Help with where to sell inherited items

[rob D2]

Hi all,

I have a large amount of stuff to move . Thus includes the model train stuff which is easy but also :

Unmade airfix kits

Matchbox toys

Airline memorabilia

Many railway books.

 

If anyone knows of anywhere I would be best placed to sell these please let me know.

 

The railway books are mainly OPC and suchlike steam subjects . I could sell them individually but would rather get rid of them in job lots to avoid the hassle.

 

If anybody has any experience please let me know.

[Blacque Jacque]

Purely from an exposure point of view, carefully listed Ebay auctions will show your items off to the largest audience.

 

Unmade Airfix kits, particularly vintage ones, make good money on Ebay.

 

There are always the dreaded fees of course, but I think you'll be hard pushed to get more publicity without expending a great deal more time & effort.

 

 

 

Edit: to correct my apalling use of the English language.

[hayfield]

Whilst a few on here will say keep away from Ebay. But as said in the previous reply you will get the best exposure on Ebay. Providing you list the items in the correct category with a good photo and description then you will get top dollar. Charges are a red herring and you would pay at any auction. I would much rather pay away 15% of a high price, than accept the pittance a trader will offer.

 

Some books fetch very high prices, most not very much.

 

At first selling on Ebay may seem a bit daunting, but after a few times it not only becomes very easy but is quite good fun seeing your items fetch good money. If it was not easy to sell on Ebay then then there would be far less sellers.

 

I think there are some sellers on Ebay who sell items on behalf of others

[The Stationmaster]

You can go to a reputable specialist auction house - charges including VAt are c.20%ish for one I know off which in fact has specialist sales or sections of sales for everything you have mentioned (including airline memorabilia cropping up every now and then). The advantage of an auction house is you consign the stuff to them and they do the work, the disadvantage is possibly the charges and you are relying on their sales drawing a decent crowd plus enough online buyers to push the prices up.

 

The only problem you face overall is in shifting the railway books and in my experience - unless you have some rare titles in very good condition - the best and most economical method is to list them on Amazon, it's the first place many folk go when looking for books and you can set your price.

[rob D2]

Thank you , good advice. I've been on eBay for some time but notice that some types if stuff ( like model trains) do well , some categories ( diecast planes) don't at all.

 

I may try amazon for the books, but it will be painful with 100 ish, I mag get quotes from all the big transport book shops

[Jim Martin]

I would be very wary of auction houses. We turned a lot of stuff (not, admittedly, model railway stuff or even hobby stuff generally) from my late father-in-law's over to a well-regarded local auctioneer who had been recommended to us by a couple of people. Over a period of time, all of it was sold; but several things were entered into more than one sale before they finally went - and each time an item went into a sale catalogue there was another fee to be paid. In the end we actually received a pittance for items that sold for an aggregate of over £500.

 

I dare say that we should have paid more attention to all the auctioneer's terms and conditions; but the even if we had, we wouldn't have had the experience to know that many items would end up costing so much to include in various sales that we would realise virtually nothing on them. We decided then that when we next find ourselves in that position, we'll sell the stuff ourselves on e-bay. It isn't perfect, but at least you can see the fees as they accrue.

 

Jim

[The Stationmaster]

Good warning their Jim - check out the auction house's terms very carefully and avoid those which charge lotting fees or unsold lot fees (also watch out for photographic fees and other add-ons). The people I deal with charge a flat fee, plus VAT and that's it - no lotting fees or anything like that.

 

And as it seems my earlier post has vanished I will repeat - take care with book dealers - they normally offer well below expected retail price whereas on Amazon you can charge a market price or aim just below it for a quick sale and it's a lot simpler (in our experience) than Ebay used to be apart from overseas sales.

[hayfield]

Thank you , good advice. I've been on eBay for some time but notice that some types if stuff ( like model trains) do well , some categories ( diecast planes) don't at all.

 

I may try amazon for the books, but it will be painful with 100 ish, I mag get quotes from all the big transport book shops

 

Rob

 

Just do a few every week, remember you have to pack them up and post them, however it is very satisfying seeing them sell and using the proceeds for your own benefit

 

Good luck

[Horsetan]

Hopefully the inheritance won't take the rest of your working life to liquidate.

 

I offered to do this with my late friend's massive collection, and the task has been quite soul-destroying because of the sheer volume of stuff he had amassed during his short life. No wonder nobody else offered to do it!

[Jol Wilkinson]

 

And as it seems my earlier post has vanished I will repeat - take care with book dealers - they normally offer well below expected retail price whereas on Amazon you can charge a market price or aim just below it for a quick sale and it's a lot simpler (in our experience) than Ebay used to be apart from overseas sales.

 

Is it surprising that they offer a "trade" price? They have to make a profit or go out of business. That has probably got harder with ebay traders and the like running a business selling at market prices but without the usual overheads.

 

The options seem straightforward. Sell to a trader for a lower price but without the hassle or sell them direct yourself with, as Horesetan has pointed out, all the work. If it is for your own benefit that's okay, but when it is disposing on an estate for someone else's advantage it can become a real burden, sometimes with little thanks.

 

Jol

[The Stationmaster]

Is it surprising that they offer a "trade" price? They have to make a profit or go out of business. That has probably got harder with ebay traders and the like running a business selling at market prices but without the usual overheads.

 

The options seem straightforward. Sell to a trader for a lower price but without the hassle or sell them direct yourself with, as Horesetan has pointed out, all the work. If it is for your own benefit that's okay, but when it is disposing on an estate for someone else's advantage it can become a real burden, sometimes with little thanks.

 

Jol

 

No surprise about the trade price for buying in - the surprise might well come on hearing how much lower it is than their retail prices.

 

I saw a complete bound set of GW magazines go at auction for just over £200 (I would have had them if I'd got the shelf space) and the subsequent retail price on them from the dealer who bought them was over £20 each, a mark up of over 300%. Nothing wrong in that - he'll take time to sell then and they're occupying his shelfspace until they go and he is nowhere near the profiteering level seen at some dealers in s/hand railway books, he also appears to work on a margin of at least c.50% on books which he knows will sell quickly at high prices (i.e. £300 plus) judging by where he dropped out on some stuff timetables I bought at another auction. On lower price and/or more common stuff he and others will look for a much higher margin in order to cover their costs.

[hayfield]

Is it surprising that they offer a "trade" price? They have to make a profit or go out of business. That has probably got harder with ebay traders and the like running a business selling at market prices but without the usual overheads.

 

Jol

 

Jol

 

I know of at least 4 traders on Ebay all of whom I buy from and by the volume they are selling are making a good living (one of whom has large adverts in the Railway Modeller), I guess and hope they pay their taxes etc and there is nothing wrong in selling on Ebay. They too have overheads, perhapps not as much as those traders with shops but every bit as much as those traders who sell at shows. I think one seller tries using his retail outlet first then uses Ebay. And dont forget that traders get a better deal than the public on Ebay fees.

 

As for the mark ups traders make, its very easy to pick examples of very low buying costs and a high price obtained, I guess on most items they get a fair return, and even make losses on some. At the end of the day they have to make a profit to continue and no one forces a buyer to pay high prices. In fact Ebay has in many cases obtained the best selling prices for both traders and public alike.

[Jol Wilkinson]

Jol

 

I know of at least 4 traders on Ebay all of whom I buy from and by the volume they are selling are making a good living (one of whom has large adverts in the Railway Modeller), I guess and hope they pay their taxes etc and there is nothing wrong in selling on Ebay. They too have overheads, perhapps not as much as those traders with shops but every bit as much as those traders who sell at shows. I think one seller tries using his retail outlet first then uses Ebay. And dont forget that traders get a better deal than the public on Ebay fees.

 

As for the mark ups traders make, its very easy to pick examples of very low buying costs and a high price obtained, I guess on most items they get a fair return, and even make losses on some. At the end of the day they have to make a profit to continue and no one forces a buyer to pay high prices. In fact Ebay has in many cases obtained the best selling prices for both traders and public alike.

 

John,

 

at the same time they probably don't have to pay a commercial rent for premises, business rates, etc. That puts them at an advantage against book sellers that have a "shop".

 

eBay obtains the best price for buyer and seller alike, where the seller is "open" and the buyer is informed. I track the eBay sales for products of a certain supplier and their precedents. Average price achieved is 93% of prevailing list price. A saving certainly, but with little comeback for missing or damaged parts, etc.

 

Jol

[MJI]

Ebaying - some advice.

 

Firstly prepare your self, pack and weigh something, see how much it costs to post.

 

Add 50p to postage cost to cover packing and your costs. Also offer international postage, not as bad as you think.

 

If you sell something for £10 you will get about £8 after paypal and Ebay have had their cut.

 

Everyone expects paypal, it is OK, just remember they take a cut as well.

 

List all similar items at once, use turbolister, say an Airfix smaller kit, list 20 or so, will clump together in the listings, go to the Post Office a few times a week with a big load, save on costs.

 

If it goes for £1 you have likely made a loss.

 

Clear pictures are essential.

 

Do not be tempted to add false information, for model railway I black list sellers who say like Bachmann when it is a Lima model, or when looking for an exact model get loads of junk wrongly described. It gets reported, listings do get pulled.

 

Old jiffy bags are your friend, collect them ready.

 

As is bubble wrap.

[hayfield]

John,

 

at the same time they probably don't have to pay a commercial rent for premises, business rates, etc. That puts them at an advantage against book sellers that have a "shop".

 

eBay obtains the best price for buyer and seller alike, where the seller is "open" and the buyer is informed. I track the eBay sales for products of a certain supplier and their precedents. Average price achieved is 93% of prevailing list price. A saving certainly, but with little comeback for missing or damaged parts, etc.

 

Jol

 

Jol

 

Very true about the overheads of those traders who have commercial premises, sadly these places have been in decline for some years (even before Ebay), I have not had a decent local shop since the demise of the Harrow Model shop.

 

I have found that the comeback on Ebay is very good, OK is something is marked spares or repair then buyer beware. Otherwise Ebay buyer protection is very good. However buying from table top sellers at shows and swapmeets to me is the most risky purchace with little or no comeback.

 

With prices (coming back to the thread), when an item is well described and has a good photo, top prices are achieved in most cases. I guess like you I look for badly put together listings, as a buyer there are many bargins to be had (my recent K's wagons for instance). Good for the buyer as the items were sold well below the market rate. Which I guess goes to prove if you take care with your listings top prices are achieved, if not perhapps sell in bulk to a trader

[Jol Wilkinson]

Do not be tempted to add false information, for model railway I black list sellers who say like Bachmann when it is a Lima model, or when looking for an exact model get loads of junk wrongly described. It gets reported, listings do get pulled.

 

 

 

Jol

 

Very true about the overheads of those traders who have commercial premises, sadly these places have been in decline for some years (even before Ebay), I have not had a decent local shop since the demise of the Harrow Model shop.

 

I have found that the comeback on Ebay is very good, OK is something is marked spares or repair then buyer beware. Otherwise Ebay buyer protection is very good. However buying from table top sellers at shows and swapmeets to me is the most risky purchace with little or no comeback.

 

With prices (coming back to the thread), when an item is well described and has a good photo, top prices are achieved in most cases. I guess like you I look for badly put together listings, as a buyer there are many bargins to be had (my recent K's wagons for instance). Good for the buyer as the items were sold well below the market rate. Which I guess goes to prove if you take care with your listings top prices are achieved, if not perhapps sell in bulk to a trader

 

Martin, John

 

I generally agree with what have said. However, it does appear that eBay is increasingly becoming a traders market place - an online car boot sale - where the seller doesn't know what he is actually selling. Inaccurate descriptions are increasing, probably more through ignorance than deceipt but it's easy to get caught out. It happened to me once with an expensive piece of boating hardware. Although it was sorted out in the end it was a costly and depressing experience.

 

In my experience ebay sellers are usually helpful, where the buyer goes back to them. However, I know one retired kit manufacturer who told me that he had increasing complaints from "customers" complaining of missing or damaged parts. It too often turned out that they had bought second hand, usually through ebay and presumably felt it was easier to resolve their problem through the original manufacturer than through the seller.

 

I have searches in place for LNWR kits, books, photos, etc. and have learned that, while items are usually accurately described, sometimes poetic license is displayed. "No longer available", "rare", etc. used to describe books, kits, etc. that are still in print or production but possibly from a new producer. Ignorance on behalf of the seller perhaps, but combined with the same lack of knowledge by the buyer, often results in over the top prices. A quick online search will often turn up the availabilty and price of the item.

 

Jol

[Horsetan]

Slightly OT, but it did occur to me that if this were being discussed on Radio 4, it would probably be called "Inheritance Tracks".........

[MJI]

I don't half get hassle from Ebay.

 

I repair keyfobs as as side line (why I have so many DMUs).

 

People do not read the adverts. They moan if you cannot repair one they lost, 3/4s of the components off.

 

I have to charge more just to handle the idiots.

 

BTW modelling skills help a lot with this!!!!

[hayfield]

Martin, John

 

I generally agree with what have said. However, it does appear that eBay is increasingly becoming a traders market place - an online car boot sale - where the seller doesn't know what he is actually selling. Inaccurate descriptions are increasing, probably more through ignorance than deceipt but it's easy to get caught out. It happened to me once with an expensive piece of boating hardware. Although it was sorted out in the end it was a costly and depressing experience.

 

In my experience ebay sellers are usually helpful, where the buyer goes back to them. However, I know one retired kit manufacturer who told me that he had increasing complaints from "customers" complaining of missing or damaged parts. It too often turned out that they had bought second hand, usually through ebay and presumably felt it was easier to resolve their problem through the original manufacturer than through the seller.

 

I have searches in place for LNWR kits, books, photos, etc. and have learned that, while items are usually accurately described, sometimes poetic license is displayed. "No longer available", "rare", etc. used to describe books, kits, etc. that are still in print or production but possibly from a new producer. Ignorance on behalf of the seller perhaps, but combined with the same lack of knowledge by the buyer, often results in over the top prices. A quick online search will often turn up the availabilty and price of the item.

 

Jol

 

Jol

 

You are spot on with your description, just seen a GEM chassis described as K's?, I think this time he has shot himself in the foot. But there are some very good traders, and Joe public selling the odd item they have come accross

 

I tend to keep away from reasonably or high priced items, always looking for the badly made or wrongly described listings. It may just be the fun of obtaining an item for a good price (in built need to hunt ?).

 

I still think its the best place to sell model railway items though.

[Donw]

If you have a lot of stuff to shift you will virtually be running a part time business for some time. I suggest you estimate how much time it will take ( perhaps a trial run or two) and get some idea of what you would expect to earn in that time. If you are doing it for others benefit you may want to re-think. If it is for your own benefit you can judge wether you would rather let a dealer make the extra money and have the time (or earn more elsewhere). I did all the work on three probates saved a lot on solicitors fees but everyone benefitted. My niece offered to sell some bits and pieces at a boot sale. I said she could pocket what she made she thought I was being generous until she realised how much effort and time got so little reward.

Put a value on your spare time it is not unlimited.

Don

[TT3]

I had a similar experience disposing of a friends father's collection (lost of 1980s GWR Hornby, Airfix, Bachmann, Mainline and other assorted models), although on a happier note it was to fund extra modelling.

 

Tried a few methods, ebay was very good in getting the prices but dont underestimate the time, and it took alot of time to list, describe, post and deal with the buyers. However, the ebay fees and paypal fees are reasobale when compared to any other auction/consignment sale system - I lost overall about 11 per cent.

 

The most efficient method by far was the local Model railway expo - an astonising result, sold virtually the lot in 1 weekend and took $3 to $4 000. Actually ran out of stock at one stage and had to go and raid my own collection and that of a friends.

[hayfield]

I had a similar experience disposing of a friends father's collection (lost of 1980s GWR Hornby, Airfix, Bachmann, Mainline and other assorted models), although on a happier note it was to fund extra modelling.

 

Tried a few methods, ebay was very good in getting the prices but dont underestimate the time, and it took alot of time to list, describe, post and deal with the buyers. However, the ebay fees and paypal fees are reasobale when compared to any other auction/consignment sale system - I lost overall about 11 per cent.

 

The most efficient method by far was the local Model railway expo - an astonising result, sold virtually the lot in 1 weekend and took $3 to $4 000. Actually ran out of stock at one stage and had to go and raid my own collection and that of a friends.

 

You stated that you lost (paid) 11% to Ebay, but I guess you ended up with more than 3 times the value a dealer would have given you.

 

Yes it does take time to list on ebay, pack the goods and post them. But given a little time posting becomes quite quick if you use your own template and all you have to do is adjust it a little each time.

 

Posting can also be speeded up by part pre-packing the items during the week.

 

The point about having a table at a local show is very interesting, seems to be well worth it if you have lots of items to sell

[Horsetan]

.....The point about having a table at a local show is very interesting, seems to be well worth it if you have lots of items to sell

 

Yes, I tried that. Not a bad result for a one-off exercise, though you do have to deduct the cost of hiring the table / stand and the cost of your travel/fuel in getting there, but perhaps the show I attended was not as flush with cash as the Aussie market......

[rob D2]

Thanks for the replies,

So the N gauge stuff did ok on eBay , other than the plonker who said the postage was too much ( meant the packaging was 30p !).

Surprisingly some old minic ships made £40 and some old action man guns £20....and these were both mine.

The books were listed and the lists sent to 4 big transport book dealers - the results were disappointing , one offered £40, one wasn't interested and two no replies to date.

£40 for 35 books was also lower than expected considering these are well kept OPC hardback style books of 60s/70s/80s. If rather keep them if that's the case.

Next up is a vast amount of diecast aircraft ( no good for eBay I don't think) and lots of unmade plastic model aircraft...

[The Stationmaster]

Thanks for the replies,

So the N gauge stuff did ok on eBay , other than the plonker who said the postage was too much ( meant the packaging was 30p !).

Surprisingly some old minic ships made £40 and some old action man guns £20....and these were both mine.

The books were listed and the lists sent to 4 big transport book dealers - the results were disappointing , one offered £40, one wasn't interested and two no replies to date.

£40 for 35 books was also lower than expected considering these are well kept OPC hardback style books of 60s/70s/80s. If rather keep them if that's the case.

Next up is a vast amount of diecast aircraft ( no good for eBay I don't think) and lots of unmade plastic model aircraft...

 

Minic ships can go for very high prices (for the right ones in the right condition) judging by what I've seen in the auction room. The offer on the book does sound a bit low if they're in good condition but if they are common titles they are likely to move slowly off a dealer's shelves so he won't want to tie up money in them although I would have thought with a private sale to a dealer you ought to be getting around £2 -£3 per book for those in good nick. I reckon you'd do better putting them on Amazon.

 

PS some unmade plastic aircraft kits should make very good money - FROG kits can do very well and some Airfix kits in original packaging, even the plastic bag type go well too.