Questions about selling off a collection

[hludwig]

Well the time has come to sell my grand collection of classic space sets and some castle.    Sets range from 1979-1992.   Close to all sets have the boxes and instructions and are complete.   Lightly played during that time and has been boxed up for 20+ years.  These sets meant the world to me and as any brick collector knows, very difficult to part with, especially my Blacktron sets  

 

I have been putting them on this sites estimator, and have been impressed with values these sets have established for themselves.  I am going through all the sets to verify that all their parts are there, so far all complete.   So far i have come across duplicate sets with out boxes, but with instructions.   I also have a denim carry bag full of colored bricks that i will more than likely throw in with the whole lot.   Maybe a handful of town stuff too.   Ill find out shortly....

 

I hope to have my complete list by Sunday.   

 

At this time I would appreciate any tips on how to unload this stuff en masse and where a good place to hunt for a good home for these items.    Never sold anything of this magnitude before so any info on how ya'll have done it would be great.   

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Hans

[Achilles]

I think a big question you need to ask yourself first is do you want to sell the stuff quick, or get the most value? Because for any collection, you won't get both. You'll either need to take the time to sell it, or be willing to sell it as a lot at less than "market value". So which is more important for you?

[Quacs]

Hans, you probably know that seling these things one at a time will net you a LOT more than if you sell them in one huge lot.  If you have the time, I would strongly urge you to list each of these individually.  You will likely get the BP price or better if sold one by one.  If you sell each individually, I would try Bricklink - the customers there tend to be savvier and more knowledgable about vintage sets, with much LOWER fees than eBay.   The downside is it will take awhile to list/sell these sets.

 

If you want to speed things up a little while still trying to hold the line on your sales prices, perhaps you could sell each subtheme or release together.  For example, list the Blacktron sets as one lot, etc.  Grouping them by releases or subthemes will appeal to other collectors of the theme who will probably be willing to pay more than a flipper.

 

If you want to try your hand with eBay selling and don't have an established track record, I would list those duplicate sets and any small sets first to get past the 10 positive review threshold.  I found most buyers considered me "legit" at that point, and wouldn't expect a discount when paying for my Lego merchandise.

 

Whatever you do, don't list the lot on Craigslist if you want a price anywhere near BP price.  If you want it gone quickly for a significant discount, you can try CL.

 

Just a few thoughts - if you decide to sell it as one lot on eBay, be prepared to take at least a 30% haircut on the BP values, if not more.

[srm_520]

Another important question - are you going to show pics and prices for your collection?  Always a fun thing to see.

[hludwig]

I dig the subtheme grouping idea.   Ill put them together as fast as possible to get some good photos and post them up here along with some prices too.   

 

Is that cool to do so on here?    

[Quacs]

I dig the subtheme grouping idea.   Ill put them together as fast as possible to get some good photos and post them up here along with some prices too.   

 

Is that cool to do so on here?    

 

Soon - Brick Classifieds is a selling module the site Admins have been working on for awhile and it appears they are getting close to completing it.  I assume it will be rolled out in the next month if you can wait this long.  Unfortunately, forum selling is not allowed at this time.

 

I would suggest PMing one of the site Admins (Jeff of Ed Mack) to discuss whether there are other selling options on the site if you NEED to get these sold quickly.  Otherwise, sit tight for Brick Classifieds.

[Huskers1236]

I would love to see some pictures of these, classic sets bring back a lot of childhood memories for a lot of us on here that had them as kids.   The sets you are describing are right in my wheelhouse with what I played with as a kid with lots of Classic Space, Blacktron, Futuron, etc.  

 

As for advice, definitely sell in as small amounts as possible.  I realize if you're wanting to move this fast, having hundreds of auctions isn't what you want to do, but it is the best way to get the most out of your collection.  Small lots of related themes like Quacs mentioned is a good idea too.  Reduces your auction amount and will probably still get you most of your anticipated dollar in return, especially if you're dealing with small items and don't want to keep selling $10 items that take up too much time.

[elliottback]

Definitely post here and let us know what you want to sell!  You might find some easy buyers.

[sadowsk1]

I would post it all on bricklink to start out and see if you can get what you are asking for.  Lots of people have alerts set if new copies of a set enters the market and the fees are low if you sell and free to list.  They also have a large old school following.

[hludwig]

Sure, I would be happy to post some links

 

Here are some, I have tons more:

 

Blacktron  Blacktron 2  Light & Sound ship    Space Police   old catalogs   older catalogs

[akohns]

Sure, I would be happy to post some links

 

Here are some, I have tons more:

 

Blacktron  Blacktron 2  Light & Sound ship    Space Police   old catalogs   older catalogs

Dude, that's a slick collection. The subtheme grouping is definitely the way to go. Some of those old catalogs will even sell for $10-15 a pop on ebay too. I would think there are probably a few people on here that might PM you with offers. Good luck!

[Darth_Raichu]

Sure, I would be happy to post some links

 

Here are some, I have tons more:

 

Blacktron  Blacktron 2  Light & Sound ship    Space Police   old catalogs   older catalogs

The older catalogs brought back so many memories.

 

I'd go with what Quacs said.  Definately post some more pictures here or on the Gallery.  It may generate some interest via PMs.  I would refrain from disclosing any pricing on the forum posts or in the gallery unless you get special permissions from Ed or Jeff. 

 

Good luck

[hludwig]

Thanks for the input guys.  I'll definitely share more here and in the gallery. 

 

Ill be registering on Brinklink later today, and PMs are welcome if it does stir up some interest.    

[binici]

Oh my! I grew up in the 80's and my first sets were almost as awesome as those! Brings back so many memories. I'm sure if you group them and sell them in lots and are patient, you can make some good cash value from these sets. Very nice!

[MartinP]

Sure, I would be happy to post some links

 

Here are some, I have tons more:

 

Blacktron  Blacktron 2  Light & Sound ship    Space Police   old catalogs   older catalogs

Wow. Everything is in great condition. You can get a better price if all the sets have a good condition.

[justafrog]

Amazing collection! I hope you do very well with it, it looks like it's been beautifully taken care of.

[hludwig]

Wow!    I cant wait to post more!   Ill get you guys really cookin' with peanut oil!  

 

Excited

[TheOrcKing]

Sure, I would be happy to post some links

 

Here are some, I have tons more:

 

Blacktron  Blacktron 2  Light & Sound ship    Space Police   old catalogs   older catalogs

I seriously cannot believe how amazingly immaculate your collection is! Man alive, those boxes look as though they just rolled off the assembly line yesterday! Seeing those Blacktron sets brought back some great memories for me. Many thanks, good sir.

[hludwig]

Thanks for the feedback!  

 

Yeah those are some of my favorite sets, thats why i built them first  .   I'm looking forward to putting the rest together now!  It has been a loooong time since these sets have seen the light of day.    

[vincevaughn]

Awesome collection man!

As someone who collects classic space I would definetly be happy to give some of those sets a good home . PM me if you are interested...not looking for a special deal...would offer the fair market price.

[Guest eightbrick]

I seriously cannot believe how amazingly immaculate your collection is! Man alive, those boxes look as though they just rolled off the assembly line yesterday! Seeing those Blacktron sets brought back some great memories for me. Many thanks, good sir.

Yeah, I was amazed at the quality of those boxes. I have boxes from last month that are in worse shape than that 

[hludwig]

Well as promised, here is a solid portion of the remainder of my stash.  I still have a few in bags and such, so Ill be buidling those to establish their condition.   Enjoy!   I took pictures of the boxes for the most part, i go tired and did not want to build them all.    They are in good shape with some of the older white pieces in a more serious yellowing condition than I remember.   Couple of big sets that are MIA is the Galaxy Explorer and Alpha 1 rocket base, among others...

 

Cosmic Fleet Voyager   Galaxy Commander  The big rocket transport guy  Set 1  Set 2  Set 3  Futuron  Space Shuttle  Castles  Castle 2  And my all time favorite!

 

Hope this makes your week a little brighter!  Sure did for me.

[Huskers1236]

Amazing how good of shape these are all still in.  When I got my old Lego back out they had discolored badly.  I had a lot of these sets, specifically the Cosmic Fleet Voyager, all the space stations, King's Castle, as well as some of the smaller classic space sets.  Good luck in selling this off, but i don't think you'll have much issue.  Personally I would check out recent sold items and set up Buy it now's accordingly.  With the shape everything is in, these will fly out the door, I would think. 

 

And yes, the Blacktron space station was awesome.  I loved how you could move out the right hand section to be on it's own.  That was cutting edge at the time. Ha

[matt1147]

I also have some classic space sets, but all different than yours oddly enough! I have the uranium crawler and alien walker among others..except for the blacktron message intercept base which I also have - that was my childhood favorite also.

Yours look much more pristine than mine - really nice job preserving those! I left mine out on shelves too much as a kid - accumulated lots of dust!

Last thought - it's amazing how much better designed all the sets are now! Those old 80s sets were clunky and ugly in retrospect. Good thing they're nostalgic! Lol

Thanks for sharing!

[hludwig]

I also have some classic space sets, but all different than yours oddly enough! I have the uranium crawler and alien walker among others..except for the blacktron message intercept base which I also have - that was my childhood favorite also.

Yours look much more pristine than mine - really nice job preserving those! I left mine out on shelves too much as a kid - accumulated lots of dust!

Last thought - it's amazing how much better designed all the sets are now! Those old 80s sets were clunky and ugly in retrospect. Good thing they're nostalgic! Lol

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks!  

I agree with the clunky feel.  BUT, it did give one the ability to grip the ship in a manner that felt secure during heavy play.  Didn't have to worry about breaking a special piece.  I was amazed though that they could pull off what they did with the pieces that were available.