Selling my collection? 1000+ sets

[JOEBRICK376]

18 minutes ago, Ed Mack said:

Main point of a thread like this is that there options for people like us.  I was great at buying.  Problem was that I never really thought about selling, that it was a rainy day project.  Thousands of sets and a decade or so later, I had my basement and storage office filled at work and wanted to sell my house and move.  The LEGO sets became a burden.  What's worse, they were slowly deteriorating and some were losing value.  What was a burden, became a boon and I was able to clear out my house and storage and buy a piece of property with it.  I even reinvested last year and that is paying off this year.  

Investors, I don't often chime in on here anymore to give my two cents (think it's been since like 2014) but one of the things Ed just said is super important and not factored in enough by your average collector/investor. Lego sets don't always appreciate. There is a sweet spot to sell, Ed and several other vendors we've worked with have missed that sweet spot on some of their  items in their collections/while also allowing condition to slowly worsen on older items. It is very very hard to properly maintain and store items for 5-10+ years and keep them in decent condition. Seals are not meant to last forever, especially on larger sets with 25+ pounds of weight pressure on them. Watch how you stack things, even on shelves. Never palletize for long periods of time. Don't sit on vintage Star Wars sets for 20 years. 

 

also what are you talking about Ed, no one flips that fast  

[ravenb99]

this turned into the WET testimonials thread...

[Migration]

14 hours ago, iahawks550 said:

With a large purchase like that, I would suggest putting those into a sortable spreadsheet. Buyers need to be able to figure out what they are getting. I had a great experience with my semi-large sale, but I also had tempered expectations of what to expect with returns. As an off-hand guess, I would take about 60% of Brickfolio value and start from there if looking to unload in one bulk purchase. 

Send a PM to the OP about who purchased you items...and who DID NOT..

[redcell]

3 hours ago, ravenb99 said:

this turned into the WET testimonials thread...

To add a little balance to the testimonials, I can highly recommend Ravenb99 as someone to do business with for anyone who is looking to sell out a large collection.  He and I have done deals together and competed for the same deals, and he is as trustworthy, dependable, and honest as they come.  He's one of the handful of folks here that I'm aware of here who can close very large deals with upfront cash without breaking a sweat.  

[Ed Mack]

19 minutes ago, redcell said:

To add a little balance to the testimonials, I can highly recommend Ravenb99 as someone to do business with for anyone who is looking to sell out a large collection.  He and I have done deals together and competed for the same deals, and he is as trustworthy, dependable, and honest as they come.  He's one of the handful of folks here that I'm aware of here who can close very large deals with upfront cash without breaking a sweat.  

Raven99 has a friggin forklift...Enough said.

[redcell]

14 minutes ago, Ed Mack said:

Raven99 has a friggin forklift...Enough said.

Rumor is that he once had two forklifts at the same time. 

[Ed Mack]

4 minutes ago, redcell said:

Rumor is that he once had two forklifts at the same time. 

Just like Amazon!  Pics or it didn't happen.

[Brystheguy]

So, tell me how the seller makes out in these deals? It seems like the seller is expected to sell at a loss. Are there situations where the seller actually made money? I always see talk of 50% of retail as a starting point. 

[grackleflint]

13 minutes ago, Brystheguy said:

So, tell me how the seller makes out in these deals? It seems like the seller is expected to sell at a loss. Are there situations where the seller actually made money? I always see talk of 50% of retail as a starting point. 

It's 50% off the current selling/retail price, not the set's original retail price.

For example, take 10224 Town Hall where the current Amazon price is $650 while the original retail price was $200 so a buyer paying 50% is $325. If the seller bought at retail, he's still profiting by $125. Obviously, originally buying on sale at less than retail is ideal.

The OP has a number of sets that have tripled in price so he can still turn a decent profit by selling at 50% off current retail. I doubt he will be losing money. Just depends on how soon he wants to sell and how.

[Brystheguy]

1 hour ago, grackleflint said:

It's 50% off the current selling/retail price, not the set's original retail price.

For example, take 10224 Town Hall where the current Amazon price is $650 while the original retail price was $200 so a buyer paying 50% is $325. If the seller bought at retail, he's still profiting by $125. Obviously, originally buying on sale at less than retail is ideal.

The OP has a number of sets that have tripled in price so he can still turn a decent profit by selling at 50% off current retail. I doubt he will be losing money. Just depends on how soon he wants to sell and how.

Ha, maybe I'm looking at all of my sets and thinking that would be a money loser for me right now. It's hard to have a 50% margin.

[iahawks550]

10 minutes ago, Brystheguy said:

Ha, maybe I'm looking at all of my sets and thinking that would be a money loser for me right now. It's hard to have a 50% margin.

But the right sets at the right price. Even more so, buy at the right price. 

[Ed Mack]

It’s all buy in and appreciation. Most of my sets were discounted and many appreciated for years. Although I was paid a higher amount because I used a consignment deal, even at 50% current Amazon prices I would be in the black.

[Brystheguy]

It’s all buy in and appreciation. Most of my sets were discounted and many appreciated for years. Although I was paid a higher amount because I used a consignment deal, even at 50% current Amazon prices I would be in the black.

Oh, Amazon prices? Now we're talking!