guyana1230
Member 
Posts: 373 
What I collect: GUYANA, Surinam, British Commonwealth, Aland, Denmark Finland, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, USA, Scout Posts, Cinderellas
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Post by guyana1230 on Mar 24, 2023 11:58:50 GMT
I need to sell off some of my collection (it has got way to big). I have a few problems though so any advice would be gratefully received.
1) Best place to sell? I have sold on ebay before, it was okay, sold about 50% of what I wanted to sell. Have also done approval books on Stamporama which were very successful, but, I don't "do" Stamporama anymore.
2) I need to decide what material to dispose of, trouble with that is there are reasons collecting for each area in the first place so how to decide what goes and what stays?
3) I don't WANT any of my collection to go but have run out of room for more so something has to give.
Thank you in advance for any answers
Martyn
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kasvik
Member
Posts: 543
What I collect: Cancels mostly, especially Sweden Gävle and Lidingö, Switzerland Geneva, Germany Pforzheim
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Post by kasvik on Mar 25, 2023 14:16:47 GMT
It’s an unpleasant inevitability. I’m reminded of a scene in Arturo Pérez-Reverte's novel The Club Dumas. A book collector is gradually selling off his precious volumes, lovingly picking the one he can sacrifice with least distress. Wonderful movie version by Roman Polanski, The Ninth Gate, made especially for collectors of anything. Polanski turned it into a study of a crooked book dealer. Maybe the ending is so-so. But Polanski left no doubt, he gets it; he collects something. Complete: tubitv.com/movies/300169/the-ninth-gate
Which is to say, no helpful advice from me, just lots of sympathy and a distracting movie. 
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator 
Posts: 5,654
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Mar 25, 2023 16:41:53 GMT
Thanks for your post, Martyn ( guyana1230 ). Your situation seems to be endemic among collectors like us, so I understand your dilemma, as I am grappling with the same issue, which has recently become more important for me, since I have just started a new household situation since returning from the UK. A bit like Aaron ( kasvik ), I am not full of answers, but I do have one idea, that I am trying to pursue. Have you ever heard of Marie Kondo? She is a Japanese "organizing consultant". I have seen a program about her method of getting rid of stuff before, and here is the essence of it: Source: Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Kondo#KonMari_methodSo, the basic idea is that unless an item "sparks joy" in you, you get rid of it. I am trying to use this approach with my stamps. I am looking at stuff and asking myself if it something that can really hold my interest for future study. If it does, I keep it. If not, then it is going into a box of stuff to get rid of. Would an approach like this work for you? |
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vikingeck
Member
Posts: 3,265
What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Mar 25, 2023 17:01:43 GMT
For all its faults , and often expensive fees ( still less than an auction house however) eBay is the way to sell individual items and small lots. I have as much stamp interest and activity listing and selling as I ever did when collecting.
Hipstamps was a waste of space for me and Delcampe produced few sales. eBay provides a world wide market and can sometimes surprise me.
every few weeks EBay offers reduced fees over a weekend listing and that certainly helps. Postage costs can be hefty but the UK market is awash with cheap postage which dealers are selling at 60% face so keeping a stock of mint stamps means the postage savings can help reduce the eBay costs.
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cjd
Member
Posts: 1,107
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Post by cjd on Mar 25, 2023 17:03:26 GMT
I doubt we can tell you what to get rid of, but perhaps we can help you crystalize your thoughts? I haven't given this any serious thought because I have not yet hit a point that pushes me to divest. This is how I think I would think about it. First, I'd make a short list of what's off the table. What am I keeping, no matter what. Then I'd clarify for myself what my real goal is. Do I need to make room in my house? Do I need to make room in my head? Do I need to make room in my household budget? Some combination thereof? I think they'd all have different approaches.
For each goal that applied to me, I'd make a Top Five list. Top five bulkiest items, or Top Five diversions from my main interests, or Top Five valuable items (that are also saleable), whether stamps, or albums, or collections, or literature. If I got rid of some or all of the items on a list, would that solve my problem, for now?
Being the stamp collector in the family, I received a relative's collection/accumulation. It was many boxes. I drove several hours each way to meet to pick it up. I was told by his family that he had been pretty serious. It included old feeder albums, lots of old literature/pamphlets, binders of manila stock sheets with duplicates, old stock books, old album pages, Zip-Lock bags of U.S. on paper...most of you can picture exactly what I received. But there was no there, there. You hate to say it, but it was essentially junk. That assemblage lived in my head and took up space for quite some time, because I felt an obligation to it that was related to how it came to me. Then, I discovered a receipt from an auction house. The relative had auctioned his actual albums years prior. That was the permission slip I needed to be ruthless about divesting myself of it. Some boxes became floor lots at the next in-person auction I attended. Some things became donations to youth stamp efforts. Some things went to a crafter, who probably did unspeakable things to them. Best not to think about it. Everything I have left fits in a shoe box.
That accumulation didn't have anything of significant monetary value, so I didn't need to spend any time thinking about how to maximize the financial return. I doubt the entire proceeds from the floor-lot sales covered the gas to pick it up, take it to auction and/or donate it. At least it didn't all end up in the dumpster (on my watch).
If you can narrow your focus to the kinds of things you may be parting with, you'll no doubt get some specific thoughts.
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stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,642
What I collect: currently focused on most of western Europe, much of which is spent on France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain Queen Victoria
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Post by stainlessb on Mar 25, 2023 17:28:47 GMT
a couple of ideas/suggestions:
first of all, be realistic as to what the market value currently is.
if in the material you need to rid yourself of, if there is any amount of lower value items you could lump together and offer as a 'grab bag' lot (making certain that you have enough for postage wherever it's final destination may be), or just donate it to a local club. In some cases there may be a tax deduction, (or not), but in the end you've moved a
lot of lower value material quickly.
Keep in mind how you value your time - that it will take to list, package, ship or otherwise transport
Good luck
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