Need to Sell? Please, Prep Your Sets First

[marzoumanian]

The U.S. unemployment number for April, 14.7 percent, was shocking. And the number coming out on Friday for May unemployment is sure to shock again.
Some of you reading this might have recently become permanently or temporarily unemployed. You have family responsibilities. You're looking at your card collection, accumulated over many years, and saying to yourself, "I need money to provide for my loved ones. I have no choice but to sell. Now." Don't do anything rash. You must have a plan and prep your sets, especially if they're vintage.
I've put on my website today the first of a two-part blog on the importance of preparing your sets for auction so you can (potentially) get more dollars for them. It takes some time to do this, but it's worth it. Is it common sense advice? Perhaps to some. But I hope it's useful.
Why am I doing this (just in case there's a cynic out there)? I'm a retired editor who's in good shape financially. The hobby I love has given me a lot of joy. It's time to give back. If I can prevent just one of you from selling in a panic, I'm a happy camper. It's that simple.
You'll find my June blog, "Need to Sell? Please Prep Your Sets First--Part I," in the "My Love of the Hobby" section of my website. Go to www.markearzoumanian.com. Part II will run starting on July 1.

[lowpopper]

Nice editorial, Mark. A patient approach will ultimately yield more than a hasty decision.

However, if anybody does opt to sell NOW, pm me.

I am always buying. ~ Strong prices paid ~

[Ronnie73]

Originally Posted by marzoumanian

The U.S. unemployment number for April, 14.7 percent, was shocking. And the number coming out on Friday for May unemployment is sure to shock again.
Some of you reading this might have recently become permanently or temporarily unemployed. You have family responsibilities. You're looking at your card collection, accumulated over many years, and saying to yourself, "I need money to provide for my loved ones. I have no choice but to sell. Now." Don't do anything rash. You must have a plan and prep your sets, especially if they're vintage.
I've put on my website today the first of a two-part blog on the importance of preparing your sets for auction so you can (potentially) get more dollars for them. It takes some time to do this, but it's worth it. Is it common sense advice? Perhaps to some. But I hope it's useful.
Why am I doing this (just in case there's a cynic out there)? I'm a retired editor who's in good shape financially. The hobby I love has given me a lot of joy. It's time to give back. If I can prevent just one of you from selling in a panic, I'm a happy camper. It's that simple.
You'll find my June blog, "Need to Sell? Please Prep Your Sets First--Part I," in the "My Love of the Hobby" section of my website. Go to www.markearzoumanian.com. Part II will run starting on July 1.

So I went to your website and I'm almost never the critic but it's difficult to tell if your going to sell something or if it's going to be a long monthly click-bait type of story and by the time you get to the end, you haven't really learned anything. I'm not trying to pick on you but it just felt like one of those click bait stories on Facebook. Hopefully I'm wrong and it helps others but so far I don't really see any helpful info. Sorry.

[Republicaninmass]

I have an article coming up

"Unpaids ads, do they work?"

Stay tuned or join my email list

[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.

[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.

[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.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Advice is great, but I would like to point out that a good auction house will do the prep work for you. The idea for the auction is the same as it is for the seller. Makes as much as possible.

[marzoumanian]

Thanks for making it. And often the auction house can get better card grading rates than a nobody like me! Take care.

[Jcfowler6]

I appreciate the thoughts behind helping someone in need. Keep then coming.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Flintboy]

Every situation is unique. No way would I break a mid grade set. Selling as a whole would be more profitable and less of a headache. A high grade set would need to be broken to maximize profit. That being said, I’ve found myself in positions to where I’ve had to sell high grade sets to get cash flowing to purchase more sets.

Example I had where I bought a large collection that included a Baseball set run from 53-71. Some really nice raw cards that would grade well if submitted. I didn't have the time to submit and needed to move the 53-55 and use that cash to pay for the rest of the collection. Long story short, the individual returned the 53-55 sets to me and I ended up selling them through an auction house where I doubled what I was going to sell them for privately. Bottom line is that every situation is unique to that individual.

[obcbobd]

Planning for the sale of your collection is definitely someone should do, especially if your heirs have no knowledge of BB Cards. I would think an inventory of your cards along with an approximate worth along with some notes of how best to sell - perhaps a list of dealers or auction houses along with contact info. I suppose this is especially important for collectors who have family that have no idea what their collection is worth. Those family members could be easily taken advantage of.

When I was married my wife knew a few dealers as well as some local collector friends that could help with this. Now that I am divorced I have realized I should document this in greater detail. I have started it, but it is a pretty big task.

Thanks for starting the discussion and I look forward to your future blog posts.

thanks

Bob

[marzoumanian]

Like I said in my intro that led off this thread, if I can help ONE person think about their collection's future in these tough times I am a happy camper. Mission accomplished. Anyone else is purely icing on the cake. Peace and stay safe.

[Ronnie73]

Originally Posted by obcbobd

Planning for the sale of your collection is definitely something someone should do, especially if your heirs have no knowledge of BB Cards. I would think an inventory of your cards along with an approximate worth along with some notes of how best to sell - perhaps a list of dealers or auction houses along with contact info. I suppose this is especially important for collectors who have family that have no idea what their collection is worth. Those family members could be easily taken advantage of.

Bob

This is basically my situation. A few years ago I handed my mom a list of people to contact, if something happened to me. Occasionally I give her an updated list because some collectors are no longer buying or building their collections or if I get a new card and I know there's interest in it, I'll list an individuals name next to it.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by obcbobd

perhaps a list of dealers or auction houses along with contact info. I suppose this is especially important for collectors who have family that have no idea what their collection is worth. Those family members could be easily taken advantage of.

This is the truth. Recently I was given a referral to a lady whose brother had left her his collection. She had to get it out of his house quickly because she was selling his house as well. So I gave her a contract with what highlights I could see at a quick glance. I could have robbed her blind. The biggest example would've been her 1955 Topps set, which I had actually spotted and listed on the contract. The set was only VG but the Clemente was sharp. I called her and let her know it made more sense to buy a lower grade Clemente for the set and get hers graded. Spent $750 doing just that. Set sold for the right amount and then we got a 7 on the Clemente rookie. She made thousands of extra dollars. She NEVER WOULD HAVE KNOWN if I had done everything the same and just kept the 7 for myself. Of course, I would've known and apparently that makes me different from some other auctioneers/companies. If you don't know someone in the auction business you trust, make sure you leave your family the contact info of a friend in the hobby to protect them. You HAVE to have someone you trust in those situations.