Coins Collection

A collectible is usually an item that is plentiful and affordable such as new items that were created by companies and then marketed specifically to be collectibles or gifts. An example of these items are Hummel figurines, Barbie Dolls, PEZ Dispensers, and even United State Mint Proof sets. Many collectibles are limited in production and then discontinued after a period of time or the popularity fades. After a period of time it is almost impossible to find these pieces in new and unused condition. This causes the value of many of these items to increase and a collectible is born. Many companies see this resurgence of interest and re-release the product or make an updated edition. This starts another cycle of limited production and new collectors. Some collectibles are never reproduced and the originals will become even more valuable over time.

Collectibles of this type are more valuable if they remain in their original packaging or boxes. Serious collectors consider their unused items as a wise investment and some times buy more than one item when the price is low. Investing in high priced collectibles as well as the stock market is uncertain, so do your homework.

A collectible can also be an old item that over time has created a great deal of interest to a collector. The earliest collectibles were product incentive or the product themselves. An example is baseball cards of the 1950s and 1960s depicting individual baseball players in a pack of gum. Postcards from the early 1900s are another collectible that has a great deal of interest by topic and location. Old trade tokens that were used in the late 1800s to the 1940s is another example. Many of these items are highly prized by a special breed of collectors and can also include Coca Cola, coins, stamps and movie memorabilia.

As a result we now have two basic types of collectibles. Items manufactured to be collectibles and much older smaller items not yet antiques. Things that are more than 100 years old are considered antiques and not all old collectibles are antiques! However, the most popular collectibles are items from the early 1900s to about 1960. Other examples of these small collectible are advertising memorabilia, autographs, bottles, telephone pole insulators, cuckoo clocks, knives, tools, toys and photographic images. Some collectibles or groups of collectibles have taken on unusual names such Numismatics (coins), Exonumia (tokens), Breweriana (brewery and beer), Disneyana (Disney), Militaria (military) etc.

How do you decide what to collect? Actually, collectibles probably choose you. Something that sparked your interest as a child or that unusual item you saw on a table at a local flea market. It doesn’t matter what you choose as long as the item is affordable, attracts your attention and will spark your interest for years to come. Don’t be influenced by what other people collect and never look at collectibles as an investment. Collecting is about becoming more knowledgeable not richer.

Where do I find collectibles? From commercial dealers on the web, antique shops and flea markets. My favorite place is eBay. The eBay Collectibles category is the premier place to find popular and hard-to-find items on the web. The best part about eBay is you decide what to pay for an item! eBay is also a great place to find the value of your collectible by looking at closed auction prices.

Glyn Farber has published a catalog of all known Hickey Brothers Cigar Store Tokens and co-authored two books about Louisiana Trade Tokens. In addition he wrote several articles for The Token and Medal Society (TAMS) and The National Token Collectors Association (NTCA) and is a member of both. Glyn has been a devoted collector of Louisiana Trade Tokens, Louisiana collectibles and Lake Charles, LA postcards for almost 40 years.

Web sites include http://www.most-popular-collectibles-at-auction.com and
http://www.louisiana-trade-tokens.com

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This question has become one for the ages. There are many answers to it, few of which will actually help you. Today we will give you 7 tips you must keep in mind when you search for items to sell on eBay.

The problem with asking the question “What can I sell on eBay” is that you’re likely to get one of a small group of boilerplate answers. These answers get repackaged and dispensed as brand new answers, however they are still the same, reworked, difficult advice.

The most common answers you will find are:

• Look for items at garage sales, flea markets and estate sales.
• Speak to manufacturing corporations and ask them if you can sell their products on ebay for them.
• Buy from wholesalers.
• Buy cheap items from retail stores.
• Negotiate with stores to sell their overstocked items.

The problem with all of these things is they just don’t work, they are too complicated, or they are just overdone.

How to Settle on a Product

There are 7 necessary tips to keep in mind when searching for a product that will sell well. To find the best product it must meet a number of guidelines.

1. Keep it small. Larger items bring with them a host of issues, from storage to shipping and everything in between. Unless storage is not a problem for you, keeping more than a few large items around can cramp up your extra rooms, basement and garage. The problem is that you need to be able to keep a large supply of items that you’re selling to make any real money. Making $100 on a sofa is great, but it hardly pays the bills. If you have any ideas about quitting your job or supplementing your income, you will need to be selling a lot more of these. Heck, 3 or 4 sofas in a room should fill it up. So where are you going to put 10 of them? Keep your items small, and you can use shelves, drawers and closets for storage.
2. Can it ship easily? I know we covered the size issue in the previous paragraph, but it comes up again here. Even if you find the perfect product, you must be able to ship it easily and cheaply. You may find a great deal on rocking chairs, but how are you going to get a box around them? Not to mention, the shipping costs on large, heavy and bulky items can be in the hundreds of dollars. Look for products that can ship for a minimum amount of money. Anything from toothpicks to books fit the bill nicely.
3. Find a niche! If you try to sell everything to everyone, you will end up selling nothing to anyone. The more specialized you become, the better your chances of being able to offer unique items. For example, there are thousands of people on eBay selling DVD’s. Prices have been cut down to nothing, and profits along with them. The only way to make money as a DVD seller on eBay is to be one of the few sellers who have huge volumes. Starting out that way is very tough indeed. On the other hand, if you sell a specific type of DVD, like old horror movies or cartoon sets, you will likely have better profit margins. The large DVD warehouses just can’t move enough of them to make it worth their while. Come up with a few niches, and you should do pretty well.
4. Beware of seasonal items. Christmas decorations may sell well from October until December, but no one will be buying them in April. If you will be selling seasonal items, make sure you know when their season ends, and don’t get stuck with a lot of leftover products.
5. Fads can be great money-makers for short periods of time, but after that, good luck getting rid of them. Think of Beanie Babies, Tickle Me Elmo and Cabbage Patch Kids. All of these fads enjoyed phenomenal sales due to their intense popularity. After the boom, however, sales (and prices) dropped immediately. Ride the waves of popular items, but beware of their life-cycle. Prepare for the end of the fad, even as you are beginning the selling.
6. Bring something unique to the marketplace. This seems difficult - and it can be. If you have access to something unique, such as a specialized book, health product or computer program that other sellers don’t have license for, your products will be in demand. This tip is worth putting some time into. Think of ways to obtain such products, or modify existing ones (But be sure of your rights to do so!).
7. Sell what is in demand. Coins, stamps and other collectibles are always in demand. They are easy to buy and easy to sell and ship. If you spend time researching the ones that sell the best, for the most profit, you can do very well in this area. Try to come up with unique ways of presenting these items as well.

Hopefully these tips will get you started. Always keep in mind that uniqueness seems to be the key to eBay success. Even if you’re selling existing and plentiful items, come up with a unique way of selling or packaging them, and you may just find the next winner.

Good luck, and happy selling!

©2005 Matt Blasses

Matt Blasses is the author of the groundbreaking ebook “How to Get Rich Buying and Selling Stamps on eBay - Even if you don’t know anything about stamps.”

This ebook is available for immediate download at http://www.stampebook.com

You can reach Matt Blasses at: mblasses@comcast.net

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Did you have a stamp collection as a child? A rock collection? Or, wait, was it a coin collection? All your collections are probably still with you, or maybe they’re stored in your basement somewhere. You understand the joy of running across this collection later in life and reliving your joyful moments with the collection as a child.

Now, you’re the parent. What types of things do you want to help your child begin collecting? Some of the things to consider when helping your child begin a collection are the feasibility, the durability, and the lovability of the collection.

Feasibility is your first step when considering beginning a collection. Collecting pieces from ancient Egyptian ruins is probably not a very feasible collection to convince your child to begin. Number one it’s illegal, as well as hard to find.

Other collections such as doll or furniture collections can begin to take up more room than you have available; thus, these are not very feasible either. Determine the amount of space you can dedicate to the collection as well as the costs that will be entailed before helping your child choose a collection.

The durability of a collection is also a consideration. The great thing about collecting stamps, rocks, or coins is that these things can last a long time when stored properly. My rock collection is still in the carton that I used to store it as a child.

Figurines and porcelain dolls are other examples of lasting collectibles. One of the greatest joys involved in a collection are the memories brought back when you revisit that collection as an adult.

Finally, the lovability of the collection is important. You are helping your child begin their first collection, and you want it to be something they will love and cherish when they look back on it in the future.

These are the times that you want them to be able to look back and remember about your relationship, so make these times special. For example, if you were to collect postcards, take special postcard collecting road trips. You will get to visit unique places while increasing your child’s collection.

Most importantly, always support your child’s hopes, dreams, and choices. Although collecting some types of artifacts is not very feasible, lead your child in a direction that will also peak their interest and support their dreams. Finally, enjoy your child as you help them create a wonderful collection to last a lifetime!

Janet Montie, quilter and author, contributes to FS Collectibles offering free information and resources for collectors. Articles by Janet can also be viewed at The Quilt Box and First Class Fabric

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