Do I or don't I?

[ahrtal]

Well, gents, looks like I have to build a damned pyramid and take this stuff with me.  Don't get me wrong, I love my collection, but since deciding to liquidate, I've only had modest success.  I think I price stuff realistically, but got a lot of rare items, that most can't just reach into a pocket and plunk down a wad of cabbage.  I don't have a website, and can't get to a lot of shows.  

Thought about getting a website, getting set up with business Visa, MasterCard, and Discover accounts, but I won't be selling forever, and setting up, maintaining a site and books, etc. makes it into a full time job, not to mention trying to overhead expenses.  Not a prospect for a caregiver, and I'm a bit old to go back and get a business degree.

The final thought would be just to have some dealer come in and take it all.  Sold some off that way, but let some stuff go at about what I paid for it.  Isn't it ironic, that we spend our lives acquiring, and then it becomes an albatross?

[Norrie]

@ahrtal..I'm sorry to hear you are giving up my friend...and the best of luck to you in selling the collection off. 

Up to about 5 years ago, I was a maniacal angler, mainly sea fishing, had a boat, fancy outboard etc etc all the electric toys on it too... custom rods and reels, some built by a guy In San Diego....and over 1200 sea angling books going back to 1820....then I woke up one day after a particularly bad fishing trip and decided to sell the lot....the books owed me app £4-6K...I sold for lots less to get rid to a dealer...boat and gear were all sold for lots less than they were worth too.....maybe £10k for £15k worth of stuff......I had tried to sell it all off in single items, but as you say, the time and pressure werent worth it ...so, got in touch with a few dealers and in one weekend, it was all gone....

 

I felt that such a weight was taken off my shoulders, it wasnt real... 

 

take care...

[Lenny]

@ahrtal, you don't need to do a website just to sell. Plenty people selling in here and on FB groups. I agree that it's hard to sell top end items, not many people spending big money.

Why not add them to the new sales area in here, they get auto posted to the FB group with nearly 14,000 collectors. Worth a go...

[Guest Fred Karno's Army]

It's hard parting with stuff especially when it's taken years to build up,I made the decision a couple of weeks ago to clear my loft as it was all post 1945 stuff up there and with my health it was around 2 months since I last been up there,and as I have now 100% committed myself to collecting Great War items.I thought about trying to list bits,I just decided to clear it all to a dealer friend of mine.I made profit and left plenty in it for him,but it was much easier for me to allow him to come in and empty it all over two days.

    

[Manu Della Valle]

Hi  @ahrtal,
I'm selling my collection myself and I'll only keep a few uniforms just because I couldn't stand watching al those b&w video footages!It took me years to build it up and I'm pricing my items accodingly (not to the moon but like any 'reputable' dealer would for an identical item!) because even if the saying goes "you buy the item and not the story!" I KNOW where they come from and I KNOW that they're sold with an unconditioned lifetime guarantee for originality!You can't afford to pay for them?Too bad...I'm not going to let those items go for peanuts especially when they're getting rarer and rarer....search eBay and good luck!If I was in dire straights I'd consider taking a table at a Militaria Show but I sure wouldn't give my collection away!
Selling the lot to a dealer would have you meeting the likes of the turds starring in "Hardcore Pawn" and "Pawn Stars" who'd offer you the fraction of a fraction of the amount of money you'd fetch by selling your stuff yourself at shows or on the net,and you don't need a site to sell on-line!
An option would be giving your most valuable items in consignment to the likes of Peter Whamond of The Collectors Guild's fame,he's a very honest guy with a big following throughout the World.The only problem would be deciding the right price to ask because Peter charges both ends with a 14-19% and that will rocket your asking price skywards if you're too "greedy"!Another good site is "The Virtual Geenadier" but I don't know the owner!Stay the hell away from Gerard Stezelberger (Relic Hunter Militaria),Bil Shea (The Ruptured Duck) and Craig Gottlieb (Craig Gottlieb Militaria);the first is a crook who wouldn't know sh  it from Shinola (and ask himself why his shoes wouldn't shine!) without asking around for opinion(around=the WAFites!) ,the second couldn't tell his asshole from a hole in the ground and the third couldn't tell a hole in the ground from his asshole,even if they star in quite a few shows as "experten",and I can put my money where my mouth is;a few years ago I bought  pair of CHERRY "M43 WH trousers" from BS for 600$ and sold them for several $K...being the trousers that go with the LW HG green Sturmartillerie uniform!
CG site was chockfull of fake Third Reich stuff and thee has been a time when the only good listing was a LW M43!
Posting your stuff here would be a great idea because it would be seen on FB as well even if,truth be told,people don't easily part with their moolah!I can say that because I've got at least thirty listing here and not everyone is a top-end item!I don't know if it all boils down to the "crisis" and people are afraid to spend or it's because they wait for asking prices to drastically go down with every "btt".That's exactly what's currently happening on the E-Stand at the SHI  THOUSE,where one could make real bargains at the moment,maybe making the sellers the right offers on those items whose prices decrease on a daily basis!
I'll sell what I can...the rest will be left to my nephew...hopefully in 50 years from now!I could easily lower my prices and sell my stuff quick but it's either a matter of principle or me not wanting to sell it!
That said,if you have WH M43 Einheitsfeldmutzen PM me ...I'll never have enough of those!
Cheers
Manu
P.S.;If I lived Stateside that "33" of yours would have been mine fasterthanthis!

Edited September 19, 2016 by Manu Della Valle
The MTRFCKNG Italin autcortrector!

[Manu Della Valle]

Come to think of it...it's never a good idea to either "humble" yourself or your items when you know that they're 189% genuine and that while I'm writing these lines there are new or younger collectors getting burnt byn the hundreds by "reputable" dealers,in most cases our stuff is worlds better than theirs!
 

Edited September 19, 2016 by Manu Della Valle