Thinking of Selling off Huge Collection: where to start?

[Koa Zo]

(UPDATE: Please do not send PMs asking to buy individual games. If I have any items prepared for sale I will post them in the Buying and Selling forum. That said, thank you very much for the members who inquired about substantial bulk purchases. However I am not selling any chunks of this collection at this time.)

Storage issues and medical bills have left me thinking about selling off some of my lifelong collection.

Like many of you I've taken great pride and care to build a library of games and peripherals which highlight the best each major system has had to offer.

The collection has branched out from just developers I appreciate, to whole genres of games, to ports on multiples systems, to games which use unique control interfaces,... and on and on. It has been great to experience so many incredible games, systems and peripherals over the past 20 years, but life circumstances have me re-evaluating how much of a collection I can maintain.

I am not in any hurry to sell anything, so at this point I'm just looking for opinions or shared experience as to what the best strategies are for selling a large collection. I'm wondering how I might advertise to or attract a buyer who would be interested in taking a large chunk (or all) of my collection in one shot. ...like maybe some rich European who lives in a castle (no, seriously.) haha

Here is a link to a google spreadsheet inventory (https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AtQpeI2lyKppdHNvMnhIM0hqWWFRWUw2emtPSWViN 2c&hl=en&authkey=CNbaleYE) of the collection.
Some things like some of the unique controllers (probably the entire N64 collection), or my Vectrex collection I plan to keep.

I've been reading the other recent threads which discuss collecting and sales strategies, and this certainly isn't an easy undertaking. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[pseudonym]

Selling everything separately will get you the best price, but it takes the most work. Conversely, trying to sell everything in one big lot seems to rarely work because few people have $10,000 or whatever to spend on video games and you'll get the least amount of money for them overall. Another way is selling the rarer games and consoles separately, and putting the more common games in lots to sell them faster.

Ebay is probably your best bet, or you can always sell them here if you wanted. I bet a lot of people would be interested in the games that you have.

[Koa Zo]

trying to sell everything in one big lot seems to rarely work because few people have $10,000 or whatever to spend on video games
Yeah, I'm figuring that to sell them individually will end up being like another full time job. What with listing them, answering questions, and packing and shipping.

I know it is unlikely that anyone would be able to purchase everything, or say like just all the Nintendo stuff, in one shot. But I'm seriously considering making a web page to show-off and advertise the collection. Like I mentioned, I'm not pressed or in a hurry to unload anything, so I could wait it out for a year or two and see if anyone out there, like a wealthy estate owner would be interested in buying it all.

That inventory list took quite some time to compile, and now I'm working on photographing every item. So I still have a lot of work to do before I could advertise it all effectively.

[Press_Start]

Two things you don't do when selling a lifelong collection:

1. Try selling as a huge lot or finding someone to buy in one go. You're drastically cut down number of potential buyers cause there's few people with the huge pockets of available cash on video games. Not to mention, the days and hours wasted waiting for Mr. Perfectly Lucky to come around to give ya that big score.

2. Try selling everything individually. Whenever any gamer puts their collection up for sale, first pickin's are always the rares and uncommons buyers missing in their collection. Usually still leaving ya a sizable backlog of cheap commons to sit around gathering dust.

My two cents...break up the collection into sets of proportionate rare, uncommon, and common games. That way there's more room for buyers with less affordable cash, you won't be stuck with as many commons, and make your postal priorities much easier and organized.

But before you do anything. Ask yourself one question: "What are you willing to sell?"

[tom]

Depends,
I always sell off in lots, which might give you a bit less money, but makes another collector happy (and-of course, you get rid of the commons in one go too).
for example, in 2004 I sold off my VCS collection of 240 boxed games/40 unboxed games, which made me $3000 on ebay. The collection had a boxed Boing, boxed grey version Hangman, SW:TAG and many other now considered rare tiles. Probably selling them off single would be a better option today.

Recently I sold off my complete Lynx collection, it made me $700, my complete (bar one) 7800 collection made me approx $500, again, some titles in those collections are rare, so selling them a piece might be a better option, which might leave you stuck with the common titles though.

Now, I recollect VCS games, recently hit the 200+ mark, so the challenge of the (new) chase is back on. Same with Lynx, restarted collecting Lynx again, got 3 games so far :-)

Check out here my new(ish) VCS collection:
http://roomofdoom.powweb.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=194784


.

[fishsandwich]

Good grief that IS an impressive collection.

I also had an impressive collection (not like yours) that I started selling off last year. I also hoped for a baron with a castle or a wealthy basketball player to buy my vast collection for a huge profit but alas, it was not to be. I have tried the following avenues...

Private buyers
eBay single games
eBay lots
Craigslist

Private buyers pay the most and are easy to deal with for the most part but you have to have something really rare to get the best prices.

eBay single games yeild great profit but you have to deal with fees of all sorts and flakey buyers. Still teh best route for many thing.

eBay lots were both profitable and disappointing. A big gamut of outcomes.

Craigslist is full of retards and flakes.

I have yet to try a yardsale for the really common stuff (this weekend!) and Amazon.com.

I wish you much luck and great fortune!



!

[allyourblood]

My own Rule Number One: sell the garbage first. While you may not have any "bad" games, sell your least favorite as well as less valuable games right up front. Put them in lots as needed, but make sure those are the first to go.

The benefits are two-fold and to me, they're significant:

First, you're keeping your sales momentum going by offing the items with the least return (in terms of both sentimental and monetary value) right away. That will keep you motivated to move the more valuable stuff; on the other hand, selling the "good" stuff first will leave you with a room full of cheapies that are harder and slower to sell. It can be easy to give up at this point and push everything into the corner (or garage, or shed, etc.), since all the "big money" has already been made.

Second, in the off chance that you are hit with a rush of seller's remorse (something many here, including myself, can attest to), you've given yourself every opportunity to put on the brakes and at least appreciate that whatever you have left is your best stuff, and not a room full of gaming mediocrity.

This way of selling is more of a slow burn, and you likely won't see lots of money rolling in at first, but I really think it's the right way to do it.

[WanganRunner]

I COULD spend a week or so valuing this independently and then come back to you with a lot bid for the whole thing.

Know that this bid is substantially driven by my desire to buy it all, break it up, and come out ahead selling MOST of it. (Would keep one of those Kid's Gears, the X'Eye, the Fami GBA SP, etc)

But I think my discount to full market value would be greater than you'd want, unless you're really looking to avoid the hassle of selling individually.

Shipping would probably also be expensive on a huge lot like this unless you're local, which I bet you aren't.


EDIT: WHY would you sell all this? This is an ace collection, I'd be buried with it.

[Koa Zo]

My two cents...break up the collection into sets of proportionate rare, uncommon, and common games. That way there's more room for buyers with less affordable cash, you won't be stuck with as many commons, and make your postal priorities much easier and organized.

But before you do anything. Ask yourself one question: "What are you willing to sell?"

Those are good points.
As others mention, I'm aware if I put it all up individually all the "best" games would be bought up first and I'd be left with commons or unrecognized games that average people aren't interested in.

The idea of selling in sets of some rare/some common is something I will explore. Though it seems I might just get the value for the rare game and be including a few common games as freebies.

I'm thinking the most interesting way to so lots would be to do them around themes. Like sell a Sega Team Player Adapter along with every game that utilizes it, or the PlayStation Volume controller along with every game compatible with it, and then maybe all VING Saturn releases, all Arcade Gear releases, all PC-Engine Taito games or Namco games ...etc



My own Rule Number One: sell the garbage first. While you may not have any "bad" games, sell your least favorite as well as less valuable games right up front. Put them in lots as needed, but make sure those are the first to go.


Great post. I've been thinking along those same lines. As Press_Start mentioned, I have yet to determine what I'm "willing to sell"
Once I have separated the games and peripherals I intend to keep then I can start seriously determining what should be sold first. But I think I'll definitely utilize your strategy.



I COULD spend a week or so valuing this independently and then come back to you with a lot bid for the whole thing.

Know that this bid is substantially driven by my desire to buy it all, break it up, and come out ahead selling MOST of it. (Would keep one of those Kid's Gears, the X'Eye, the Fami GBA SP, etc)

But I think my discount to full market value would be greater than you'd want, unless you're really looking to avoid the hassle of selling individually.

Shipping would probably also be expensive on a huge lot like this unless you're local, which I bet you aren't.

EDIT: WHY would you sell all this? This is an ace collection, I'd be buried with it.

Thanks for the interest :)
I've already had another re-seller contact me via PM. As I mentioned in the original post I'm not in a hurry to sell anything. I've not made any decision on how I plan to sell anything, but unloading it to a reseller is low down on the list of options.

Over the next couple months I plan to sort through the inventory and separate the items I intend to keep. At that point I'll determine appropriate values for everything that remains.

Shipping costs are relative. Ultimately, shipping it all in one foul swoop would be much cheaper than shipping each item individually or as multiple lots.

If someone happens to make an offer that is hard to refuse, then I'll start loading a box truck, get my GPS programmed, and make a personal delivery ;)


and thanks for the good wishes fishsandwich, though I'm next expecting great fortune.

[Koa Zo]

Something else I'm looking for opinions on is where to start.
As in, what group of games would you guys sell first?
For instance I really wouldn't miss my Gamecube stuff at all, except for the Gameboy Player Adapter.

And while I think they are incredible and represent awesome steps in the evolution of handheld gaming, I've rarely played the Lynx and Wonderswan stuff.

My Playstation and PS2 collections get the most play, and Saturn and Dreamcast hold a lot of sentimentality, so those are going to be hard to part with. Something like Guardian Heroes or D&D Collection I'll never sell.

In another thread people spoke of how there seems to be a cycle with what is most popular with collectors. It seems complete Famicom game prices have been on the rise lately.

In the interest of maximum financial return what system and groups of games would be a good place to start selling?

[mobiusclimber]

1) You mentioned health problems, so this idea might not be for you (but maybe you know someone you could pay - possibly in games - to do this for you), but one way to sell off a huge collection without shipping anything and in something akin to one fell swoop would be to sell at a convention. There are always tons of them all over (even ones that aren't necessarily video game cons have people selling games there - comic book, anime and the like usually do). Heck if you have a bunch of good stuff and price it under market value you might sell out to other dealers before the con even starts.

2) Craigslist & Ebay can be great for getting rid of commons. Do you have a bunch of the same consoles lying around? (Or would you be willing to buy some up cheap to do this?) Put your common games w/ the console and sell it as a lot. Especially if you toss in a couple of rare or "desirable" games (this can even be construed as Mario 3 or Castlevania), you can get a bit more than if you tried selling as just games or even individually depending on what you put with it (meaning, that copy of Gyromite or Top Gun won't sell itself).

3) As for what to sell first, only you can answer that question, but you've started to. Sell off what you are least interested in first. See how it goes, what mistakes you make, etc. That way if/when you decide to sell things that mean more to you, you'll have a better idea of what to do.

[pseudonym]

Something else I'm looking for opinions on is where to start.
As in, what group of games would you guys sell first?
For instance I really wouldn't miss my Gamecube stuff at all, except for the Gameboy Player Adapter.

And while I think they are incredible and represent awesome steps in the evolution of handheld gaming, I've rarely played the Lynx and Wonderswan stuff.

My Playstation and PS2 collections get the most play, and Saturn and Dreamcast hold a lot of sentimentality, so those are going to be hard to part with. Something like Guardian Heroes or D&D Collection I'll never sell.

In another thread people spoke of how there seems to be a cycle with what is most popular with collectors. It seems complete Famicom game prices have been on the rise lately.

In the interest of maximum financial return what system and groups of games would be a good place to start selling?

NES/Famicom, SNES, and GameBoy are popular right now, especially if they're CIB. If you're not that fond of them, now would be a good time to sell.

[Trebuken]

Sell the 3DO and Atari 2600 collections first. :)

Seriously, eliminate the least valubale collections just for organizational reasons....shrnink the spreadsheet so as to managae your 'inventory' better.

You may also simultaneously list lots or collections at too high a price to see if anyone bites. There are resellers and wealthy people who may jump on them.

If you sell lots, sell them by region...not everyone is interested in imported games.

Sell systems with the cheapest accessories. Sell all other hardware individually.

Be aware that some items will fetch more than you expect and others less.

Ultimately, determine how much you expect to get for the entire collection at the end of the day; set a value on everything and make your best effort to reach your target by keeping an eye on where you are towards your goal and versus your valuation.

If you sell here or on ebay make sure you establish great feedback before listing anything of value. Sell a bunch of individual games so that the rest will trust you.

Good luck. I'll be watching for your listings...

[megasdkirby]

Not to create a new topic with one already open (and similar), I've recently come to the conclusion as well. I know at one time or another everyone sells/parts with their collection...I guess mine might be comming sooner than I thought.

Honestly, I don't know how exactly to start either. Right now, I've pretty much stopped getting new games altogether and will probably stay this way for quite some time.

However, this does nothing with my existing collection taking up more space than needed.

Pondering the situation a bit further, if I would get rid of my games, I would not sell any games that:

-I have emotional attachments to
-Are part of a complete CIB set
-Are close to a complete CIB set
-Rare or very uncommon items
-Games in high demand

One would think "But that's most of your collection!" depending on the person. At least with me, most of my collection were impulse purchases, specially with current generation consoles. Like those liquidation games at work or $1 games I would come across every now and then. I would try to get rid of these first, though I would play with them before doing so.

Some friends even told me to simply copy the games onto HDD's and sell off the original copies. I thought of this as well, but then for some reason, I would not have the urge to play them.

Has this happened to anyone? What would be your method to sell of games you don't need or want?

[maxlords]

I take everything I'm purging to a local swap meet and sell a fair chunk of it there. Local people take stuff that might not sell other places like eBay because of the lack of shipping. After that, the stuff goes up on forums in a big list (minus the eBay rares) and then once that stuff has been gone through, it's on to the big ticket items. I've done this a copule times as I slowly winnow my colection down. I'm about to go through a 3rd full purge in the next few months too. Each time I realize just how much stuff I flat out don't want/will never play and don't need cluttering up my place.

[Emperor Megas]

Pondering the situation a bit further, if I would get rid of my games, I would not sell any games that:

-I have no emotional attachments toThat leaves games that you DO have an emotional attachment to for sale then, right? Is that some sort of penance? Why would you only sell games that to do have an emotional attachment to? Was that a typo, or am I reading this wrong?

[megasdkirby]

Hehe, yeah my bad. It was a typo. :p

Post fixed.:)

[calgon]

For me personally I unloaded everything on craiglist. I knew I wouldn't get the best prices possible, but I wanted to make it as painless as possible.

[pixelsnpolygons]

I've only ever sold games once in my life and I regretted it, like, the next day. With a collection as big as yours, obviously, you're never going to have a collection like that again if you sell. I understand your reasoning - but I see a big difference between selling because you've outgrown them versus using the cash to pay a bill. I recognize it's a medical bill, too - but still. I see you mentioned further down that you wouldn't miss some collections much, so I guess I'd start with those. Even with those you might find yourself getting nostalgic one day. I suppose you could always start again, I'm just making sure you've really thought it out. :-)

I was on eBay today looking for huge lots of games, so that's what would appeal to me the most if I was looking to buy. I hate having to pay separately for shipping for one. For example if I saw your Lynx collection on eBay and had the cash I'd definitely bid on that versus buying one by one. It's pretty clear more money could be made selling stuff individually - assuming they all sell. BUT it probably balances out when you factor in time to process all of that, drive to post office multiple times.

[mosesshirai]

I have had great success having a garage sale. That way I get to meet other gamers, talk about games, and kind of vet where my games are going. I have had 3-4 sales over the last year or so. They have all gone well.

I have also set-up a booth at a local flea market for my commons and newer games.

Hope you find a way. It will take a bit of work, and in the end we all end up collecting again don't we?

[Zing]

A Google search for this topic to find the other dozen threads on this forum and others would be a good place to start. :D

[Koa Zo]

Thanks again for the responses to my post. Of course I'd looked at some of the previous threads, and have also, in the past, read other people's threads about selling a substantial library of games and collection of hardware.

It was valuable for me to freshly view people's thoughts on the matter.
One of the main things that I've done after posting this thread was to determine exactly what items I would like to maintain ownership of.
It was always a no-brainer to say I'd like to keep my favorite games, and series of games from particular designers or developers. But I have now also made associations of games based on genre and/or peripheral usage. For instance, I plan to keep all digital pinball games in my collection, and all paddle games (Breakout, Arkanoid, Block Kuzushi clones and variants, etc), and all games which utilize mouse control, or games which use system link cable (DaytonaUSA CE, Trick'N Snowboarder, etc) twin sticks control (Robotron, Crazy Climber, Assault, Virtua On, etc), NegCon, etc etc.
Guidebooks, magazines, and other printed ephemera are the very last items I would like to part with. Though printed material is falling from favor amongst the younger generations, I feel it provides an experience which can never be replicated, simulated, emulated through digital means. Paging through a guidebook or magazine is an associated pleasure that I never want to eliminate from my gaming hobby.

So I am now left with a clear view of the first items to be purged from my collection when the time comes.
I appreciate the interest and concern I received through PM's and apologize for not responding to many of them (at the time I did not want solicitations and I just didn't want to devote the time to sorting out and making legit offers to those who inquired, I had more pressing issues to sort out in my life at that time) I also was touched by the couple messages of concern for my personal situation. Not to overstate or imply anything that doesn't exist, I'm fine and simply had to pay a lot for tests and general physical upkeep since I am without insurance. I look forward to playing and enjoying my collection for many years to come.

This recent financial reality-check has given me the excuse and opportunity to really take stock of my collection. The creation of a detailed inventory was the first step in organizing and appraising the collection, and now this thread and your comments have helped me sort through the sentimental and historical values as well as inter-collection associations of items (peripherals to games, games to designers, genre to genre, printed material to games, etc)

[NYLatenite]

I definitely agree with the posters who advise when you're getting rid of the common stuff to throw one or two uncommon/rare items in with it.

I know I've bought lots of carts I already had in the past just to get a hold of one or two games that I didn't.

[Rickstilwell1]

I have a bunch of incomplete games that even though I like, I am seriously getting ready to sell them. I really enjoy Diablo for Playstation, but it's a loose copy and it can bring in some money. Power Stone 2 for Dreamcast is worth some good money, but it is disc only and I will always be able to find a CIB later on down the road.

I am at a point where I am getting bored with my collecting hobby the way I was doing it before. I don't have enough money to go ahead and replace all my games with CIB copies before selling. I will have to gradually do that after. Having to hunt for games again but having higher standards will restore the fun in collecting.

I was even thinking I would have to keep all the loose copies of games for pre-NES systems like Atari 2600, but looking on ebay there are actually still quite a few CIB Atari games out there and my idea that it was impossible has jumped out the window. I think I would appreciate the games more if I take the collecting hobby slower.

Right now I have 517 CIB games in my inventory. 39 are pre-NES, 307 are from NES to Neo Geo Pocket Color, and 171 are from Playstation 2 onward. The 518th one on the way from Venezuela is Donkey Kong for Commodore 64. This year I have only beaten 120 of those games so far so I already have a big enough backlog to not need so many incompletes. I imagine even if I sell all my incompletes and only order one CIB game at a time, it will take a few years to make my way through my current backlog. So what am I doing hoarding a collection that is not up to my standards? I've got enough to keep me busy for a long time while someone else could be enjoying Diablo for Playstation while my disc is just settting there.