I agree that the "face" value of the books is between $4000 and $5000. I also agree that the dealer's 40% discount is a bit steep.
Unfortunately for you though, the market for the proofs seems a bit down at the moment. Geemann1 has had a lot of proofs on eBay recently (admittedly at a fairly high starting price) and very few have actually sold.
Best of luck!
John
geoff,
of course the real amount depends on the condition of the books.... but if the books are all in good plus, i'd think your shorting yourself quite a bit at 2500
would have to know more, like, is the pet sematary proof the photocopy version?
but i think, if sold separately on ebay, i think the proofs alone would fetch more than 3000.00. and many of the UK hardbacks would add a lot more to that.
also, is the US stand a 1st edition?...in what shape? that could add several hundred if in good+ shape.
no way would i take only 2500 for all these, 4100.00 - eh... maybe... 2500, no... list them separately on ebay and get the best price you can is my suggestion.
edit: 31 proofs listed- most proofs will at least draw a 50.00 price (rose madder is an exception)... but twice the power, several of the DT proofs, pet sematary, eyes of the dragon and a few more might fetch 200.00 + on a good ebay day.
i'm thinking an *average* of 100 bucks each x 31 = 3100.00
that's very rough estimating... but i think it's not that far off.
thanks so far (more input would be helpful). I agreed that the $4100 seemed somewhat accurate. And he came back with "well what do you want for them, based off this number?" So I'm trying to come up with a figure, or to check to see if it's fair.
And yea, I'm trying to get rid of it as a set so he'll also take my trade copies of Insomnia for example.
Geoff
That is pretty standard, though, in my experience. Booksellers usually offer about half of what they think they can resell the book for.Originally Posted by jhanic
yes it is, Peter Schneider gave me this one directly.
The problem is I don't know what I paid for a lot of this stuff. Like the DT VII UK Proof. Did I pay $750 or $450? I can't remember.
oh, btw. Everything is in Excellent or above condition, except for the ones noted as VG or Good, etc..
Geoff
I hate to say this, Geoff, but it doesn't really matter what you paid--only what someone is willing to pay now. I've overpaid for a number of things, but I've also gotten some good deals, so it usually works out okay in the end.
John
if you're not in a hurry, and have to sell the books as a "lot" ,list the set of books on ebay for a month with a buy it now of 3500 - 4000
see if you get any takers - if not... then consider selling them for less to your "dealer" buyer... he'll probably still be there and ready to buy at the discounted price.
you might want to list them as three lots... proofs, uk, and us editions... same cumulative price, but it'll lower the lot prices for ebayers.
and let those focused on needing proofs or UK editions, build up their collection in one swipe.
true, and the market is down right now.
Good consideration Boomie.
There is a good chance I'll list some here at DTBay, but I do need a chunk of cash before the months over, so that's why I'm trying to sell them in bulk.
Geoff
selling your collection? what a shame it s a pretty nice one... good luck
You've hit on a very good point. Let's say you wind up selling off the good stuff. Now you're left with a pile of less desirable stuff (like that 1st edition insomnia) which will sell for a very minimal ammount on ebay.And yea, I'm trying to get rid of it as a set so he'll also take my trade copies of Insomnia for example.
Then minus out ebay listing fees, final value fees, paypal fees and (if you miscalculate) a little on shipping and your profit is minimal on the "chaff"
Thanks much,
The Collector www.stephenkingcollector.com
--Your source for info on rare Stephen King--
Geoff, I will give you $2000 for all the listed proofs.
Try selling them here on DTbay. You can probably make way more than $2500 on the proofs alone if you sell them seperately. Worth a try at least.
I also suggest listing them on dtbay. There's stuff there that I'm sure everyone here would love to own, me included. At least you'd be able to get fair price on those items and at the end of the month, you can sell the rest as a lot.
**cracks his knuckles for a little bidding war**
The kindness of close friends is like a warm blanket
Doubt it. The proof collectors on here have them all.**cracks his knuckles for a little bidding war**
I know, I was just playing. However, there are plenty of people here (like me) that would love to own a piece of this if they could.
That represents a whole lot of "little money"
The kindness of close friends is like a warm blanket
Exactly! I own a few but not all. And there are a few in the above list I would like to aquire.
The thread is fine. Once it has been up enough to provide you with good info, we'll fold it into the Collecting Questions thread.
Good luck.
Well, I think I would like to sell some stuff on DTBay regardless of this list. There's actually things I left off this list, by mistake, that I would still probably like to get rid of (and are worth something).
But I have to weigh what theCollector commented on. I know I can get rid of the good stuff, but I want to get rid of it all. I just need to figure out what I want to do. I'm very wishy washy right now, because I'm not sure what I want to do.
Geoff
ok... first... i collect SK proofs (at last count i had well over 70)- but there's a couple on your list that i don't have that i'd be interested in... but not if i had to buy the entire lot... i'm sure other proof collectors are in the same situation... and the other proofs would still be snatched up by many non-completist collectors here if offered.
second... if you were only offered 2500.00 for all the books by the dealer.... but you were able to sell just the proofs individually or together, for anything over 2500.00 - that's extra profit in your pocket. at that time you could actually give away the insomnias and other books not worth as much and still come out ahead. or sell them for whatever you can get for them, trade em at a half price bookstore , whatever...
point is, unless you're just hell bent to make the dealer an offer he can't refuse, i think you can do better with minimal effort.
because 90% of the same people that would buy the same books from the dealer are right here, and would rather buy cheaper from you.
but you know your time/money needs/and effort level much better than we do.
You are making a lot of sense, I have a strong feeling I'll be DTBaying these.
ok... first... i collect SK proofs (at last count i had well over 70)- but there's a couple on your list that i don't have that i'd be interested in... but not if i had to buy the entire lot... i'm sure other proof collectors are in the same situation... and the other proofs would still be snatched up by many non-completist collectors here if offered.
second... if you were only offered 2500.00 for all the books by the dealer.... but you were able to sell just the proofs individually or together, for anything over 2500.00 - that's extra profit in your pocket. at that time you could actually give away the insomnias and other books not worth as much and still come out ahead. or sell them for whatever you can get for them, trade em at a half price bookstore , whatever...
point is, unless you're just hell bent to make the dealer an offer he can't refuse, i think you can do better with minimal effort.
because 90% of the same people that would buy the same books from the dealer are right here, and would rather buy cheaper from you.
but you know your time/money needs/and effort level much better than we do.
Geoff
If I am not mistaken, the regular trades not worth much could be donated and you can write it off as a tax deduction if you itemize your taxes. It's not dollar for dollar (off your tax bill), but you would be helping out a charity/library/whatever and still get some monetary value also without having to box up and ship them.
Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Whether it's a war or not I would definately be bidding on several. Proofs are my collecting focus and there are quite a few I have been looking for.Doubt it. The proof collectors on here have them all.**cracks his knuckles for a little bidding war**
Nate
Wouldn't you basically get back whatever tax bracket you're in? So if you were in a 28% tax bracket you'd get 28 cents back for every dollar of book donated.It's not dollar for dollar (off your tax bill)
Thanks much,
The Collector www.stephenkingcollector.com
--Your source for info on rare Stephen King--
The UK lot of books is intriguing, but I don't have the room or money to start building onto my collection of those (which is about 5 right now).
Some of the proofs, if within my budget, would peak my interest.
Depending on their condition, the US hardcovers would be worth your time on eBay. The DT hardcovers, Black House Gift ed, Danse Macabre, and The Stand seem to fare well ($50 and up) if you start out low enough and get a good bidding war going. You should get $6-800+ from those alone.
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