I played D&D in the mid-80's. In the late 80's and 90's I thought I would play again, so I continued to buy D&D modules (mostly Greyhawk). For each of these I opened them, read through or skimmed each, and then put them away. Around 20 years ago I put them into protective sleeves, and there they have sat. I have about 45 modules from 2nd edition, almost all in near mint condition.

My question is, what is the best way to sell such a collection? Should I sell them as a whole, by blocks of modules, or individually? I have never sold modules or collectables before and would love some advice. is eBay the best place to sell these?

Thanks in advance for your guidance.

Thanks. I looked at the prices here and at the current listing on eBay, so I have a rough idea on the potential sales price of each. Just not sure how to best go about it. Sell all as a whole, group by series, individually. Here are the models/reference books that I plan to sell.

A2 Secret of the Slavers Stockade
A1-4 Scourge of the Slave Lords
B2 Keep on the Borderlands
C1 Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan
C2 Ghost Tower of Inverness
DL2 Dragons of Flame
EX1 Dungeonland
EX2 Land Beyond the Magic Mirror
GDQ1-7 Queen of the Spiders
I1 Dwellers of the Forbidden City
I2 Tomb of the Lizard King
I3 Pharaoh
I4 Oasis of the White Palm
I5 Lost Tomb of Martek
I6 Ravenloft
L1 Secret of Bone Hill
L2 Assassin's Knot
S1 Tomb of Horrors
S2 White Plume Mountain
S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
S4 Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth
T1-4 Temple of Elemental Evil
WG4 Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun
WG5 Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure
WG6 Isle of the Ape
WG7 Castle Greyhawk
WG8 Fate of Istus
WG9 Gargoyle
WG10 Child's Play
WG11 Puppets
WG12 Vale of the Mage
WGA4 Vecna Lives!
WGM1 Border Watch
WGQ1 Patriots of Ulek
WGR1 Greyhawk Ruins
WGR2 Treasures of Greyhawk
WGR3 Rary the Traitor
WGR4 Marklands
WGR5 Iuz the Evil
WGR6 City of Skulls
WGS1 Five Shall Be One
WGS2 Howl From the North
X1 Isle of Dread

You are not the first to ask this sort of question.  Here are some relevant threads which have some good advice:

Re: New Member Here!

Re: Collector seeking advice...

Re: Advice?  New Seller, Long Time Collector

You can sell stuff through Classifieds here, or on Dragonsfoot, or on Facebook, or RPG.net or lots of other places.  I personally believe eBay is the way to go.  Yeah, you can save on fees by not selling on eBay, but that's assuming the offers you'll get from the other places are just as high as eBay.  The reason you often get higher sales on eBay is that you have a larger group of buyers interested.   Acaeum buyers are often more discriminating and are not really interested in common items or those in merely very good condition.  eBay is likely best for selling off cheaper and common items.

The more you are willing to be patient, the higher the prices your items will sell.  Auctions on eBay is the best way to sell things fast.  Selling with a fixed price is the best way to sell things, especially common things, for the maximum.  If you have the time, start with listing ten or so items on eBay, and see how it goes.  You will learn lessons which will change the way you sell/ship items in the future.  Start by just selling in the US before selling overseas.  Once you list some items, ask for feedback on the listings here, and you'll get more specific advice.  You might even get some offers!

There are whole threads about shipping practices, but collectors hate items damaged by postal carriers.  Books and magazine lots need to be shipped in boxes.  I use recycled boxes (Amazon boxes are usually good).  Modules can be shipped in envelopes, but need to be wrapped in a plastic bag (grocery bag will do) and taped between two pieces of cardboard that are slightly larger than the module.  Or you can wrap the module in bubble wrap.   Again, I use recycled envelopes (bubble envelopes are best).  So, start collecting cardboard and don't throw away foam peanuts or bubble wrap. A general rule of thumb is that when you finish packing, if the contents inside move, they will incur damage in transit.  Write "Handle with Care" in marker on the outside of packages.  Media Mail is the best way to ship modules, magazine and books.  Some postal workers tell you that you can't ship magazines by Media Mail.  Ignore them.

My personal experience is that items sell better as the weather gets colder.  You are entering prime selling season historically.  I think January and February are best.

There is lots of information I left off in this post, but maybe I've given you some things to think about that will prove helpful.  

I believe Ebay now 1099s you. Most likely you will have to pay taxes(which can be over 20%). So with Ebay fees, PayPal fees, and taxes you could be giving up almost 40%.

FoulFoot wrote in Best Way to Sell a Collection:I believe they only 1099 you on sales if you exceed a certain threshold, like $20k.  Could be wrong about that though.

Foul

Which in today's environment may not be a lot of auctions.  (Depending on what is being sold, of course)  

-SKA

The 1099 threshold was previously $20,000. For 2022 it's $600. Utterly ridiculous.

blackdougal wrote in Best Way to Sell a Collection:The 1099 threshold was previously $20,000. For 2022 it's $600. Utterly ridiculous.

I see this possibly crushing the eBay collectors market (unless everyone lies about profits). How does one prove to the IRS you bought something for $6.00 in 1983 and sell it for $700 in 2022 for a loss if they call your bluff? ( Based on latest I6 sale on eBay ).  


** expired/removed eBay auction **


-SKA

blackdougal wrote in Best Way to Sell a Collection:The 1099 threshold was previously $20,000. For 2022 it's $600. Utterly ridiculous.

The $600 threshold is what every standard US employer has to deal with, as per IRS requirements. My company is required to send a 1099 to every individual who worked for us if they have earned $600 or more in income, provided that they are a US Tax payer. By that, I mean we don't send 1099s to non-US individuals, such as a freelancer who is a French national. We can face some pretty steeps fines and penalties if an audit proves we weren't sending out the required 1099s. I would be surprised if eBay tried to fight having to comply with this standard. They may have tried to stop it early on, but if they did they must have conceded defeat.

I'm not a tax accountant, or trying to provide any formal advice, but the IRS intent behind this is fairly clear. A lot of people generate profit from selling on eBay. If you bought a game for $20 as a kid in 2000 and sell that well-loved game on eBay for $20 in 2022, you didn't make any profit. This is like when a game store buys a game for $20 from a distributor, that then sells it during a fire sale for $20. Of course, if you buy something for $20 and then sell if for $100, that's basically $80 in profit. We all know eBay is full of a lot of resellers, some of whom make a fair bit of money from reselling. Regardless, this can make filing your taxes more complex and time consuming.