Is it possible to become a part time dealer in Vintage?

[batkidiii]

I love to collect vintage baseball and was wondering if it is possible to become a samll, part time dealer in baseball cards? I just want to earn a little extra money to then turn help grow my personal collection. Any thoughts, or ideas for making my hobby passion into a side job?
Also, what are some ways that you would recommend in obtaining cards for resell. Thrift stores, garage sells, ebay???
I'm just kicking the idea around in my head. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Byron

[mintacular]

Yes it is. Just bear in mind that it is very time consuming and temper your expectations. Also, consider the fees/shipping involved when reselling, this makes it more difficult to make profits. Lastly, you have to be real knowledgeable about condition and prices, etc. or you could end of losing $ on your venture.

All and all, for the time spent you'd probably make more $ considering the time involved flipping burgers on the side, but of course that's not as enjoyable

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by mintacular

Yes it is. Just bear in mind that it is very time consuming and temper your expectations. Also, consider the fees/shipping involved when reselling, this makes it more difficult to make profits. Lastly, you have to be real knowledgeable about condition and prices, etc. or you could end of losing $ on your venture.

All and all, for the time spent you'd probably make more $ considering the time involved flipping burgers on the side, but of course that's not as enjoyable

right..funny how money is fought for every dollar from sellers when they say 'cant sell for x, cause paid x" basically they can hold off a deal for years until they make 5 dollars....they cant lose a dollar......though in the real world they are really losing money on opportunity cost and making no interest on the money they could of gotten....I like to pay what cards would go between the market price numbers low and high (depending on condition for grade) for which a card would go for in a month or so ...I really dont care what the seller paid for the card..its not like the seller would sell a card for 1 dollar if the seller got the card for free.....

...if about money flipping burgers would be FAAR better...but its more of a fun/hobby/keeping score matter

[savedfrommyspokes]

Originally Posted by batkidiii

Any thoughts, or ideas for making my hobby passion into a side job?
Also, what are some ways that you would recommend in obtaining cards for resell. Thrift stores, garage sells, ebay???

Very important: Have a plan as to what you will buy and how you will resell it. Flipping singles?....do your research on the pricing and as previously mentioned, consider the fees. Buying lots/sets to break up?... have an efficient system to create listings/price/ship/etc.

I find buying lots (not sets, except for a select few) from ebay and occasionally a major auction house yield the most profit for me.

[batkidiii]

Thank you guys for the great advice! I will be starting very small, if I decide to jump in.

[JTysver]

Not a dealer, but I would think if you specialize in one well sought after area that can help. In other words, find a niche. If you know T206s well, buy and sell those, if you know 1930s cards, buy and sell those, if you know early Topps cards, buy and sell those.

[Gr8Beldini]

Yes but... you learn what sells well by buying and selling. I have been doing this for more than 10 years and am still learning what I can buy that will 1) sell at a substantial profit; and 2) Sell reasonably fast. There are quite a few things I look to buy, and am able to buy reasonably that I know will turn a nice profit. There are other things I'm not sure about, but I'm always willing to take the chance. My thoughts are, I may lose money on this, but it probably won't be much (I'm more likely to lose time than money)... but even the occasional losses are educational (one more thing I know to avoid in the future). I will not tell you what I look to buy; this is 10+ years of learning I did on my own. I'm not looking for any more competition. I suggest that you jump in; give it your best shot; and don't quit the first time you buy something that doesn't turn a profit.

[Laxcat]

I am a part time completely vintage dealer. I agree with most of what has been said. I think that "know your market" is the best advice. Are there any universities or colleges nearby? Bring stuff related to that. Same with local teams.
If eBay is your route: buy big lots for small prices and then break up for bigger prices. Simple. Not really but once you get the feel for it you rarely lose money.

[David W]

It depends on your definition of "Part Time".

If your goal is merely to make an extra $100 a week, that could be done quite easily by just putting 3 or 4 auctions a day on Ebay.

If your goal is $1000 a week, or anything in between, not so easy.