I offer you fair market value for your collection... do you sell?

I was wondering the responses this question would get. I wanted to do a poll but I think more people look here than the poll section. The question is all the in the title.

Suppose someone offered you fair market value for your entire PC. Or inventory, depending on how you look at it. This could be your way out of the hobby if you choose to look at it that way.

Would you sell? Assume the buyer has cash on the spot, whole sale you can't save anything.

Please answer with yes or no then underneath you're welcome to back up your reasoning however just for a quick synopsis just state "yes or no"

So for me...

Yes.
Although I now have 225 unique autographs and 330 unique game used in my sheffield PC I have just as impressive Terry Glenn collection I inherited from my father. If someone offered me what I could get for it (if I pieced it out) all together.. I would most likely sell it and get out of the hobby. We all collect for the fun of it but I feel as if the economy is eventually going to phase collectors out as a whole, I mean the bench is dead constantly although it is summer. Half the reason is that I have no one to share new pick ups etc with as my dad has passed and I feel as if we had that special bond through cards. And although I continue to collect because I have an urge to have the best collection I can, I would easily sell it for the right offer.

No.

My answer may be different as I get older but right now it is no. I get too much enjoyment out of it. But I will admit that it is getting harder and harder to make trades here on The Bench. But I even wonder what a fair offer for my collection would be.

I believe a fair market value would be a good start. Best regards, David

I wonder as well. Realistically after fees if I broke my Sheffield collection down alone I'd expect to see around $8000 Most likely the lower end of the 8 and that would take years to break down. If someone offer to buy the whole thing off me for 8 I'd most likely do it to save me years of pecking away.

mm1sub said:

No.

My answer may be different as I get older but right now it is no. I get too much enjoyment out of it. But I will admit that it is getting harder and harder to make trades here on The Bench. But I even wonder what a fair offer for my collection would be.

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Yup. Come offer me fair market value and you can have it Slowly, but surely I am selling off my collection anyway but I'd save the Pujols' and Maris' for last.

I'd gladly sell $4500 worth of baseball cards to help get the drumset I want.

If you're talking about getting rid of all the sports stuff and not doing sports at all, I would have to say no. If you're saying to get rid of my major interests and still be involved in the hobby, I would say yes.

"Fair Market Value" ... If you asked 10 people to define the term pursuant to the hobby, you will undoubtably get 10 different responses.
ie:
My definition given a scenario of "entire collection" and "now" with no holdin' back or cherry pickin' of keepers would be ; Low Beckett minus 20% ... and YES I would sell, not to "get out", but to re-invest at what I believe is a Grrrrreat time to buy. Sure, I would regret a large number of in-hand 1/1's, Jersey #'d, Auto's, etc. but, it's been hard to stay within my budget by just saying no to fantastic deals available every day currently on eBay.
So, step up with $25k and it's yours. (deal includes 'bout $1000 spent on Jahvid Best high-end cards that are basically shipping protectors now)

No.

I've never been in it for the money, love the pursuit of tough cards, love finishing sets (although not doing much of that anymore), and actually like spending quiet time looking at my cards and reading the backs of cards I haven't read yet.

Like Bryon, maybe in 20 years my answer will be yes when both of my daughters say they could care less about them.

I am a no. Enjoy it too much right now to think about getting out.

I would keep my rice collection and blow everything else out. Probably set both the kids 529 plans up real nice. Anyone who is buying like that would never pay close to fair market though. If you could get 30% of fair market on every single thing, then you might find a well to do buyer

No.

My value for my personal collection is much higher than fair market value.

Richard

Sad part is, we are talking pennies on the dollar if you get someone to take it all. I am at a point in my life, that if that I could get someone to give me low book like mentioned above, it would all go. I would probably be losing on the stuff I wouldn't normally move at that, but would be gaining a lot more on a vast amount of stuff that has great book, but no value to more or on a secondary market it seems. So I am maybe in the minority, but I am at a stage in my life that I probably would. Thus, not leave the "burden" of getting rid of it for "fair market value" onto my family.

tglg said:

Sad part is, we are talking pennies on the dollar if you get someone to take it all. I am at a point in my life, that if that I could get someone to give me low book like mentioned above, it would all go. I would probably be losing on the stuff I wouldn't normally move at that, but would be gaining a lot more on a vast amount of stuff that has great book, but no value to more or on a secondary market it seems. So I am maybe in the minority, but I am at a stage in my life that I probably would. Thus, not leave the "burden" of getting rid of it for "fair market value" onto my family.

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Have to agree with you there...if I can't find someone in the family or close to me that will take it before I die, it will be sold for something. It can be a burden for someone that knows nothing or cares nothing about it.

Absolutely, yes. And then I'd start over!

tglg said:

Sad part is, we are talking pennies on the dollar if you get someone to take it all. I am at a point in my life, that if that I could get someone to give me low book like mentioned above, it would all go. I would probably be losing on the stuff I wouldn't normally move at that, but would be gaining a lot more on a vast amount of stuff that has great book, but no value to more or on a secondary market it seems. So I am maybe in the minority, but I am at a stage in my life that I probably would. Thus, not leave the "burden" of getting rid of it for "fair market value" onto my family.

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The even more sad part is, you know as well I as I do that you'd never, ever, see low book on a bulk deal. As I stated before, if you're at 20-30% of book on a bulk deal you had better take the money and run.

Amen brother. And I would love to get 30% on it all.

cjay101 said:

The even more sad part is, you know as well I as I do that you'd never, ever, see low book on a bulk deal. As I stated before, if you're at 20-30% of book on a bulk deal you had better take the money and run.

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I already have been piecing out my collection for a while now. Slowly getting deals that I find fair through friends, the bench, eBay, and Craigslist. As I grow older I've become more cynical and the hobby just doesn't excite me anymore. I passed down my Ripken collection to a nephew that will appreciate it, so my cards won't "die." Ha.

tglg said:

Amen brother. And I would love to get 30% on it all.

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Are you guys talking about 30% of what you could part it out at or 30% book value?

I would absolutely love to get 30% of book value. But like I said, I believe it would be closer to 10%, and I think you might be lucky to get that if you are looking at a whole collection buyout. As I said, you are looking at pennies on the dollar I think. Maybe it is just what I have seen around here, but there really isn't buyers at much at all if they are taking it all. They just don't want to lay out the cash for the volume of stuff that they will have to sit on and hope to sell at 10% - 20%, and take them years to do so. Just my opinion though. But again, I am talking all, which is rather vast, not like just a focused collection of say a player collection or such.

No

Not in this hobby for the money and like a lot of others already said, I get to much enjoyment out of this hobby and my youngest daughter getting into collecting makes it that much more fun.

Dennis