Any eBay experts around here? Through with Christmas.

[hangemhigh]

For a variety of reasons, my 20 year collection of Christmas decor has become a burden and it's going to go.

It's a monumental collection; hundreds and hundreds of beautifully cared for ornaments, pillows, rugs, dolls, retro signs, stockings, yards and yards of garland, thousands of lights. There are probably 15-20 full bolts of wide, wired ribbon, multiple silk Christmas trees and wreaths. There are enough unique ornaments to heavily decorate a 12' and a 6' tree and garland my entire 2 bed 2 bath condo, inside and out. Plus 4 heavily decorated wreaths, one of which is a monster outdoor thing. The point is, there's a ton of it, I am over it but realize it's worth something. Decorating for Christmas has long been a fun obsession but this is just too much shit for one person. I mean seriously.


It seems that selling it by piece would be a nightmare and that as a collection or several collections, it has good $$ value. I am thinking of creating a full inventory before I take it down and pack it up, taking a ton of pictures, setting a reserve and selling it all as one.

I'd really appreciate suggestions and input.

Thanks!

[Mistress Quickly]

1. I'd do a couple of collections

probably get more money that way.

on edit, the shipping would be a pain also if its too big.

[NewJeffCT]

2. it's more work, but

But, creating several collections is going to get you more money unless it is really rare & hard to get stuff in top condition. I've been on eBay enough to realize that groups of things, even if somewhat closely related, aren't going to sell as well as individual items - if you are Joe or Jane Buyer, you might want a few of the things you are selling, but many folks already have their own XMas items they might want to add to, so a whole new collection might be less desirable.

[jeff30997]

3. Is your real name Clark Griswold ?

:)

[hangemhigh]

8. LOL! nt

[Left Is Write]

4. I agree, I would split them into several groupings.

[amazona]

5. well eBay is past its peak WAY past its peak but...

...I'm going to be Scrooge and confess that I doubt that your old Christmas decorations have any value. I have a rating of over 500 and most of that was from sales back in the old days, before people stopped bidding and paying fair prices to private individuals. My experience in selling Christmas ornaments was that it was a total waste of time.

However, if your items do have value, the first thing to do is to look up individual items and to see what other sellers have gotten for those items on eBay. Then sell the good items. Don't waste your time and pay fees to list items that don't fetch a decent price, say, more than $5 an item.

I tried the "big bags of stuff" route, and it doesn't work on eBay. People won't buy because of the shipping costs. No one wants to pay to mostly get junk and maybe one or two valuable items -- especially since they assume that you've picked out the valuable items and sold them separately anyway.

If you want to move "big bags of stuff," here is what I try first:
1) Many local newspapers allow you a free classified ad for under $100. So you can put an ad for, say, "50 pounds of 1950s Christmas ornament antiques $99" or whatever. See if any of the bags sell.
2) For a little more work, I would garage sale and offer individual items. At the end of the day, offer the big bags and boxes for $5 or 10 or $20 or what-have-you. On Edit -- If it's a two day sale, bag/box stuff up for discount sale on Saturday night for quick sale on Sunday.
3) If all else fails, donate. If you have Schedule A deductions, it actually helps you with your taxes, but as far as I know, this only works for people who have BIG mortgage interest payments or BIG medical bills. For the rest of us, we can't deduct our donations, but at least by donating we get the stuff out of the way.

I'm going to actually sell some old Christmas ornanments at a garage sale this weekend. I'll try to remember to come back and let you know if they sell for anything but I'm guessing it won't be too impressive.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[Kahuna]

13. I still get good money for nice vintage collectible ornaments...

You probably can't compare with ebay's "peak." However if those ornaments go on sale this summer, a lot of money can be made. I've made hundreds, on probably less than what the seller has.

[Vinnie From Indy]

6. Ebay Powerseller Here

Hello!

I am a licensed auctioneer, CAGA certified appraiser and Ebay Powerseller.

My advice to you is to do a bit of research on Ebay's 'past sales'. I do know that there are individual items in the Christmas categories that are very valuable. Old xmas lights w/box, vintage aluminum xmas trees and Victorian ornaments etc. sometimes are worth selling individually. Each category is different, but there is definitely an active Christmas collector group on Ebay. The trap that most new Ebay sellers fall into is that they spend way too much time preparing and listing items that will only generate a small amount of money. Those items you should group together as lots or sell as suggested above.

Ebay is maturing as a marketplace. Different groups making truckloads of money. It is still a great marketplace and it is having a profound impact on the traditional auction industry.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

10. I'm an eBay Power Seller as well and agree with you. I do think

timing is very important when selling on eBay. Doing the research as to when the buyers for those collectibles will be at the site, and which day of the week. I would also hold off until the end of the summer when buyers will be more receptive to Christmas items.

ie..I sell crystals and minerals, and my customers are later night, weekend buyers.

Another recommendation. Lots of words, and very clear photos. Be very descriptive and sell what you are offering with those words. I would say with Christmas items you should evoke the feeling of Christmas season, giving it a homey touch.

BTW...touching wood here, eBay is still very alive and well for me. :)

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

11. PS..forgot to mention why timing is so very important. The two most

important times for the auction is the first day listed, and very importantly the last few hours. In fact the most action should occur minutes before it ends. People wait until then and the prices can skyrocket.

[Vinnie From Indy]

14. Great Advice !!!!!!!

You are right on about timing etc.

[moez]

7. I sell quite a bit on ebay

I was absolutely SHOCKED by how much I got for some ornaments (that I thought were plastic pieces of junk!). I had a bunch of old hallmark plastic ornaments that went between $50 - $100 each. It's funny, the ones that I thought were nice didn't go at all.

I agree with the others about grouping the ornaments. I'd go one extra step though, and look at previous auctions to see if any individual ornaments are worth a lot and sell those by themselves. Then make a few other groups with the rest.

Good luck!

[hangemhigh]

9. Thanks so much-here's more info...

Nothing is vintage or rare. All is fairly high end and in great condition. (this was an obsession, remember?) Most are unusual-about 300 shoe ornaments. There are 25 Swarovski ornaments. There are great Lenox pieces. Lots of Department 56. Headed out to do my homework on eBay. An auctioneer friend will take it on for me, I just thought eBay would drive a higher price. Thanks again for the tips!

[Kahuna]

12. I've sold a lot of vintage Christmas ornaments on ebay... If..

you sell them at the right time, cha ching!!!!!! Really, you should wait until this spring if not later, and break up the ads. You could make a lot of money.