They’ll come to you, they’ll come to you… 🎶🎵
Some quick tips and what-not when it comes to offering these precious gems For Sale.
The “plan” (yes, there is a plan..) here is to start offering various pieces For Sale. Directly from here on the website and also over on eBay. I’ll also be attending collector events and conventions in the North of England – but those plans are to be discussed and fleshed out another day. For the purposes of this post, let’s focus on eBay.
For the purposes of this post, let’s focus on eBay.
If you pop onto the global marketplace on any given day you will be certain to find literally thousands of pieces of movie memorabilia available – from experienced dealers through to one-time sellers who may have (for example) inherited a collection from a recently deceased relative. The ephemera available comes in all shapes and sizes, from British “Quad” film posters through to US “One Sheets”, Italian “Fotobusta” posters, black and white press kit photographs and of course lobby cards.
From a buying perspective, it can often be extremely frustrating when the seller has failed to accurately describe and/or illustrate what they have on offer. As an experienced and meticullous seller myself, this quick initial post on this important topic is intended to help provide some useful pointers if you find yourself offering such collectables for sale.
My Top 10 things to include on your listing(s)
- Several good quality photographs of the actual item(s) for sale
- Details of the provenance of the materials being offered*
- An honest, detailed account of any existing blemishes and damage
- The size and format of the cards/photos
- Details of the cast/crew featured on the card(s)
- The country of origin*
- The age/year in which the memorabilia was printed and issued*
- What packaging materials you will use to protect the item(s)
- Which shipping methods are available (always with tracking available)
- Encourage buyers to ask any questions they may still have.
*if known.
Being honest and upfront about the condition of the item you are offering for sale is vitally important – and will also dramatically decrease the chances of any return request from your buyer.
To conclude…
Providing you take the necessary time to honestly and descriptively present your offerings you will significantly increase the chances of not only selling the item(s), but also for a higher sale price than when doing so with a sparse or otherwise insufficient description. After all, you’ve worked hard taking that extra time to set your stall out (so to speak) – be sure to price accordingly to reflect and reward that.
Finally, rather than leave anything open to assumption or guesswork, if you don’t happen to know something about the things you are selling, be sure to say so on the listing! Prospective buyers will note and respect that honesty – and may well be able to then fill in the blanks themselves (for example by using Google’s amazing “Lens” tool, to identify cast members, country of origin, age and so on). Leave as little as you can to chance.
I’ll be going into greater detail on this important area in the future, but for now… happy eBaying!
