Fw: Re: [BOATANCHORS-TEMPE] Stuff

[Kees Talen]

The best (most money to you) way to sell your collection is on eBay. It's
a huge marketplace, demand is up and down ...and fickle but it 
brings decent money on average. The biggest drawback is that you will
become a shipping clerk with lots of emails, cleaning, quick testing,
packing, shipping all over the world, lifting, etc. As we get older
that's less and less "fun''. For what I do, the goal is maximize the
money, if you want to make special deals to friends or have other goals,
the selling/donating could be handled differently.

I am (volunteered) the designated local club (WCARC) eBay seller for
donations to the Club or ARES and for Estates. The Estates can be a LOT
of work and many trips hauling stuff over to my garage ....sometimes
several pickup loads. Then we go thorough it with one or two others and
make an inventory and I start the eBay process. Since I (and my wife)
don't want to become a dumping ground (easy to do with boxes and boxes of
loose parts) I start everything low with no reserve, decent pictures,
always use the gallery photo, and an honest description so it WILL sell.
The idea is to MOVE IT OUT ....let supply/demand take care of the price.
On average, this has worked out very well. If it doesn't sell or it's not
worth putting on eBay it goes into the back of my pickup to the next Club
gathering as freebies and what's left goes in the nearest dumpster. The
really heavy (not very valuable) stuff does not go on eBay but goes to
the next local swapmeet. All the proceeds go to the Club or the widow. As
I said, this method has worked out very well so far and I would think
other clubs have similar Estate Committees. It is difficult to throw some
stuff away but you have to get into that mind set or you end up with some
of these dusty barns/garages/out buildings full of rusty electronics that
no one wants. I've seen boxes and boxes of every single part scrounged
from 100s of old TV sets, a collection of old VCRs (46 of them), etc. But
in among them some old Hallicrafters and even a Collins 310. Sometimes
it's all clean, neat, with all the original boxes and sales receipts, but
not often. 

Numerous times I've been requested to sell club member items for them
".....if they ain't dead yet" and, except in a few special situations,
I've declined because I really don't want to start a business. I have,
however, given several local ham presentations on how to sell on eBay
which have been well attended. 

Belton swapfest is this weekend and I need to gather up a few items and
some freebie boxes.

73 Kees K5BCQ
60 in the rearview mirror

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