Should I sell as a set or individually?

kidzfund · November 29, 2007 1:05PM

Big decision time. I have the #4 current finest 1969 Topps Super set - 40 PSA-10's and 26 PSA-9's. As the name of the set implies, it's time to pay for college (too bad you can't get a BS degree at a JC). I know Wondo spilt his up a year or two back, but he had the Perfect Set

. Times have changed. Here are my options as I see it:

1. Buy a lottery ticket
2. Consign to one of the auction houses as a set
3. Sell individual cards

Now if I sell the individual cards, do I send the biggies to an auction house and put the rest on Ebay or just list them all on Ebay like Wondo?

Input is appreciated

Even yours, CDNuts....

Thanks,
Joe

College Fund.

CDsNuts · November 29, 2007 1:08PM

I don't know what you should do. Glad I could help.

BobaFett72 · November 29, 2007 1:09PM

buy ME a lottery ticket.

and then take Lee's advice.

onlyanumber · November 29, 2007 1:13PM

What Lee said.

ukonsean27 · November 29, 2007 1:32PM

sell it as a set. It would make a wonderful christmas gift for someone .

kidzfund · November 29, 2007 2:54PM

I knew I could count on the board for solid advice....

WeekendHacker · November 29, 2007 2:57PM

<< <i>sell it as a set. It would make a wonderful christmas gift for someone . >>

I think you should offer him $73,941.86 for it and give it away to someone.

baseballjeff · November 29, 2007 3:37PM

I personally feel that you should sell them individually. You'll pay a lot with ebay, but I think that you'll make a greater profit selling them individually. I recently broke up my '59 set and I sold them individually. I don't regret the time spent scanning them, listing them individually for a moment! It was a nice good bye for me!

Good luck!
Jeff

cardbender · November 29, 2007 6:17PM

That's one fine set you have there. One of my favorite Baseball sets.
I honestly think you'll make more by selling them individually or try selling the stars and lower pop's that way and maybe group some of the 9's or common's into one grouping.

Usually I won't even think about building a new graded set unless I can buy a nice starter lot to get me started. Not that I'm going to start this set, but just offering my opinion.

Good luck whatever you decide to do. If you end up listing them on ebay, please post a link to your auctions. I'll definitely throw down some bids on a few of the stars. I love the Marichal and Gibson cards. Great eye appeal. It's too bad there's so many hat less players in this set. That's the sets only real weakness.

glossycrazy · November 29, 2007 6:30PM

My advice is to sell them individually! You will definitely maximize your profits and I would go two routes. First, list the cards on these boards and contact the other collectors of this set and let them know what you are asking for individual cards. I'm sure a few guys are looking to upgrade or fill some holes in their own sets . Secondly, I would list them on ebay with a reserve so you don't lose money on any one card. The set isn't overly large so you won't have to scan too many cards. A big ? mark for you will be when to sell them? It is the Christmas season and money might be tight for some collectors because of other bills but others might be willing to spend some money on themselves.. Something to think about! Just my 2 cents!
Paul

jmbkb4 · November 29, 2007 8:48PM

With VERY few exceptions, selling cards individually will be more profitable in the end than selling as a set.

If you have the time and the patience, sell individually.

gameusedhoop · November 29, 2007 9:25PM

There is no harm in putting it up as a set once, with a starting bid that would make you very happy if it sells. It would be relatively cheap to list, and you would get alot of "feelers" and tire kickers. If it doesn't sell, you already have people interested in it, and breaking it up after would maximize your $$. I would do ebay, auction houses take too much money from you and the final bidder. Ebay's fees are pretty cheap in comparison. Good luck with it.

jmbkb4 · November 29, 2007 9:32PM

<< <i>There is no harm in putting it up as a set once, with a starting bid that would make you very happy if it sells. It would be relatively cheap to list, and you would get alot of "feelers" and tire kickers. If it doesn't sell, you already have people interested in it, and breaking it up after would maximize your $$. I would do ebay, auction houses take too much money from you and the final bidder. Ebay's fees are pretty cheap in comparison. Good luck with it. >>

I can't help but feel that this would be a waste of time, and $$$.

Just my $.02

WinPitcher · November 29, 2007 10:32PM

Actually gameused makes a great point. A guy sold a 1965 Topps baseball set just that way. It did not sell during the time it was on Ebay but it was the time on ebay that allowed it to be seen by the person that bought it. If I remm correctly the seller got his price too.

So, I would do exactly what he advises and if it doesn't sell, then i would sell piecemeal.

Steve

jmbkb4 · November 29, 2007 10:34PM

<< <i>Actually gameused makes a great point. A guy sold a 1965 Topps baseball set just that way. It did not sell during the time it was on Ebay but it was the time on ebay that allowed it to be seen by the person that bought it. If I remm correctly the seller got his price too.

So, I would do exactly what he advises and if it doesn't sell, then i would sell piecemeal.

Steve >>

you're quoting one isolated example. Wait and see -- betcha these cards sell individually on eBay in the end.

I'm just trying to save the seller time and $$$.

MCMLVTopps · November 29, 2007 10:38PM

I have the 14th or 15th best 55T set, and have often wondered the same question you are asking. Sell individual or as a whole.

I think the problem with selling as a whole is that the really tough commons that pull a nice price, are gonna get lost in the shuffle. The return on these cards could be minimal when the dust settles. I also think that once you commit to an auction house, you have in essence given up your set, you have no control over how it is presented by the auction house and have zip to say in terms of the write-up. Keep in mind the vig is about 20% premium, which of course people figure into their bid. Assuming you have a list of what each card cost you, figure out what you need to get per card and let that be your guide, NOT the SMR!! The SMR is merely a guide, not the final gospel on the value of your card collection.

Don't let SMR get in your way in terms of deciding values for your cards. SMR IMO is a myth in many of my 55T cards, and not even remotely close in terms of card value. According to the Dec SMR with Babe Ruth on the cover, a PSA 8 Art Fowler, #3 in the 55T set has a "value" of $80 in that grade. Lemme tell ya, I've been collecting PSA graded 55T cards for s LONG time, you aren't gonna live long enough to ever find a PSA8 (NQ) Art Fowler at that price, more like about $1.2k. Don't fall into that "I'll give you 80% of SMR" baloney!!

So, if I were you, I'd get to scanning or picture taking, create a file with all your scans/pics ready to go. Don't know how many cards in your set, but if you think you can manage 5-10 listings per week, I think that's the way I'd go. I'd ponder how to offer the card, BIN, make offer, high entry bid to protect yourself, etc. I'd be wary of taking checks, believe it or not, that can turn into a nightmare. Ask your bank. Although checks do save on the Final Value eBay fee, from what I hear, checks can burn you long after the deal is done...do your homework on this one.

If you decide to sell individual, I think I'd sell the cards I thought I were gonna get hammered and get it over with. I've got a few cards I waaaay overpaid, I'd just as soon get the "loosers" out of the way, then enjoy selling the winners and enjoy having the cash roll in.

FWIW, I just bought a card via a BIN for $400. A similar card, same player, same grade, just sold last night in an auction house for just under $1.1k. So, the auction house may be a consideration for your tough star cards, or those you know will pull some serious attention and generate a tidy profit for you.

GL,
Al

ArnyVee · November 29, 2007 10:40PM

I've sold full sets before and it's just easier to handle. It takes longer to make the sale, but worth it overall.

Although, if you're looking to sell quickly and generate some revenue for yourself, then I would sell the cards individually at first (sell them by series so that you don't completely overwhelm yourself at once) and then if you have any that went unsold after the first pass, sell those as a 'lot' and they usually go quickly that way.

Good luck with the sale(s)!

EchoCanyon · November 30, 2007 12:41AM

Set a price you could live with for the set and post on these boards and ebay.

If you don't get what you want, sell individually.

WinPitcher · November 30, 2007 12:49AM

Jm I think you have missed my point. My advice was to try to sell it whole on ebay. By doing that you get to advertise it. I betcha too it winds up selling on the bay piecemeal too. Exactly how much time and money does a seller lose by doing it that way first?

1 week? 5.00? weigh that against the exposure.

Now as for 1 isolated example comment, yes it was 1 isolated example that happened to work for the seller as he sold a 15k set offline after it had been on ebay for a week and the buyer saw it there.

So it must have worked no?

Steve

gameusedhoop · November 30, 2007 3:33AM

Selling the full set on ebay has worked for me also. I sold my 70 & 71 Topps hockey sets for a total of $11,000. One sold for the buy it now, and the other sold above the minimum bid. The "BIN" price was what I really wanted plus 25%, the one that sold for a couple bids over the minimum would have made me very happy at the minimum. You never know who is out there, and you won't find them if you don't look. For $20-$30 for a high value listing and the exposure, ebay can't be beat. Not trying it would be foolish in my opinion.

CDsNuts · November 30, 2007 3:50AM

OK, I'll actually chip in with some real advice here. I usually give this piece of advice when people ask how to sell their sets: Sell any card individually that commands a premium in its condition ( low pop PSA 10's in this case), and replace those with lower grade cards to re-complete the set and list the entire set.

For example, I see that Tommy Helms PSA 10 is a pop 5. I know nothing about what these cards bring, but say this card would sell for $500 if you sold it individually. This $500 would almost certainly get lost for the most part if you sold the set as a whole, but if you sold the Helms 10 for $500 and replaced it with a PSA 9 and then sold the set, you would probably get very close to the same price for the set you would've gotten if the Helms 10 was in it. This may take a little time, but it is almost certainly the best way to maximize your profits.

kidzfund · November 30, 2007 9:05AM

That's actually a pretty good idea CD.

Thanks all for the suggestions.

Joe

Should I sell as a set or individually?

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