What is it like to sell full time?

Brian Van Horn · #1 12-30-2016, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

If I had any job where I had to deal with the public constantly I'd be an unhappy guy. Just can't do it. Been there, done that. Just don't have the patience any more.

Bingo! Meaning as it applies to dealing with the public, not dealing with fellow collectors/buyers.

Jantz · #2 12-31-2016, 12:36 AM

John

I can tell you this much, its a lot of work and you have to be quite savvy. The closest I came to being a fulltime dealer was back in 1999. Shows were a good way to make income buying & selling cards, but Ebay was even better. Much harder back then though since cell phones were just that....phones.

Before I go any further, I should mention that I was a modern card dealer and I can't believe that I'm going to admit this, but I even sold Pok�mon cards. Please forgive me! Give me a second to put that skeleton back in the closet.

It was a good time for selling modern cards since game-used cards had just started appearing, autographed cards in packs were taking off and rookie cards were a solid sale.

Buying & selling at shows was very enjoyable for me since I got to meet and make friends with many people. Some of those people are close friends to me now. Selling on Ebay was different as in, all business. Given the impersonal nature of the internet, no face to face, basically it was list it, sell it, mail it and on to the next sale. Only twice did an Ebay sale touch on a personal side and that was when I sold a card to Tom Pagnozzi's nephew & the second time when an older Japanese gentleman living in Japan reached out to me and bought a Roy White autograph card from me since he was a teammate of White's when they played together in Japan.

I ended up getting out of it a few years later. I had a fulltime job during those years, but was making more selling cards than working on the clock. Kinda funny looking back now because my boss would ask me if I wanted to work overtime on the weekends and I would tell him no thanks since I could make more money sitting at home selling on Ebay.

How the times have changed in just the last 20 years.

Jantz

P.S. Anyone want to buy any Pok�mon cards? Lol

MULLINS5 · #3 12-31-2016, 01:48 AM

I've been selling books full-time for a few years. I kept my day job in retail for a good two years before I felt comfortable leaving. A lot of the profits I make end up going back into inventory.

I am starting a new career this January (teaching) and have started scaling down the books. Pretty much everything valued under $50 went straight to donations. Now bookselling is a part-time job (hopefully).

Let me say this, because it took me by surprise, but when I left retail I thought I'd be spending more time with my son. I was so wrong about this. My son is only three and it absolutely breaks my heart when he comes into the office wanting to play, because he doesn't understand what I am doing, and probably feels like I am ignoring or don't want to play with him. I try to get him involved, so when I pack books I place an "X" on each package, he puts a FRAGILE sticker on them, and seems to really love helping.

glynparson · #4 12-31-2016, 05:21 AM

I have done it several different times. In fact it is currently my job, having sold my Employment service. If you want to be successful you can't really collect much because you want to keep all your best product, you should also have either a very deep inventory, a nice wad of cash, or both (ideally). You also sometimes need to cut better deals than you would like and sometimes buy swill just to flip and make a couple dollars. Honestly can be fun but can also take away a lot of the fun you get from it as a hobby. It certainly changes how "excited" you get from a purchase. As a collector rarity tends to excite you as a dealer it is value which are not always one in the same. One thing many have touched on is it can be feast or famine. Being able to spot what to get graded and what to sell off raw is an almost necessary skill in this day and age, if you want to sell cards for a living. So if you don't have knowledge, inventory, and cash and want to became a full time dealer you best have a lot of luck. One final thing sometimes you end up dealing with people as a buyer or seller that you'd tell to pound sand if you were doing it for fun but when it is your livelihood you have to put up with more tire kicking.

conor912 · #5 12-31-2016, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glynparson

One final thing sometimes you end up dealing with people as a buyer or seller that you'd tell to pound sand if you were doing it for fun but when it is your livelihood you have to put up with more tire kicking.

Having the option to tell anyone, at any time, for any reason, to go pound sand, is crucial to my happiness.

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