Fully graded sets

notowellint

I'm curious...suppose you had a complete set with all cards PSA graded. If you were to sell it, would you expect it to sell for more or less than selling each card individually? I know that instinctively we'd all say you'd make more if you sold the cards individually but do you think buyers would be willing to pay more simply because the set is complete and there's a convenience of not having to hunt all the cards down? (Also, assume there are no ebay fees involved in this because obviously they'd be drasitically higher selling all the cards separately).

Axtell

Going to depend on the set I am sure...there are some where the individual cards would sell for more, but others where the set sells for more.

I would say smaller sets would sell for more broken up, larger ones more as a set.

WinPitcher

I would think the opposite AX

a smaller set could be sold intact for more, a larger set needs to be busted. jmo

small set less then 100 cards

large set 500 plus?

Axtell

<< <i>I would think the opposite AX

a smaller set could be sold intact for more, a larger set needs to be busted. jmo

small set less then 100 cards

large set 500 plus? >>



haha you are right...I wrote that too fast.

Sorry.

iamthegreatcornholio

It really depends on the set. I would think that all sets would go for more together, but the larger the set, the more time it'd take to find a buyer. Especially since many people build larger sets over many years, they may not have all the cash at once, but to someone with cash, you would have saved them hundreds of hours.

Brian

duner

I think it would depend upon the year...which also happens to correllate with set size. It seems like anybody who's selling a set where commons can be had for less than the grading fee is going to have a hard time profiting. at the same time, it's going to be hard to get someone to bite on 600+ commons that cost 6k to grade but can be had on ebay for half that...the purchaser's going to expect some sort of bulk discount. on the other hand, the full sets that come up in the mastro/leland's/etc. auctions from the 50's all seem to bring hefty prices. My uncle's currently negotiating consigning his 53 topps set w/ a couple auction houses and they're foaming at the mouth for it. Hopefully he gets back more than the 30K+ he sunk into building it.

goudeygold

Pre-war sets tend to be smaller and auction results lately support the idea that if the set is in fairly high grade, people will pay a premium for the set being complete. with larger sets/newer sets (600 plus) you have less people willing to pay a premium for the whole shebang because many people don't care about the 90% common rate.

so in the end, it greatly depends on the set.

GG

detroitfan2

I've had this same question as well. Typically with cards, the more you buy (whether it's a set or a lot), the less you pay (per card). However, I have definitely not found this to be the case with graded cards, at least the ones that I collect (mid-grade 1950's). I see many lots go for more than it would cost to buy the cards individually (if you're patient). I think that people factor in the time they save in purchasing a number of cards as opposed to buying them one at a time.

Of course, a completely graded PSA set is a different story. Many of us know how difficult it is to put together an entire set of graded cards, and I don't think that effort is necessarily always reflected in the price realized when a fully graded set is offered for sale. I know there are others on these boards who have sold entirely graded sets / near sets. It would be interesting to see their thoughts on this topic (i.e. was it profitable).

One final personal thought. . . I've never really understood why people buy complete sets (other than as an investment). To me, putting the set together is 90% of the enjoyment. Call me crazy, but if I had the chance to buy a completely graded set that I wanted and I knew it was going to cost the exact same amount to build the set over the course of a few years, I'd probably go the "hard route".

CDsNuts

I think small highly collectible sets command a premium but everything else should probably be broken up. E.g.- PSA 10 86/87 Fleer basketball have gone for over $50k and I think they can be put together much cheaper. By contrast a PSA 10 1993 Finest baseball set should be broken because low pop semi stars like Alan Trammell and Joe Carter are going to go way higher than their perceived value because player collectors tend to get into bidding wars over that kind of stuff. It won't sell as high collectively because there really aren't all that many people that want this set.

Lee

Stone193

<< <i>To me, putting the set together is 90% of the enjoyment >>


Detroit
I agree! The hunt for the cards at a good price.

On the sets - all and all, I was always under the impression that when selling a set - the whole is not greater than the sum of the parts. Selling a set is like working a "chop shop" - the total parts of a new Escalade are worth more than the price of the car.

mike

notowellint

I agree that the collecting of the set is the most fun part, especially when you have multiple cards of the same grade and you get to be picky and choose the slabbed card you think is best.

lostdart58

Graded or not graded.......selling a complete set will never make you money if you bought it piecemeal.