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Why Your “Collectibles” Are Worthless

20 points by mikecane 16y ago

nhangen 16y ago
Yes, it's mostly true, but reeks of pure bitterness. Not everyone is broke, and some people like spending money. I suppose it depends on what you are collecting.
almost 16y ago
What is this about? I'm sure there are plenty of things that are collectible and that people pay money for. There are also probably plenty of people who own stuff they think is worth way more than it is. And what's with all the points? Surely the only one you need is "these things aren't selling for a high price right now". That is either true or false, you can find out if it's true or false for your specific items and once you've done that who cares about the other stuff? So why is this article here? Is there a context that gives it meaning for some people here that I'm not getting? Maybe it's because I don't own anything I believe to be worth lots of money for being collectible...
wmf 16y ago
A more serious take: The Trough of No Value. http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2009/02/the-trough-of-no-value.html http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photogra... and Doctorow's commentary: http://boingboing.net/2009/02/10/trough-of-no-value-t.html http://boingboing.net/2009/02/10/trough-of-no-value-t.html "If all ephemera were preserved [well], [their value] would never rebound, because it would never become scarce."
ams6110 16y ago
If you can go onto Ebay and find more than one or two of the item you are selling it's probably not a "collectible" or at any rate it's not something you are going to get a lot of money for.
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
ssdsa 16y ago
When trying to sell some "Collectibles" on eBay, you can gain a lot by carefully crafting a detailed item description, with more than one photo of superb quality. Also emphasize what makes this item collectible or rare, and sprinkle in some sentences saying how desireable the item is. Finally, wait until autumn or winter, because most "Collectors" don't buy very much during the summer. That way, you may get a lot higher bids for your collectible than some other random seller who sells his items with bad or stock photos and descriptions with virtually no details. Some time ago, I sold some old, rare computer games on eBay this way. There are several boxes of games in my attic at this time that I "collected" some years ago, and I hope to sell them for a descent price some time in the future (when I find the time to take photos and craft good item descriptions).

20 points by mikecane 16y ago

Yes, it's mostly true, but reeks of pure bitterness. Not everyone is broke, and some people like spending money. I suppose it depends on what you are collecting.

almost 16y ago

What is this about? I'm sure there are plenty of things that are collectible and that people pay money for. There are also probably plenty of people who own stuff they think is worth way more than it is. And what's with all the points? Surely the only one you need is "these things aren't selling for a high price right now". That is either true or false, you can find out if it's true or false for your specific items and once you've done that who cares about the other stuff? So why is this article here? Is there a context that gives it meaning for some people here that I'm not getting? Maybe it's because I don't own anything I believe to be worth lots of money for being collectible...

wmf 16y ago

A more serious take: The Trough of No Value. http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2009/02/the-trough-of-no-value.html http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photogra... and Doctorow's commentary: http://boingboing.net/2009/02/10/trough-of-no-value-t.html http://boingboing.net/2009/02/10/trough-of-no-value-t.html "If all ephemera were preserved [well], [their value] would never rebound, because it would never become scarce."

ams6110 16y ago

If you can go onto Ebay and find more than one or two of the item you are selling it's probably not a "collectible" or at any rate it's not something you are going to get a lot of money for.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

ssdsa 16y ago

When trying to sell some "Collectibles" on eBay, you can gain a lot by carefully crafting a detailed item description, with more than one photo of superb quality. Also emphasize what makes this item collectible or rare, and sprinkle in some sentences saying how desireable the item is. Finally, wait until autumn or winter, because most "Collectors" don't buy very much during the summer. That way, you may get a lot higher bids for your collectible than some other random seller who sells his items with bad or stock photos and descriptions with virtually no details. Some time ago, I sold some old, rare computer games on eBay this way. There are several boxes of games in my attic at this time that I "collected" some years ago, and I hope to sell them for a descent price some time in the future (when I find the time to take photos and craft good item descriptions).