The Energon Pub

News Credits: 33 · Thu Apr 22, 2010 5:19 pm

Whats the best (read: highest cash yield) way to sell a collection?

One single lot?
Separate figs?
Divide up into sets, like Seekers or Combaticons?
Sell each and every part separately?

I ask this because firstly I'm looking into going to college this year and need the funds and secondly, I'm interested to read your thoughts.

News Credits: 2 · Thu Apr 22, 2010 5:36 pm

although it may not be feasible for you, I find the best and most hassle free way to sell off a collection is at a toy convention.

cash sales, and you dont have to report the money as income. Plus people come to conventions EXPECTING to spend their money.

ebay is probably best after that, BBTS is a ripoff unless you have a connection at the post office as they make you pay for your own shipping.

Transformersland is the same way.

News Credits: 88 · Aug. 7 - Aug. 12, 2012

I have to agree with Sid Burn.... also in that you will get totally ripped by BBTS... Don't worry, I still love BBTS and do all my business with them, but when it comes to selling stuff to them, they bend you over and don't even use lubricant LOL

I know one day I will sell my entire collection off and I have been wondering the same thing. I may have to go to the news station and get them to do a story that I'm selling them to increase potential buyers....

.

News Credits: 3 · Thu Apr 22, 2010 8:01 pm

I would have to believe you're pretty much always going to do better selling your figs individually, unless maybe you're selling common figs nobody wants. In that case you might sell a single lot of them for a price you'd probably rather not even bother selling them for.

News Credits: 10 · Thu Apr 22, 2010 9:03 pm

Try the Carbombya forum here or at TFW (more action there).

News Credits: 2 · Thu Apr 22, 2010 10:19 pm

I have sold to BBTS on occasion, I have a friend in the post office so I dont pay for shipping, but that is the only reason it was worth doing. I have never sold them anything valuable to me either, only items I bought at retail and then never opened or decided later they werent worth keeping. More of a house cleaning than a money making venture.

You can haggle with them a bit, the first offer their vintage department emails you is always laughable. I remember once getting $100 more than they originally offered for some armada stuff.

If you are willing to take BBTS store credit, they will offer you even more. I often bartered with them like that, I once had over $700 in BBTS credit from selling them undesirable (to me at least) RID and Unicron trilogy molds like treadbolt.

Mon Apr 26, 2010 3:55 pm

Glad this topic came up. I just moved to the DC area, and had to leave my collection in Dayton. I have been debating selling large portions of the collection to ease the transition when I can finally be reunited with them....and i'm broke.

News Credits: 402 · Updated Oct 21, 2022

Show me your collection. I'll buy what I want, and only THEN should you sell it on ebay

News Credits: 33 · Wed May 05, 2010 6:41 am

Thanks for the replies guys! It means a lot.

I'm going to post them on Ebay, and "advertise" via Carbombya. I'm thinking of maybe putting a code in for Seibertron.com members to get a little bit off to quicken the sale of the figures.

I didn't think I'd mind so much when I knew I had to sell the collection to pay for college, but now I'm taking proper pictures of everything and it feels so very "final" - it's breaking my heart.

I know my collection isn't enormous, but my finances being what they have been over the last five years, I'm pleased with the quality I managed to get in. Figures like G1 Swoop or G1 Reflector, not to mention getting all six jets w\box wasn't easy when I've only got £40 spare money a month at best. So I guess I've enjoyed myself and should congratulate myself also on having harvested the bargains I've had.

Hopefully when I've got into university or (later still) got into a decent job, I'll buy it all back.

Cheers again, dudes!

News Credits: 11 · Thu May 06, 2010 8:55 pm

Breaks my heart to hear you're selling them. I hope one day you can get them all back too!

News Credits: 9 · Thu May 06, 2010 10:19 pm

To be completely honest, from your statement that you hope to buy them back again at some point, I would honestly say: Don't sell them.

I completely understand the situation that requires extra cash and that it would be a quick way to get it, but if you have other options I would look at those.

I've been in similar set-ups where selling off some pieces would give short-term financial support, but I know (and this is a personal bit) that the missing items that were in the collection eat at me, and replacing them isn't easy. Unless you can get back the exact piece (in same to similar condition) a replacement may not always do the trick if the original has any sentimental value or story that goes with it.

Unless you have no sentimental connection to your collection, if so feel free to disregard the above.

News Credits: 11 · Fri May 07, 2010 12:06 pm

Well obviously she does, or else it wouldn't be a big deal to sell them off. It's probably more that they were purchased before, and can be purchased again, as opposed to being gifts or childhood toys, etc. I know if I really had to, I could part with a good portion of my collection. While I enjoy them and am very happy to own them, many of my figures aren't extremely special to me, they're just cool to have. A few, however, like my original Powermaster Optimus Prime and its God Ginrai replacement, mean a lot to me and could not be parted with.

The biggest problem will be trying to get them back for the same price...most figures go up in value.