A few questions about selling on Ebay (or elsewhere)
Economics forum
Posted on March 21, 2016, 11:56 a.m. by Sloanan
Hey gang,
So I've got a legacy mono green 12-post deck I'm wanting to cash out on to fund a trip I have to take in a couple of months. I've been to my local shops and, predictably, they're only offering a fraction of what it's worth. I've been online to varying ones and I'm not getting much of a better offer. Sooo, basically, I'm resorting to Ebay at this point, unless you might have any suggestions here.
Now, like I mentioned, I'm using it to fund an upcoming trip in June. While selling it piece by piece online might get me the most value (in terms of making back what I spent over the years on it), I'd prefer selling it all at once primarily to fund said trip in time. I'm willing to take a dip in what it's worth in order to get funding on time, but not as big a dip as the stores have been offering. So, since I've never actually sold the cards on Ebay before (or again, elsewhere if anyone here is privvy to a better alternative) I guess I'm in need of some advice, so I've come to you, dear readers! So here are my questions:
Like I mentioned, I know selling the cards individually would probably get me the most back, but time constraints make me nervous about the prospect of doing so (If I don't make the money in time for the trip, I might as well keep the deck!). So to anyone who uses Ebay, how quickly do you tend to sell your cards? Keep in mind I'm mostly using format staples (Fetchlands, Sensei's Divining Top, Dryad Arbor, the Eldrazi Titans, etc.), so it's not like I'm selling fringe cards that rarely get any use in tourneys. If I sold them individually, can I realistically expect to sell all of them within 2-3 months?
On the flip side, if I did just try selling it all in bulk at a reduced price (Say, for example, $400 for a $600 deck), how frequently do those tend to sell? From your experience, can those kinds of auctions turn a decent profit? Could I see it being sold within 2-3 months?
I know that regardless of previous experiences, these types of things would vary from case to case. I'm just trying to get a general feel for how selling online would work. Thanks for any help, friends!
If you put them up on TCGplayer for a low price I guarantee they will sell in no time. (Even if its just $0.50 less than the lowest seller)
TCG takes ~%11 of the sale in fees (Ebay takes about the same) and you might have to spend $2-3 on tracking for your more valuable pieces as you're not a store and someone "not receiving their order" could happen and screw you.
March 21, 2016 12:10 p.m.
GeminiSpartanX says... #4
Selling it all at once on ebay would mean you pay less for shipping, although you need to take into account the 12.5% ebay + paypal fees (roughly). Make sure you price the cards competitively, and it will sell. Include tracking to make sure you don't get screwed by unscrupulous buyers. Ebay lets your deck get seen by the most people, so I wouldn't worry about it not selling if you advertise it correctly with pictures and are honest in your description.
March 21, 2016 12:28 p.m.
Lastdaysgunslinger says... #5
Try posting on craigslist or local online source first and see if you can sell for the price you want.If nobody bites then piece it out on ebay. My best sales come from 5 day buy it now option but price 5-10% less than cheapest buy it now listed goodluck.
March 21, 2016 8:36 p.m.
Thanks for the advice, guys! So I'm trying to sell it now as one big sale, then I'll take it from there if it doesn't sell. Take a look on ebay if you're interested!
HSF117 says... #2
Generally everything I have sold, which ranges from Standard to Modern staples, is usually bought within a week or two at the most. That's just me though. But auctioning the deck isn't a bad idea either. It should sell as long the price isn't higher than what it "should" be.
March 21, 2016 12:08 p.m.