Looking for Advice on Selling my Cards

rong99

I have a bunch of old baseball cards, mostly Bowman and Topps from 1951-1970. Many of my cards are top players, Mantle, Mays, Aaron, Jackie Robinson, Clemente, Koufax, Ted Williams, down the line, but the conditions are likely all PSA 1s and 2s. Assuming I get them graded and they are all PSA 1s, what is the best way to sell them? I can sell by consignment. I can sell by myself on ebay. Or I can go to large card shows nearby and try to sell to dealers. Which method would get me the most money in the end? Any advice is appreciated. Also, if I wanted to trade many cards for one more valuable card, what kind of value will I have to give up in return. For instance, I assume I would have to trade five cards worth $800 to get one card worth $600, or maybe I'm wrong about that.

JoeBanzai

Some cards are desirable in low grade, especially 1950's HOF players.
Post some pictures and you will get some good suggestions.

swish54

If you are trying to maximize value, getting them graded and then piecing them out one by one would be the way to go. As far as trading, just depends on the other person you are trading with. I think it would be hard to find someone willing to take on multiple cards for just one card but I could be wrong.

rong99

Thanks for the advice so far. How about consignment? I was looking into 4 Sharp Corners. Looks like the % would be less than selling on ebay. Does using a consignment company usually result in better/worse sales prices? Again, thanks for advice.

MountainsOfSlabs

My expertise is mostly in 1955 Topps baseball, which I follow very closely. As JoeBonzai noted, 1950s HOFer cards can do quite well in low grade, especially if they have something good about them, e.g., color or centering. As far as 4 Sharp Corners, I consigned about 15 high-grade (PSA 7-8) 1955s with them last summer, including two HOFers (Mathews and Irvin) and the total selling price was exactly the same as the total of the recent PSA average auction prices for the cards. I generally won't deliberately pay a premium to buy from a major dealer, but some people do, and it seems to me that the major dealers are more likely to generate bidding wars that are favorable to the seller especially on more desirable cards. Being able to just send the cards to them and let them do all of the work was a no-brainer for me on top of their fees generally being lower than ebay+Paypal if selling things yourself.

1948_Swell_Robinson

Selling yourself should net you the most money assuming you have enough feedback for a good reputation.

Consigning is a good option too as those outfits have pretty good rates and they do the work for you.

Selling to a dealer is going to net you the least amount of money but it is also the least amount of work you have to put in and you get your money the fastest. Know the recent sold values of your cards before striking any deals and then work down from there. The dealer needs to make his end for the work he will do selling your cards.

Trading is hard to find partners that match interests on both ends. I find it easier Just sell them and use the money to buy what you want.

I wouldn't automatically grade all the low grade stars. Depends on their value. Grade all the higher value ones of course, and of the lower value cards grade the ones that have a shot higher than a "1". Of course, it is simple math. Know the sale price of a "1", the cost to grade it, and compare the sale price to a non graded "1". Factor in shipping costs both ways for grading as well as the time it takes to grade them. Do you want to make an extra $11 after all the math is done but have to wait six months to get it back? Personal choice there.

jfkheat

One thing to think about is if you sell them yourself on eBay you will have to pay taxes on what they sell for

dontippet

@jfkheat said:
One thing to think about is if you sell them yourself on eBay you will have to pay taxes on what they sell for

No matter how you sell them, if you make a profit you are supposed
to pay taxes.

jfkheat

@dontippet said:

@jfkheat said:
One thing to think about is if you sell them yourself on eBay you will have to pay taxes on what they sell for

No matter how you sell them, if you make a profit you are supposed
to pay taxes.

I agree but most people don't

daltex

@jfkheat said:
One thing to think about is if you sell them yourself on eBay you will have to pay taxes on what they sell for

Do the major consigners not send 1099s, and, if not, how do they get away with it?

daltex

@MountainsOfSlabs said:
My expertise is mostly in 1955 Topps baseball, which I follow very closely. As JoeBonzai noted, 1950s HOFer cards can do quite well in low grade, especially if they have something good about them, e.g., color or centering. As far as 4 Sharp Corners, I consigned about 15 high-grade (PSA 7-8) 1955s with them last summer, including two HOFers (Mathews and Irvin) and the total selling price was exactly the same as the total of the recent PSA average auction prices for the cards. I generally won't deliberately pay a premium to buy from a major dealer, but some people do, and it seems to me that the major dealers are more likely to generate bidding wars that are favorable to the seller especially on more desirable cards. Being able to just send the cards to them and let them do all of the work was a no-brainer for me on top of their fees generally being lower than ebay+Paypal if selling things yourself.

As you suggest, the reason to consign isn't to realize higher prices but rather to sell the cards more quickly and with less risk and hassle.

If you're selling ten $500 cards and that's it, it's absolutely devastating having to eat the cost if one goes really sour. If you're a consigner selling ten $500 cards for 1000 people per year, the occasional card going belly up is a cost of doing business.