5 ms·

> He discovered that selling is different to buying, but that's another thread You got me curious...

brudgers 2y ago
[I’m not the person who said it.] Sellers don’t control when a sale will happen in the ways buyers do. Once you decide to buy you can — assuming the item is already for sale. That already for sale part is the difference. Sales have lead times. Even at fire sale prices the decision to sell precedes someone buying. It takes time for the right person to find your item. Pricing and advertising and marketing can help. But they don’t force the timing of a sale.
bruce511 2y ago
When collecting there's a selling price and a buying price. The difference can be -substantial-. For example, stamps have a catalog. Literally a giant book, with all the stamps and variations, and the current value. (Ahem, buying value). Think if it as a giant "vendor neutral" price guide. [1] Now obviously when you come to sell you mostly sell to a dealer. So you expect him to take some margin. He has to make a living. But the margin they expect will make your eyes water. (50% to 90% is common). Do test $100 stamp you have is say $10. But eBay- sell direct. Sure you get more. But still a lot less than book value (partly because scams etc makes eBay risky for good stuff.) And it's it's lot of extra work. Useful for one or two pieces, less useful for 50. (And, of course, scams happen in both directions.) That's if you know what you have. Selling someone else's collection on eBay when you don't know what you have is equally tricky. In short, collections are expensive to acquire and hard to get rid of. The value in collecting is the joy of acquiring and having. Collections are (with rare exceptions) not a financial investment. [1] my insight into stamp collecting died 20 years ago, so I'm guessing this catalog is online now.
- Kaijo 2y ago
  I'm a lifelong collector of a variety of (very) niche things, and have at times sold or tried to sell items from my collections, or whole collections at once. You're right about everything, I would only add that each category of thing is its own world in terms of liquidity and how certain you can be of obtaining a guide price. It also pays off to learn about the collector cultures and communities surrounding each type of thing, so you know what obscure periodical or special interest show, etc. to target when you are trying to sell. Never be in a rush, and the other thing that can make a difference is developing good product photography/videography skills.
  - bombcar 2y ago
    Sometimes the best thing you can do with a collection is bequeath it to someone in the hobby who's much younger.
    - bruce511 2y ago
      Weeel.. maybe. The joy in collecting is the collecting. Getting it all at once kinda robs the fun.. But bequething them one or two significant pieces can get them started, and perhaps carries more meaning...
- brudgers 2y ago
  Patient buyers are another characteristic of long tail markets on eBay. The pool of stamp collectors etc. is small relative to say guitar players; there’s not an endless September; and buying from dealers is the “socially acceptable” way of starting. So potential buyers on eBay tend to be experienced bargain shoppers when it comes to ordinary collectability. They will happily wait for the bragging rights price or at least the no way to lose money price. Collecting is a hobby. Picking is a business.

[I’m not the person who said it.] Sellers don’t control when a sale will happen in the ways buyers do. Once you decide to buy you can — assuming the item is already for sale. That already for sale part is the difference. Sales have lead times. Even at fire sale prices the decision to sell precedes someone buying. It takes time for the right person to find your item. Pricing and advertising and marketing can help. But they don’t force the timing of a sale.

bruce511 2y ago

When collecting there's a selling price and a buying price. The difference can be -substantial-. For example, stamps have a catalog. Literally a giant book, with all the stamps and variations, and the current value. (Ahem, buying value). Think if it as a giant "vendor neutral" price guide. [1] Now obviously when you come to sell you mostly sell to a dealer. So you expect him to take some margin. He has to make a living. But the margin they expect will make your eyes water. (50% to 90% is common). Do test $100 stamp you have is say $10. But eBay- sell direct. Sure you get more. But still a lot less than book value (partly because scams etc makes eBay risky for good stuff.) And it's it's lot of extra work. Useful for one or two pieces, less useful for 50. (And, of course, scams happen in both directions.) That's if you know what you have. Selling someone else's collection on eBay when you don't know what you have is equally tricky. In short, collections are expensive to acquire and hard to get rid of. The value in collecting is the joy of acquiring and having. Collections are (with rare exceptions) not a financial investment. [1] my insight into stamp collecting died 20 years ago, so I'm guessing this catalog is online now.

Kaijo 2y ago
I'm a lifelong collector of a variety of (very) niche things, and have at times sold or tried to sell items from my collections, or whole collections at once. You're right about everything, I would only add that each category of thing is its own world in terms of liquidity and how certain you can be of obtaining a guide price. It also pays off to learn about the collector cultures and communities surrounding each type of thing, so you know what obscure periodical or special interest show, etc. to target when you are trying to sell. Never be in a rush, and the other thing that can make a difference is developing good product photography/videography skills.
- bombcar 2y ago
  Sometimes the best thing you can do with a collection is bequeath it to someone in the hobby who's much younger.
  - bruce511 2y ago
    Weeel.. maybe. The joy in collecting is the collecting. Getting it all at once kinda robs the fun.. But bequething them one or two significant pieces can get them started, and perhaps carries more meaning...
brudgers 2y ago
Patient buyers are another characteristic of long tail markets on eBay. The pool of stamp collectors etc. is small relative to say guitar players; there’s not an endless September; and buying from dealers is the “socially acceptable” way of starting. So potential buyers on eBay tend to be experienced bargain shoppers when it comes to ordinary collectability. They will happily wait for the bragging rights price or at least the no way to lose money price. Collecting is a hobby. Picking is a business.