This year, I’ve been able to attend a lot of tournaments all over the country. TSHFT in Seattle, Wargamescon in Austin, BAO in San Jose, LVO in Vegas, Just a Games Con in Corvallis. Man that is a lot of travel! I don’t say this to flaunt my wealth, as being a 2nd Grade Teacher makes me having none, but rather discuss how I’ve been able to hit so many tournaments lately – selling crap on eBay!
I thought I’d focus first on my work in the second hand Warhammer market, of which there is plenty. I don’t have all the answers, but with some simple steps, you too can be on your way to avasting a fortune of Warhammer wealth and partying with the likes of Frankie in Austin at a hotel bar!
Step One – Buy Wholesale!
You are on a forum or trolling eBay and come across that massive lot of models, all with the tag, “Will not part out!” This can be annoying for some as most of you only want that one thing in the lot, but for some it can be just the thing to start you on your way to second hand victory. Now some guys want not only to sell their giant collection in one go and at 80% of retail cost. Just avoid those, or wait till the price starts to drop…and it will. Some might pay top dollar for a whole army or collection, especially if it is painted, but for most of us, we’d rather just buy them new for that high of a price.
What you need to look for is a lot or collection that is around 25-40% of retail. Look long enough and you will find them. You can search buy, sell, and trade forums, eBay, Craigslist, and even your local crew of gamers. Some people would rather just move it in one lot at a discounted price for cash on another army or something else.
Step Two – Break it into Smaller Lots
In my opinion, one of the best ways to profitize on a collection is by breaking it into much smaller lots of items. Take a Space Marine army for example. Break it into squads of 5-10 marines for each listing. Sell each tank or vehicle individually and characters separately as well. This will allow you to maximize what you can get on them and increase your profits by quite a bit.
Step Three – Look for the Treasures
Step Four – Know the Price
Most people that sell on eBay know about this. When searching for the value of an item, and the true value is what people are paying, search the sold listings in the Advanced search menu on eBay. I know a few times I’ve looked up an item seeing it listed for hundreds, only to see it being sold for much less. See what things have sold for and you will generally see a pretty fair representation of what an item will go for. You will also see the general value goes up depending up on the condition. The general price breakdown is New in Box (NIB), New on Sprue (NOS), Assembled, Assembled and Primed, and then Painted. Now for painted, it can also increase the value depending upon how well it is painted. A truly well painted model can sell for much more than its retail in box counterpart. A poorly painted model can be worth much less.
Step Five – List and Profit!
But Where To Start?
You can also hit Garage Sales, Goodwill outlets, Auction Houses, and other places that you can score cheap items to resell and make profits on. Heck, you can even buy stuff on eBay and then resell it on eBay! My friend often does this with trucker hats. He finds lots of hats that he spends about $1 per hat on and resells them individually for $10+. It really comes down to the reason that people don’t want to spend the time and effort to make the most money on their product. They get some fast cash and you get some good product to sell. Win win in my book.
Conclusion
One thing to mention is that eBay isn’t the only place though to sell. I know plenty of guys that sell on forums, Facebook pages, Craigslist, and other areas to avoid the fees or the tax man ( you are supposed to claim everything you sell, eBay or not). You can still use the above principles with just about any platform and see the same success. Now get cracking and go make some money to bolster your forces or attend a tournament!
All of the above pictures are items I have found in lockers, at an auction house, bought in a lot, or found on the side of the road (not kidding) and have sold on eBay.