Ebay finitum

[Ochoin]

After 10 months of selling select parts of my collection, I'm finished with ebay - probably or at least for a while *.

In this time, I've shed nearly 3000 painted figures - plastic & metal. These include complete armies - ECW Parliament, ACW union & Confederates - but figures from every period I game ; Bronze Age, Punic, Late Antiquity, Royalist ECW, SYW, Napoleonic & WW2. Four dioramas, a rule book & some terrain were also sold. Only AZW wouldn't sell (why??) and I did not list any Mahdist War figures.

All of this represents stuff I did not like, did not need or wished to replace (I've probably bought about 100+ metals in this period). My armies are leaner but also meaner. They look better. My storage area has space in it. In future, I may well buy single figures or small groups from time to time.

I've "made" a surprising amount of money though I do acknowledge the sums taken after the voracious bites from ebay for fees & Australia Post for P&P certainly don't offer anything for painting time. Roughly, 50 plastic figures (a box worth $14) would earn me about $35-40. Keep in mind, nearly everything appeared on a gaming table & that I mostly enjoy painting so I did get my money's worth *before* I sold them.

I had no difficulty with customers, no issues with ebay & only one postal issue when I tried using an alternative to Australia Post (it did get sorted though). I've had plenty of 'one off' sales but I also have my "regulars" who, for some reason, like my figures & kept asking for more.

So, the verdict? I'm 100% satisfied with the process & outcome. I will NOT regret selling any or all of the items and I still have plenty (!!) to continue gaming with.

donald

* I may start selling rule, modelling & history books.

[Xantippos]

All collectors, in my opinion, unless exhorbitantly rich, need to sell something on eBay at one point or another . In mine it was just to fund more purchases, but this bearing in mind, I am speaking mainly about vintage action figures.

eBay can work quite well, but now is full of taxes and inconveniences. My 14 year old account was capped to a short sum of money listed every month, following changes, and just was lifted a week ago or so. This adds up to the great inconvenience of having all sales sent directly to your bank account, which if you sell in another currency, they apply a strange conversion that benefit them greatly always.

I've had all kinds of experiences through eBay, but thanks to not had had any bad one for about the first year, I kept on until now.

[Minuteman]

I have used e-bay from time to time to allow me to purchase 'hard to find' sets, although to be honest I limit these purchases as they are often expensive. But e-bay is the home of some very good and professional sellers and I am sure that you, donald, operated with full professionalism in selling your several thousand figures to good homes.

While I am painfully aware of my own mortality, I'm afraid that the concept of 'clearing out' part of the stash is still a step too far for me, sensible though this would be. Good sense would say 'Sell those Zvezda Samurai, those C17th Eastern Renaissance figures, those WW1 armies and aircraft'...because none of these have been started and may never be.

BUT...I don't have the heart to. I love the collection that I have built up. It is far too big, and completely irrational. But it is always a delight to come across a box of figures that I bought 10+ years ago and consider how they might be used in some forthcoming project.

It takes up space, has taken money to build up, and is entirely personal; but that for me is the charm of it.

And as for my military book collection...don't mention it. 2.000+ volumes and counting.

[Ochoin]

Of course if the collection is a source of happiness, why would you dispose of it? That would be madness.

Speaking of which......there can arise a certain madness associated with selling. I'd written that I'm done.
Yet last night I started eyeing my Napoleonic Swedes.

This army is about 250 figures, nearly all HaT & I love it dearly but rarely use it. I am very tempted to sell it as one of my buyers would, I know, cherish it & actually put it on a tabletop battlefield occasionally.

Retro ad me, Satanis.

donald

[Fire at Will]

have cleared out a quantity of the stash over the last few years reasonably successfully. I have normally offered the figures for sale "under the counter" at shows first, so I know I can't get a better price.

One "trick" is to keep the price at what you want, but offer reduced postage on multiple purchases as it works to both sellers and purchasers benefit (and not e***)

Napoleonic Swedes - got most of the other armies, but I have to try and stop myself collecting more, that similarly I may never use. But very tempting all the same.

[Ochoin]

Napoleonic Swedes - got most of the other armies, but I have to try and stop myself collecting more, that similarly I may never use. .

I'll stick photos up when I prepare it for sale. I had fun modifying command figures & then using the HaT Austrian Landwehr as Swedish militia. Flags were fun to source too.

I don't ask much but apart from one inquiry from NZ, I've sold everything in OZ as P&P for overseas is not cheap.

donald

[Xantippos]

I only sell some of the things I am absolutely disatisfied as how they ended up looking. Usually, that is never painted soldiers, as they take me so much time and effort, I couldn't bear to sell them!