How to sell the collection...

[Such A Fool]

If you were going to sell off your garage collection, how would you do it? How best to do it so as to avoid eBay? Seasoned advice?

My collection is rather minor (+/-500 45s) but very clean and specific to west coast garage and psych, particularly Bay-Area stuff.

 

[eleelandc]

If you were going to sell off your garage collection, how would you do it? How best to do it so as to avoid eBay? Seasoned advice?

My collection is rather minor (+/-500 45s) but very clean and specific to west coast garage and psych, particularly Bay-Area stuff.

Price em and bring em to an established record show. People can hold the items in their hands and cash on the barrelhead.... If it is a good collection in nice shape you can blow through that in a day or two that way.... Honestly, most of these sorts of message board communities usually have a set sale forum. Unless you are a regular poster (trusted member of the community etc) you would need to start off slow with a handful of midrange things for set prices that you wanna get for em to establish that you are a reputable dealer/grader/pricer etc before people are ready to buy from you over the internet...
If you decide on a specific record show though, drop a line to some of these sorts of boards (as well as Craigslist and the like) and tell people to come on down to that record fair and and check it out... Advertising a one day appearance at a fair can be key as the people who will want your higher quality items might not regularly go to said fair if it is known to be the same dealers every time with the same picked over water damaged Johnny Winter records priced too high... Know what I mean?

 

[MopTopMike]

If you decide to sell at a show, and promote ahead of time that that you are selling a collection, I would take the 45s which you want more than $75 each and type out a listing on paper. Provide several copies of the paper, with accurate grade, info and price for each 45. This way you can keep people from mauling your rare / pricey boxes, thwart attempts to steal, etc. as that WILL happen at a big show with lots of attendees.
I do this for WFMU, if somebody wants to inspect the 45 I'll pull it out, and then they can buy it. This method also keeps the herd in order.

 

[eleelandc]

keep people from mauling your rare / pricey boxes

Good point! I would also say that a "stiffening board" keeping picture sleeves flat will help too. Part of the reason that I suggest doing things in person though is so that you do not have to voice your grade to prospective buyers. They are there and can look at it and see the price. Saying a record is VG+ and $100 is a sure way to have a collector look at you cross-eyed and say it is not VG+ and should be $35. If you just say it is $100 you give them less ammo to denigrate your collection and follow their gut to buy it or piss off.... It's not like you are a store selling whatever product is coming through... This is YOUR collection and your feelings should be respected at a time of liquidation of your life's work (which is seldom easy). If they are cool and you wanna cut them a break on price that is one thing, but blowhards talking smack about your children to get a better price (which they are just going to try and flip on ebay in a week's time) must not stand.

 

[Such A Fool]

Incisive advice. Thank you both.

 

[peterb]

Hey there , do you have 45's by a californian band called The David , ones on VMC & the others on 20th century and I'm very keen particularly on the latter , thanx Peter B