Expert: Chris Brown - 12/26/2008

Question
Hi Chris,

I've spent nearly 30 years amassing a high-end collection of Marvel Silver age comics, Sports collectibles(ie. football & baseball cards), James Bond collectibles, Dick Tracy collectibles and much more. Regarding the comics, many are key first issues such as Daredevil, Iron Man, and Captain America. This is but a very small sampling on what I have. The majority of the books are raw, but several key issues are cgc graded. Also, I have taken all the necessary steps in preserving my collection, and it shows in their condition.

I've been seriously thinking about liquidating my entire collection. Regarding this, my question is two-fold:

1. Should I wait until the economy gets better, before selling?. In your opinion, are collectors still buying in this bad economy, or are they holding back?. I'm in a position to hold out, if necessary.

2. What would be the best way to sell this collection?. I would prefer, if possible, selling all my collectibles at one shot if the demand is there. I do not have the time to go on Ebay, and list all my items. And I really don't want to go to a dealer, since I know I'll take a big hit price wise. I thought about trying one of those public auction houses that specialise in unloading collectibles. Would you go this route?. If so, what advice could you provide me?. Or is there a better way liquidating my collection?.

I would certainly appreciate whatever advice you could provide. Thank you very much for your time and input.

Best Regards,

Mike

Answer
Hi Mike

If the issues you have are key issues, and especially in higher grades, from what I have seen demand remains strong.  I do not have any knowledge of sports collectibles and only slight knowledge of James Bond and Dick Tracy, so I'm afraid I can't be of much help there.

In my experience, a weak economy doesn't hurt the sale of collectibles that much.  Maybe some people can't afford to buy things, but others are more willing to buy them because it provides some diversification.  Besides, you're not giving up much right now by not having your money in a bank account earning 1% or in the stock market doing who knows what.

Selling collectibles is always a matter of trading off the amount of effort you're willing to put into it against the amount of money you might realize.  Auction houses generally take 15-20% from the seller and the buyer so the seller only ends up getting about 2/3 of what the buyer is paying.  However, some auction houses can get top prices for exceptionally high-grade issues.  (Some would also be interested in all the parts of your collection as well.)  Dealers are going to want to pay you 40-80% of what they think they can sell it all for, depending on how quickly they expect to be able to turn the stuff over.  Some dealers might also be willing to take your collection "on consignment," where you get paid over time as the items sell.  They will usually take a smaller cut in these circumstances since they don't have to pay money up front.

I have sold a lot on eBay myself.  It's time consuming but you get more out of it if you have desirable items.  I am willing to sell stuff for as low as 20% commission (including all eBay and Paypal fees) if you want to consider that approach and if your collection is valuable enough to make it worth my while.  Regardless, feel free to email me with any follow-up questions.

Good luck!

Chris