Need some selling advice...

[Beanie]

Hey guys!! So I posted about a month ago about selling off my Ponyville collection (I hope some of you guys got that stuff!!) Well, that all is done and it's time to go through my G3 collection.

I sorted my massive tote and about 65% of the collection, I'm selling... keeping the other 35%. This includes several of the BIG playsets (I'm keeping a whopping four playsets I think.)

I kept all the boxes and all the back cards. So I intend to sell everything with it's original box/back card.

Here's the problem... this is a TON of ponies and play set buildings and just general stuff! Photographing and ebaying is a massive undertaking. What do you think is the best way to do this? Everything individually? Sell in lots - like I have multiple 2004 Rainbow Ponies, sell them all together? Sell one MASSIVE pony lot and list the playsets individually?

Any advice is much appreciated!

 

[PrincessLyra]

I have never sold anything online, but the most general advice that I see being given is this: it depends on what your priorities are.
If you sell each pony separately, it's going to take more time, but you'll most likely be able to make more money. If you sell them in lots, you won't make as much money, but you'll probably get rid of everything more quickly.

As a buyer and someone who does not have steady income as of yet, though, I can already tell you that generally lots (especially but not limited to, big ones) discourage me from buying. Yes, it's cheaper per pony in the long run, but if I don't have enough money for the full lot + shipping it doesn't make a difference. I've also seen people trying to sell whole collections only to get asked time and time again if they'd sell one or two ponies separately, to which they consistently answer "no" - usually the result is that neither side wins.

If you do end up selling in lots, my advice would be: try to plan and be flexible enough that if a person asks for a separate pony or two it won't throw your sales in disarray. That way you won't lose potential buyers that can't afford the full lots.

Sorry I can't be more helpful than this.

 

[Beanie]

That is helpful, thanks! I agree as far as selling in lots goes, that will always make shipping more expensive and it's also kind of frustrating, as a collector, if you really just need one pony and it's in a lot of five or six... even if I just sold, say, "here's three jewel ponies!" that could still be annoying. I think selling individually is the best route, especially since I'm guessing collectors will be my most likely market. Might be a lot of people looking to pick up just that one or two they need to finish out a set rather than a whole set...

I spent the last almost three hours going back through the box, sorting everybody out with their appropriate backcard and brushes... holy crap! It's definitely going to be a very time consuming feat to photo and list everybody! And it's going to cost me a good deal in ebay listing fees too X_X Oh boy...