Reality Check on eBay item values - Mike's eBay Reseller Insights

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There is an old adage - Just because someone says something does not make it true.

While certain sources may contain some truth about items selling for outlandish prices, as re-sellers we need to be realistic on both, the lower and higher end when it comes to the realized prices vs  alleged values.

Beware of the hype as they say...

The reports last year about the "black diamond" VHS Disney movies come to mind. This is to say, its debatable if The Black Diamond VHS tapes are truly rare, high value items. Although some Disney collectors may seek them out, they typically do so for reasonable prices. But Kudos to any re-seller that is able to obtain sky high resale prices on these items!

Extra Extra hear all about it!

In May of 2016, few blogs reported the high listing prices by a few sellers on these VHS tapes. That prompted a widespread rumor about Disney Black Diamond VHS Videos being rare and highly valued. Certain blogs reported that  “Black Diamond Collection” Disney VHS tapes might be worth thousands of dollars. The blogs made the mistake of not noting the difference between what some sellers were listing for the items and what buyers actually pay, thereby skewing the reality by considering only the asking price.

Just because someone lists an item for $1000 dollars does not mean they will be paid a 1000 dollars for the item. Just because someone once bought a particular item for a 1000 dollars does not mean there are thousands of people willing to pay 1000's of dollars for said item.

On the flip side, sometimes a seemingly unlikely item can be both rare and collectible allowing a re-seller to  fetch a good buck on it. Sometimes it is a matter of  knowing market timing and trend other times it's just pure luck.

 The $300 iCarly Doll

 
Not long ago, I listed a particular iCarly Doll from about 2008 for $265 dollars and it sold for that amount. The Doll was new in the packaging and the packaging was mint. I arrived at that price because in my research at the time, there were only 3 others listed on any platform and they were listing between $225 and $325. So I listed it at $265 with free shipping, figuring I would give it a try.   I didn't use any special subscription software to research the item.  

Re-seller Tip - if you have this item new in the box and in mint condition, you may want to consider listing it between $200 - $300.


  I didn't promote the listing as I wasn't confident in the price, but in 6 weeks someone bought it. Afterwards, I searched for that particular item again, it was not listed anywhere. In this case the item turned out to actually be a  rare and sought after collectible. Another key take away, while you don't want to over-value your finds,  dont be quick to under value your finds...

The best part of the story being - we obtained the item for free, it was a give-away at an event many years ago. We almost tossed it  until I noticed the packaging and item were in mint condition. I knew the iCarly show was very popular when it was on the air and that the item was no longer made.

Re-sellers should be keenly aware there is always a market for certain toys that are mint in their original packaging. In  my case I took a try and it worked out. A zero cost item which I almost  tossed away, brought in nearly $300. dollars.  The point being - you just never know.    This  was made even  sweeter, because while I was dusting the item off and rescuing it from the toss/donate pile, I was subject to a fair amount of heckling and eye rolling about the reality of listing the doll at that price.

Always keep in mind too, just because an item is a popular selling item, does not mean it will command large prices. The item(s) trending popular usually means they will sell quickly. After all, as a re-seller you do not want to run an online museum, you want to move and resell items on a regular basis.

If the item really is rare and of high value, the item will have a smaller pool of potential buyers for the item. You may need to wait longer and have patience.

More importantly, there are at any given point in time, certain items that sell quickly and consistently at certain times. These are the sort of items that you can build a steady business.

Disney,  Nintendo, XBOX, PlayStation Items Remain Good Sellers

  In contrast to what  was reported here about the black diamond videos - Disney items still remain popular selling items.  This does not mean top dollars, it means steady dollars.  Quick(er) selling items tend to be Disney related items,  older postwar and prewar Lionel Trains and even newer Lionel models. H.O and N scale trains as well as other toy train makes.  Other good movers are Nintendo, Wii, XBOX and PlayStation equipment and games, even older equipment and games move well and draw a lot of interest.  There are some old video games and titles that will draw decent prices and sell within moments of listing them.


 Click Here To See Finds Like this Disney Bathing Cover up

However, once people hear rumors that certain items are good sellers, it becomes harder to source those items at all, or at realistic prices so as to be able to make profit in reselling them.   Sourcing is a whole other subject.

In the meantime, happy treasure hunting, listing and selling!

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 mlntrains.blogspot.com