all three gave me updates as they were interested in the provinence of the cards. Anyway...regardless of that...a set break takes some work, but that is by FAR the best way to maximize sales. Let the cards speak for themselves and the commons all add up. Selling by the set sells the stars at a reduced rate, and gives away the commons. Not smart.


My advice would be simple...scan your collection, front and back...and leave an instruction sheet of how to list in your binder/box. Or...the best advice he actually gave in my opinion, is to hopefully leave them to someone who knows what they are and appreciated. I am fortunate to have plenty of relatives who are worthy...namely my son.

All just my opinions, and I have more I could have rambled on...lol. Just didn't agree with his assessment.

[Snapolit1]

You gotta do what you gotta do, but highly emotional reactions to any situation are typically not the right move. Remain calm and think. Often times not doing anything is the better move.

[Ronnie73]

There really is no such thing as a perfect set of selling rules that work for everyone. Everyone is usually in different circumstances from the beginning and will take different selling paths depending on many factors such as the inventory type and time frame you have to sell the collection by. Obviously the more time you have, the more money you will likely make. I can visualize something like a family tree or better yet a "pick a path" that you follow while answering basic questions to determine the best set of rules for your particular situation.

[marzoumanian]

That's why we have Net54. It's all about helping those forum members who might be experiencing tough times right now. The more options, the merrier! Take care.