Collectibles and eBay go way, way back, and they’re still one of its biggest areas of buying and selling activity. Many of eBay’s most hardcore and longtime users are collectors of some sort of thing or the other. It’s quite common for people to post what they think is a run-of-the-mill item, only to have collectors suddenly go to war over it because the item is linked to something these eBayers collect.
Collectors are the people on eBay who really do pay top-dollar for things that just might seem like junk to most others, not to mention to the people you’ll be getting your stock from! That’s why you can make so much money on collectibles.
Here are a few tips for finding and selling collectibles on eBay.
Go to people’s homes. People’s homes are full of things that someone out there collects. They are the best and cheapest source of collectibles out there. Sure, you might find something if you hang around at enough garage sales, but you’re going to have competition. Getting invited to people’s homes to look around should be something you’re doing your best to make a reality.
Buy on other auction sites. You’ll be surprised how much money you can make if you buy the collectibles that people sell on smaller auction sites and then sell them on eBay. These sellers will often be perfectly knowledgeable about their items, but simply getting a lower price because they serve a smaller marketplace. Sometimes you can even double your money or even better.
List in non-collectible categories. If your collectible doesn’t have a category of its own under “collectibles”, you might prefer to list it in a category that has something to do with the item but nothing to do with collecting. What you will often find is that people browsing a category for their favorite thing will pay more for your collectible than actual collectors would.
Do lots of research. Never list something you think might be valuable without searching to dig up every piece of information you can on it. Everything piece of information you can get your hands on is likely to be useful when you come to list it. Do your due diligence.
List every tiny detail. Remember that collectors really care about the most seemingly insignificant things. An item from one year can be worth thousands while the same item from the year before is near-worthless, or an item that is one shade of a color can be worth far more than one of a subtly different shade. It’s not worth puzzling over and it’s not worth trying to pass your items off as something they’re not. Just make sure you put absolutely everything you know in the description.
When you are listing items that require a lot of research and a description down to the tiniest detail, don’t be tempted to steal someone else’s work! I know it’s easy to do, but don’t take another seller’s description and try to pass it off as your own, as this could have all sorts of consequences for you. Believe it or not, eBay does have a “description theft” policy.
Clint Herman
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