Just a question to those that are collectors. A lot of people say something lists their item to be worth X amount of dollars. And some of those numbers are pretty big. So does that mean I can go somewhere and sell it for that much? Or most likely they are going to haggle the price down?
Please share your experiences in this matter. I would like to know how realistic listed prices are.
The value of collectibles can vary a lot.
When you talk about a "price guide" or sorts, it generally means what the item would sell for at a collectible store. For example, sports cards are indexed price guides like Beckett. The price of a card - say a Nolan Ryan rookie card - is determined by surveying sports collectible stores and finding what they charge for that card.
This is why in many price guides you'll see a "Low," "Average," and "High" price. There is no one "fixed" price - just a spectrum of prices that stores will charge.
This doesn't mean that your item is worth that amount in cash. You still need to find a buyer. Many of these cards sit on shelves for months before someone buys them.
One way to sell these collectibles is on EBay. You've got a very large, international market for your item. The price will generally be closer to the "low" price, since you have to sell it in a week. But you'll still find that there are pretty stable prices for any well-known collectible item.
For example, look for a baseball card that's valued at more than $20-30 and you'll see a stable price for it on EBay over the course of several months. You could list a Hank Aaron rookie card at a penny and trust that it would be bit up to $200+ in a week.
This, however, doesn't work for more obscure collectibles. If there isn't a large market for your item, there's no guarantee that it'll get bid up to market value. There may be only one collector that looks for your item in a given week, and he'll scoop it up with a low bid.
In this case, you should look for a store that sells your type of collectible. They may buy your collection - at a price lower than market value (since he needs to mark it up for resale), but nonetheless with cash up front. You may also be able to work out a consignment deal, where you get x% of the item's sale value once it sells.
Collectibles are strange things. Often times they are "worth" a lot, but they might not have any liquid value because you can't find someone willing to buy it.
Good luck,
- Walkere
The only thing I collect and that I think is worth collecting and I encourage others with an erg to collect is money. It’s fairly easy to come by, does not always keep it’s worth but over the short term is very satisfying to collect. It’s not difficult to exchange for needful things as the need arises either, all shops, vendors and people in general will gladly part with stuff at the sight of cash.
Oh, I would do anything to be able to collect money D:
I seem to use those that I have too easily >_< I need a separate bank account just to keep them out of sight so that they last for as long as they should!
How many people here can actually hold out on spending their money for so long?
I only seem to be able to stop spending when the money in my account is about a hundred or fifty bucks XD;;;;; *is a university student*
.