Found a few un-opened mid 1980s sets

[supervillain]

My mom passed away on Monday and my dad showed me these in her closet. He was going to give them to the grand kids to open up but I suggested we price check them first. It looks like they are fairly valuable and I think we could sell them and buy some new sets to give the kids (I know the 8 year old would love the new mindstorm set that is coming out). Here is what I found: 7715 Push-Along Passenger Steam Train 1985 7817 Crane Wagon 1985 6972 Polaris I Space Lab 1987 6921 Monorail Accessory Track 1988 Should I bother putting these on Craigslist first or should I go straight to creating an ebay account so I get maximum exposure (and hopefully bids)?

[Furbs]

I would put them on both, try for some buy it now listings at a price slightly higher thn you would like, you could go for the 30 day listing and wait to see if anyone bites, looking at the brick picker values for these sets, there are not many around which means you haven't got to worry about being undercut by other auctions. And because they don't appear often, people will pay for them when they get the chance, especially if they are in good condition, not many 1980's set BNIB any more. I've never used Craigslist before but if its just a classified ads website, then their is no harm trying your luck there at the same time.

[stephen_rockefeller]

My mom passed away on Monday and my dad showed me these in her closet. He was going to give them to the grand kids to open up but I suggested we price check them first. It looks like they are fairly valuable and I think we could sell them and buy some new sets to give the kids (I know the 8 year old would love the new mindstorm set that is coming out). Here is what I found:

7715 Push-Along Passenger Steam Train 1985

7817 Crane Wagon 1985

6972 Polaris I Space Lab 1987

6921 Monorail Accessory Track 1988

Should I bother putting these on Craigslist first or should I go straight to creating an ebay account so I get maximum exposure (and hopefully bids)?

sorry to hear of the passing of your mother, I wish you well moving forward. To answer your question, (not wanting to be discouraging) but the sad fact of eBay is that if you don't have any feedback that could hurt your chances of getting maximum $$$. I am not saying you are a scammer but that is what it may look like on the surface to potential bidders. If you do decide to use eBay make sure you take quality pictures, be very honest in the description and if you feel comfortable maybe even explain your situation in the description. Once again I don't want to steer you away from using eBay as it is a valuable tool we all here use. Let us know if you need any help or have any questions.

[Veegs]

My condolences. This I think will be a key issue for new investors/people who find sets to sell - building up an ebay business/reputation takes time and effort! That being said, everyone on ebay starts at some point with no sales or feedback. You can take up to twelve pictures to post - I'd provide a lot of the actual sets, front, back, a separate shot for each corner and close-ups on any other key info. Stock photos will cause people to think you are a scammer coupled with your lack of feedback. I would also advise not to merely write a sentence or two. You don't need to go into a ton of detail about how you acquired the sets, but I'd say something. I'd also encourage people to check your other auctions that align with your story (finding old sets all at once). I've tried to be honest, use my own photos, reply to questions as promptly as possible and maintain contact with buyers to make sure their purchases have arrived. This has worked well in my experience, and I've got solid ebay feedback, so I'd assume this method could work for you. Good luck!

[supervillain]

Thanks for the selling tips Furbs, Veegs, and stephen_rockefeller. I am not in any rush to get rid of these right away so I think I am going to take the slow approach and put them on Los Angeles Craigslist for really high prices and see if anyone bites. The new mindstorm set doesn't come out until next fall. If I have to resort to eBay I think I have a neighbor who might let me sell them under his account that he has sold a few things with over the last 5 years.

[shawn_low]

Sorry to hear about your loss. Some thoughts: Craigslist: watch out for scammers. Best to sell locally face to face instead of accepting Paypal or such as someone could scam you by paying you with a stolen credit card or claiming they didn't receive goods if you mail it you. eBay: as someone else said, have clear photos. Best to show some proof of ownership (ie: take a photo of the item with a piece of paper with your user name written on it). Getting your neighbour to help would be great too.

[justgod]

Sorry for your loss. It is great to see that you still want the kids to have LEGO sets to enjoy. I don't know how old they are, but I am fairly sure they would prefer some of the newer, cooler sets versus these older ones. I noticed that there is not a lot of historical data for these sets as New, so you may want to look at Bricklink.com to get an idea of the value before placing them up for auction. My one word of advice that I give to all new sellers on Feebay: make sure to package them really well. Many new sellers underestimate just how hard the monkeys are on packages.