Need help with a sales strategy.

[Robbie]

Hi Net 54 friends,

I know you are mostly card guys on this side, but I am asking for your help. My name is Robert Slatkin. I have been collecting baseball memorabilia for about 30 years, with the past 15 to 20 years mainly focused on baseball newsphotos.

The past couple of years have been very difficult for me financially with my wife getting cancer, and some other issues I don’t need to share with everyone. I am not looking for sympathy, just some advice on how to best sell some items and raise some needed money to pay bills.

While collecting, I have picked up different kinds of collectibles and Americana with individual values anywhere between $20 and $300++ (everything from original Redline Hotwheels, to posters and ephemera, coins, cookie jars, etc.). I also have some sports (mostly baseball) memorabilia items valued between $25 and $500+. I believe most auction houses only want higher priced items. Although I have a good idea of the values, I have very little experience as a seller.

It seems hard to find one seller to do the best on both the collectibles stuff and the sports memorabilia. Auction House, Ebay, private sales, I don’t mind any of them as long as it is a good source to maximize the sales price.

Can anyone recommend someone who would be a good source to sell the collectibles and Americana?
Also, someone to sell baseball memorabilia in the price range mentioned?

The only company I have spoken to is Huggins and Scott, which I am considering. How is Hakes?

Thank you for your help!!! I sincerely appreciate it. (I am posting to both the card side and memorabilia side).

[Joe_G.]

I don't have a solid suggestion for you. Mears may have the largest following for newsphotos given what they have auctioned off over the last couple years. Mainly replying to give you a bump back to the top. I'm sure someone will have good advice. Best of Luck!

[RCMcKenzie]

Robbie,

I think the two places you named are what baseball card collectors think of when they think Americana and baseball related items. Lelands also. You can't go wrong with any of those. I think of Mears as game-used bats and uniforms and that stuff.

If I were you I'd sell it myself on ebay, but you could also try one of the big ebay sellers or even one of those local shopping center isolditebay sellers.

good luck

Rob

[drc]

Huggins and Scott is good. They sell a good variety of stuff and are reputable.

You can try your hand at eBay. If you've bought from there, you may already have a good feedback number which will aid you.

I don't think selling is an either/or situation. You can sell in different avenues. Consign here, sell some stuff on ebay, sell some stuff privately.

[jcmtiger]

Try selling on ebay, I sold thousands of items for my daughter when her husband died suddenly. His collection consisted of hot wheels, comics, sport items, action figures lead soldiers, Marx items and many other subjects.

It takes lot of time creating the ads and shipping items, but for the value of items you have this is the better way. Unless you have items worth thousands most auctions don't want the lesser value items.

Just my opinion based on experience.

Joe

[Jewish-collector]

Robert,

Your stuff might not be "auction worthy" so the big auction houses might not be interested. I do recommend consigning to Hakes, Morphy's, Mosby's
(http://mosbyauctions.com), and Parzow. These auction houses are all very reputable and they all accept lower end items that the larger places won't take.

Selling the stuff yourself on ebay is always possible, but it would be very time consuming. You could consign it all to one of the larger, reputable ebay sellers like Probstein123, Henry Yee, etc,...

You also could try setting up at the Chantilly show for the sports related material. (http://www.csashows.com)

Good Luck !!!

[Hankphenom]

Very sorry to hear about your wife, Robert, I hope she has a full recovery.

Many good suggestions and names here for auctions. As has been mentioned, selling on eBay is a LOT of work and will take you a long time. Also, eBay seems to have died in the last few months, or at least been seriously wounded, when it comes to quality sports memorabilia. Very little good stuff on there recently, and it's my impression that fewer people are looking and selling. I don't know if this is simply temporary and will turn around, but it's been a pretty drastic change from what I've seen for many years.

Best of luck with everything.
Hank

[T205 GB]

I would get in contact with B&L auctions. I did well with some stuff like that with them. They started with low openers and I was very suprised with the results. To say the least I was very happy and they are A+ to consign with. I wish you the best.

I also had my daughter diagnosed with leukemia in 2011 and she is doing very well now. Just remember no matter how tough and nasty it gets Be Positive.

[asoriano]

.

[Matt E.]

Please contact me regarding the Redlines. I am primarily interested in those castings from 1968 - 1972. I will send a PM with my contact information.

Thanks,

Matt

[cyseymour]

Since you are going through a very stressful situation with your wife, I would not take on all the legwork of selling them yourself on ebay. It is just too much to manage.

You could consign them to someone to sell them for you on ebay, however. Ebay may have a larger audience for those types of small items than an auction house.

I've consigned with davidbvintage.com, and he was great, but I don't know if he deals with collectibles outside of baseball cards. But there are others out there.

Sorry to hear about your situation, and I wish you and your wife well.

[Robbie]

I want to sincerely thank those of you who have taken the time to post helpful information. You are the people that make this hobby great, and in my opinion understand what should be the strongest bond that brings us together on this wonderful site; the love of the hobby, and to support others who do, as well.

As I initially mentioned, I have been in the hobby for 30 years. And although I don't post often, I will bet I have spoken to, seen, know, or met every single one of you who were kind enough to take your time to help with suggestions. Thank you guys.

Robbie