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Thread: Is now a good time to sell rare stuff on Ebay?

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    Kirby (Level 13) norkusa's Avatar
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    Default Is now a good time to sell rare stuff on Ebay?

    I really didn't know which forum to post this in. Could have gone in Off Topic or Everything Ebay, but I thought it'd fit in better here.

    Anyhoo, I know the economy is in the toilet right now but I was wondering if now would be a good time to sell rare stuff on Ebay since tax returns are starting to roll in.

    Last month I tried selling some of my rare import Virtual Boy stuff on Ebay but the bids I got were MUCH lower than I expected. I had a reserve set but I'm thinking that may have hurt me more than it helped.

    I gave up on selling my VB stuff for now and decided to sell all my rare NES carts. Just waiting for the right time. First ones I plan on putting up are the 3 Panesian NES adult titles, so I've been searching the auctions regularly. Then I see these sell for ridiculously high prices:

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=370164019396

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=110355413921

    http://cgi.ebay.com/Bubble-Bath-Babe...em120382447235

    So I'm kind of confused on what to do. Could it just be a fluke that these sold so high or is now the time to sell? What do you guys think? I would set a reserve and just see what they go for but Ebay fees have been killing me lately (last bill was $100+).
    Last edited by norkusa; 03-06-2009 at 06:43 PM.

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    I'm not sure, but something seems fishy about the first two auctions both ending for $1,352.21....... It seems like a very odd price for two separate yet similar auctions to end at. Hah, but thats just me and my conspiracy theories.

    I'd say if they haven't been selling for that, then those are just out of the blue prices.
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    It's not.

    I can't even sell rare games for half they're worth right now.
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    I'm going to move this over to Everything Auctions. Doesn't quite fit in Classic Gaming.

    We've got a similar type thread going already as well here though its a little more about the general economy, rather than focusing directly on ebay.
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    Whatever you decide, do NOT list your stuff auction-style with a reserve. It's a total waste of money and you almost never get the bids you're looking for.

    I recommend using a fixed price listing that lasts until it's sold. It's very cheap to list ($.35 or less per month) and you get to determine your price and if you want to consider offers or not. I've had great success with this method. However, it only works if your item is truly rare and your price is competitive.
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    Kirby (Level 13) norkusa's Avatar
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    Thanks a lot for the tips. The more I think about it, the more of a waste reserve auctions seem. And I didn't realize fixed price auctions were so cheap. Kind of feel stupid now for not trying it sooner. And people can still submit offers to me while it's listed? That sounds like the way to go.

    Just in case anyone is interested (got a couple PM's about my NES stuff already), I've got the 3 Panesian games complete, a sealed Cheetahmen, a boxed Flintstones At Dinosaur Peek and a loose Caltron 6-in-1, as well as 722 other unique NES carts. If you're interested any anything, make me an offer.

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    From what I've seen, auctions with reserve set _never_ end well. You, as a seller, may set what you consider is a fair reserve, but more often than not the buyer will assume it will be top dollar and simply not bid. In other words, they see no chance at getting a deal, and there will be no bidding war with other users that will drive the price up. In the end, the auction without a reserve probably would've ended at the reserve price anyway, or higher.

    The other problem as you mentioned is the economy. Although prices are mostly down it seems that some rare stuff is holding its value just fine, or even surprise at top dollar. It's really hard to tell right now. If you're not hurting for the money it would probably be a good idea to hold onto the games for now.

    If you do have to sell, I would suggest putting one game up as a test, 1 cent start, no reserve, and see what happens. There's a chance it will end badly but it's worth a shot vs. an auction with a high fixed starting price/BIN only/reserve set.

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