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Author
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Topic: Advice for selling Outpost Tavern memorabilia
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sdtomek
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posted 11-03-2013 02:29 PM
   
We are looking for advice and ideas on the best way to sell our collection that at one point or another hung in the world famous Outpost Tavern. Take a look at some of the items we have in the album called "OP GOODIES" on our Facebook page. This collection is far from pristine, however, unique. Would you suggest listing pics on cS or eBay? I do not think it is nice enough for an auction. But there are so many interesting pieces. Any advice given would be appreciated. |
MarylandSpace
Member Posts: 1336
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Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 11-03-2013 08:40 PM
I would hope that you would sell the photos on eBay. I enjoyed looking through the Facebook album and imagining the memories the astronauts had at the Outpost. Thank you for posting at collectSPACE. |
sdtomek
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posted 11-04-2013 06:04 AM
Thank you for your kind words. We miss the OP so much. Yes, I am thinking eBay will probably be the best. We have hundreds of pictures, posters, patches and other items so this will be a long process. But it will be so good for them to be used again. Be blessed! |
bwhite1976
Member Posts: 281
From: Belleville, IL
Registered: Jun 2011
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posted 11-04-2013 06:55 AM
I would imagine the interest level would be high if you placed these items on eBay. I personally would like to add something from the Outpost to my collection, especially some of those beer signs/posters. Good luck. |
sdtomek
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posted 11-04-2013 07:49 AM
Great to hear. It's hard to believe this January will be 4 years since the OP closed. We had always hoped we could reopen someday or that someone would offer to buy what we had but neither has happened. It makes everyone sad that it is all just boxed up, not being enjoyed. So we would rather everyone have a piece than it to sit any longer. We will post if we start listing on eBay. |
fredtrav
Member Posts: 1673
From: Birmingham AL
Registered: Aug 2010
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posted 11-04-2013 09:50 AM
I have seen some items on eBay in the past few months that claim to be from the Outpost, with hugely inflated starting prices and no sales. I assume these are not from you, is that correct? |
sdtomek
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posted 11-04-2013 10:12 AM
Hey there Fred, Yes, those were OP pics. We put them on to try it out and see how things work. We put "OR BEST OFFER" to try and get feedback, which we did, so we pulled them off and came here for advice. Since posting on collectSPACE we have had many people email us offering assistance on pricing so if we go back to eBay we will have a much better understanding of what to do. Thanks for checking with us! |
fredtrav
Member Posts: 1673
From: Birmingham AL
Registered: Aug 2010
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posted 11-04-2013 01:39 PM
If you need any help, let me know. You did not leave your email address on your profile. The problem with listing the high prices on eBay and the Best Offer is people will think you will not take them seriously if they offer a realistic price when the price originally is many times the items worth. |
sdtomek
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posted 11-04-2013 02:15 PM
Thanks Fred, I really appreciate the help and advice. Makes perfect sense. We have only loved these items, never thought about their financial value and really did not have a clue. |
mjanovec
Member Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 11-07-2013 02:38 PM
By far, the most successful way to use eBay for selling is to list items at a low starting price... with no reserve. By low, I mean as low as $5-10. Yes, it can be a slightly scary tactic for sellers to employ, but there are several reasons why this approach works best: - The ultimate selling price most often reflects what the market is willing to pay for the items. The bidders will ultimately determine that value. Yes, a few items may underperform somewhat. But that is usually balanced by a few items that outperform expectations. In the end, it usually evens out. Also, eBay has a high level of visibility in the marketplace. Unless an item is totally mislabeled, it's unlikely that anything will truly sell well under it's market value.
- A low starting bid results in cheaper listing fees for the seller. If one has a lot of items to sell, that will really add up as a big savings to the seller.
- Low starting bids encourage people to place bids. Once someone starts bidding, they become more emotionally invested in owning the item...and are likely to keep bidding, even if their initial bid doesn't hold up for long. A bidder who starts out thinking they might get a "bargain" may often find themselves paying more than they initially planned on paying...just because they decided they really want the item.
- High starting bids (and reserves) do the exact opposite...they discourage people from bidding. With no potential to get a "bargain" many bidders simply won't participate...and therefore won't get emotionally invested in owning the item (see 3 above).
- Low starting bids essentially guarantee a sale will take place at the end of the auction. Re-listing items several times becomes time consuming (and expensive) for sellers. Also, items that are re-listed multiple times tend to lose buyer interest, because it's no longer a "fresh" offering. The time to sell is when the item is a first-time offering...not something that has languished on eBay for months. Items that are re-listed never seem to perform as well the second time around.
For anyone new to eBay, they should also be aware that the large bids are often not placed until the final seconds of an auction. (This is often done with "sniping" software that bidders will utilize.) It can be scary for sellers to see the final minutes tick down on an auction and the price is still relatively low on an item. But the best bids usually show up at the end, so it's best to be patient.Finally, a seller should avoid any offers to purchase an item before the auction ends, unless the seller has specifically placed a "buy it now" option on the auction page. Offers to sell before the end of an auction are usually given to avoid competitively bidding against others. These offers are often well below the item's true value and should be avoided whenever possible. The best advice is to let the auction play itself out. |
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