So the time has come for me to let go of the collection (no sad feelings, it was always the intention when I finished - it’s about the journey right?!).
However, I’m kind of unsure on the best way forward. I have every master set and my intention was to always just sell the whole collection as one purchase. Now, although this would be much easier for me time wise, the problem with this is the buyer pool is naturally very small.
Here are my options (I’m trying to balance not spending too much time on breaking it up vs not losing all the value, so splitting sets into individual cards is probably out of the question):
Sell as one lot - By far the easiest option, but difficult to find a buyer, can’t list on eBay to drum interest as my selling limit is too low. Potentially send to an auction house? Would this even work with this many raw cards?
Break into sets and sell those - Not the worst option time wise (and I have been approached by some to buy certain sets), however that’s like 132 sets to get rid of and not sure whether it’ll work out much better financially to do it this way?
Break into “full sets” (just set cards) and sell promos/variants - Some people I’ve spoken to although they want master sets, they actually mean “full sets” - this causes issues when agreeing valuation for some sets (hello distributor promos and Stadium Challenge Deoxys etc.). This means it’s going to be easier for me to sell higher ticket items individually, however same question as above, is it going to be financially better?
Unless I was handing the cards in person (to a UK based grading company) I wouldn’t want to be sending stuff off to PSA (cost, risk, time etc), but I’d maybe consider ACE or someone to take my high ticket items (again distributor promos, sample set, worlds staff cards etc).
Apologies if that’s all over the place, but hope that makes sense.
I’m not sure how much I’d be able to add since you’re already aware of the options available to you. I suppose it boils down to a few key things; your appetite for risk, level of financial compensation you’re willing to accept, and your willingness to spend time. Each of the options you talk about is obviously more heavily weighted in some areas than others. If it was me, I’d spend a little time thinking about what I’d be most willing to compromise on. If you send the whole lot to consignment for example, the risk you take on basically ends once the consigner has received your items. The biggest compromise in that instance of course being taking a hit to your financial return; but would the peace of mind and freed-up time be worth it? I think you just need to meditate on which compromise you’re most willing to make. Once you decide which route you want to take, it’ll be much easier to recommend specific services or actions to take.
As someone who enjoys set collecting as well here is my honest opinion
I think you might have to do a mix of everything you mentioned. I would go with the approach of finding fellow set collectors who would appreciate the set in its full potential and see how many sets that person would be interested in, as I would assume set collectors might have already completed a set or two. Prioritize the people who are buying more sets as it will help speed things along as I am assuming you don’t want to wait a while. Finding set collectors willing to take them off your hands might be hard but will be worth it as they will take every card into consideration instead of just the expensive ones. (It takes alot of time, effort, and money to order 300+ bulk cards including reverse cards from tcg player, it adds up quickly )
Honestly, sets are hard to sell because most will just break down a set and sell the high ticket items to recoup costs or even make a profit. Some might even try to undercut you like most buyers at cons stating 70-80% of market price so they can profit too. However, if you are fine taking a bit of a loss I’m sure you can find someone willing to do this. Second quickest way to get a decent value. They will probably exclude all the bulk
I highly advise against auctions since sets do not do well. They almost never do well. There are many examples of full sets going for lower than the individual pieces for some reason but that’s just how it is apparently. (fastest way but also might be the lowest return)
I personally would love to absorb the sets as this was something that always seemed cool - to collect them all. I just don’t think I would have the capital to do that as I’m knee deep in my collecting goals as well. I really hope these find a home without breaking up your collection too much. It was an honor to look through your sets over the years!
If youre selling all together youll usually have to discount it a lot. The buyer is either going to split the sets because they only want to take what they need or split the sets to sell top cards and have the time to spend on it.
“Master set” is so misunderstood that it doesnt bring extra value to anyone but extremely niche collectors. People want the chase cards followed by rare cards.
Given that, Id check auction houses if they take raw sets first, if not then i’d group the sales usually as full sets with the rest of the top rarity stuff individually since that where the value will be derived from (nobody is paying extra for that 1st edition caterpie when there is a 1st charizard in the mix). Yes this will give you 200+ listings but that was always in the cards when youre talking about such large amounts of high value cards. If you want less listings then separate by eras. Use Reserve auctions and cross your fingers.
Generally i suggest to take top value cards in best conditions and grade them since thats what the buyers will do as well, especially if there are concerns about authenticities normally. Makes everything safer and you usually make a bit more.
I’d grade the hits and sell them individually.
I’ve graded many times with Subcenter in the UK - they are top-tier and fully insure everything at each step.
It depends on how much you value your time, the bigger chunk of your collection you sell at once the less money you’ll get.
So I think there’s a middle ground of selling the expensive chase cards individually, some of the holos as a combined lot, and the commons / uncommoncs / others as larger lots for each set.
I wouldn’t auction anything low-end on ebay UK though, go for buy it now listings. Unless you just want them gone of course!
I understand the selling limit thing. But I would find a way to list as one large lot for a reasonable price. Then you could always take it down if you have a change in heart.
Imagine selling a couple of the sets or chase cards then deciding you want to complete it again.
I guess it comes down to why you are selling. Need X amount of money for real life? No longer in love with the collection?
I think breaking it down to small, coherent mini-sets is a good compromise time wise.
Lots in general don’t perform well, but auctioning huge master sets could lead to extremely disappointing results, especially if you choose the wrong platform to sell.
Also, I agree with marill: If you have some pricey card/promo that you could remove without breaking too much the completeness of the set, selling them individually is surely the best option.
Then, while you’re thinking about your decision, I’d be careful to not make others perceive that you’re in a hurry to sell everything: otherwise you’re going to get many lowballing offers from individuals.
I know that would be tempting to close this chapter of your life as soon as possible, but take you time. Good luck!
)
It was an honor to look through your sets over the years!