Anyone have experience selling a very well painted collection?

[Scottdsp748]

Hey everyone, I've been a long-time pic poster/voter/commenter, but quiet for the most part on the forums. I was hoping someone here might be able to offer me some advice. I have a large Warhammer 40k Eldar army, just over 100 models fully painted if memory serves. For various reasons, I'm seriously looking at selling my army. If anyone has experience or advice on where and how to market it, I'd love to hear it. I've got lots of experience on ebay (mostly single painted minis), but I'm not sure that's the best place for a sale like this. I'm not in a need money immediately situation, so advice focused toward making sure I get what I can out of it would be great. Opinions on selling as a group or piecemeal would be helpful as well. Thanks in advance!

To put the collection into perspective, here are links to the models from that army I have posted here (they are all painted to this level):

http://www.coolminiornot.com/pics/pics13/1fb0876384bd8f1318647fb3060fdbcf.jpg
http://www.coolminiornot.com/pics/pics13/img49513b0dadbe6.jpg
http://www.coolminiornot.com/pics/pics13/img4889e34ee2a6b.jpg
http://www.coolminiornot.com/pics/pics13/img4887e11965c40.jpg
http://www.coolminiornot.com/pics/pics13/img4887e0e0c013b.jpg
http://www.coolminiornot.com/pics/pics13/img4887e0ad7a5d2.jpg
http://www.coolminiornot.com/pics/pics13/img4887e074557d7.jpg
http://www.coolminiornot.com/pics/pics13/img4883eed2eab4b.jpg
http://www.coolminiornot.com/pics/pics13/img4883ee38379ce.jpg

 

[Dead Circus Monkey]

I don't have personal experiences with painting and selling, but from a number of people I have chatted with, they all seem to avoid ebay, as it is a place where people want something for nothing.

A guy at our local game shop who is not only an excellent player but has had his miniature in White Dwarf throughout the years and has painted some Minis professionally for various companies has had some (what he considers) "insulting offers" on his auctions.

I bought a few minis from him, they are not cheap, but they are fantastic, but too beautiful to game with, so they just sit in my display case.

 

[QuietiManes]

I think pictures on CraigsList and local gaming forums might be your best bet, other collector websites (like CMON) would be a close second. Just get the word out there and wait for someone serious to come around. If they're seriously willing to pay you can post it up on ebay or whatever they feel comfortable with, if need be.

Keep in mind, selling a whole army is hard. Few people want exactly what you have chosen, so even if they usually buy painted armies, they might just go get one custom painted that has what they want. So...it could take a while depending on price versus quality of paint and army composition.

 

[squidders]

My advice would be to try ebay, break the army up into squads and use the buy it now format or start the listings very close to the price you would want. Don't let low offers get you down, everyone is entitled to try and get the best value for money. Wait for a free listing weekend. That way it won't cost you much/anything to list.

Make a highly detailed list of what you are selling with any conversion work you have carried out listed.
Get a figure you would be happy to get for the entire army in your head, then price up each unit to ensure your units add up to the total price. Often people think of the army as being more valuable as a whole but the reverse may be true. As has been said, selling an army in its entirety may be possible but odds are, the total price will be out of reach for a lot of people and most people would be happier to splash out on a nice squad or unit.

Either way, good luck, the images you posted are very nice and the whole lot on a gaming table must look outstanding.

Joe.

 

[Crazychester]

A couple years back a buddy of mine sold his Daemon Hunters army on Ebay and made a solid chunk back (I think around 75%?), painted to a tabletop standard. Not too shabby considering he got a few years of play out of it. He went about breaking it apart into squads, offering combined shipping and other deals, and moved most of it within a week. Yours is most definitely painted to a higher standard, and while it would be a shame to split it apart, it might just be the most efficient way to sell it. You could try putting up single pieces first, like the Falcon, and getting the word out that you're looking to sell the whole thing. Never know, someone might message you and make an offer if they like the pieces they see...