When to sell privately, when to use auction house?

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Belfast1933

Thx Drew... am wondering about that as well.

I don't know, I think there can be other views that are valid also.

Let's take a T206 red Cobby or a Goudey Ruth batting (144)....

They are both staples of our vintage hobby. There are thousands and thousands sold every year. AH's have 10, or more, of each on the T206s and can have 5+ Goudey Ruths. But every single one is different and will get a different price, regardless of grade, even if the same. Of course, there are parameters and comps, but a comp isn't going to be the exact card (unless it is ). For my collection, I really want higher end examples, for the grade, of cards that are easily found. On super rare type cards, I take what I can get!

Both of these would fetch good premiums to most others in their respective grades. We talk about it all the time. And as is always said, the best looking examples get the best prices. VCP is a great service but if you don't drill down to the card, then it's less meaningful. And yes, I understand averages too, but still..

I guess what I am trying to say, is you can never have too many gallons of milk on the shelf, or T206 Cobbys or Goudey Ruth 144s. (before anyone asks, there are some spider wrinkles near Cobbs head)
.

[Peter_Spaeth]

I would not consign commodity type cards. I don't see any advantage (well, convenience I suppose) to selling it yourself or giving to a major ebay seller who will charge you less.

[x2drich2000]

To me it really is a matter of what is important to you. From a basic stand point you can look at time, convenience, risk, and fees. I feel like these should be obvious, but maybe not.

Time - How quickly do you need the money and get the item sold. You can get the money quickest selling yourself or to a dealer. An AH, without an advancement, will take longer as the card needs to be sent to them, prepped, wait for the auction, and then have the funds send to you.

Convenience - How much effort do you wan to put out? AH takes on all the headaches. Sell on your own you have to deal with customers, shipping, scanning, collecting payments, negotiating, unhappy buyers, etc.

Risk - Do you want to dictate a price or let someone else? Going with an AH there is a chance the card goes higher, but also chance the card goes lower than expected. Are you willing to sell your $3k card for $2k at auction, or would you rather have kept it if you knew you were only getting $2k? Selling yourself you don't have to go through with the deal if the offers aren't to your liking or you can price the cards in a manner where you only sell if you get a premium. Risk might not be as much of an issue with common cards in common grades, but still we have all found bargains in auctions.

Fees - Sell yourself your fees are usually going to be lower. Facebook is free. BST here is free. Maybe you have paypal fees or Ebay fees. AH needs to pay their employees whether that is through a Buyers Premium, Sellers Premium, or a straight commission you're not getting the full amount of the total sale.

[Belfast1933]

Awesome feedback… I think I will first try to sell privately for the many reasons listed above. If we don’t get the prices we want, we can always turn to an AH down the road.

FYI, here are the two will be posting for sale soon

[parkplace33]

Originally Posted by Belfast1933

Awesome feedback… I think I will first try to sell privately for the many reasons listed above. If we don’t get the prices we want, we can always turn to an AH down the road.

FYI, here are the two will be posting for sale soon

Beautiful cards!

[Belfast1933]

Originally Posted by parkplace33

Beautiful cards!

I know, thx! Selling for a friend… wish I could buy them myself.

[Johnny630]

Beautiful Cards !!