Recommendations for selling large/expensive sets

mr_benn

Hi - I'm seeking a bit of community advice here.  I've got a couple of significantly pricey and/or large MISB sets that I realise I'm never going to build, so selling them seems the obvious choice.  Stuff like #10194 Emerald Night, #10219 Maersk Train, #10236 Ewok Village, #70751 Temple of Airjitzu - you get the idea.  

Selling online seems the 'easy' option, but I'm a little wary of the number of people I've seen who've been scammed in some way, from people saying that things have arrived busted/incomplete/never arrived at all, to all sorts of other issues.  Possibly the best way to deal is through in person transactions, but even though I'm nice and close to London this does obviously restrict my potential customer base. 

I was wondering what experiences other members on here have had and what you feel the pros/cons of the various options are?  Thanks :)

piratemania7

I’ve found going to Facebook marketplace to be a great source for selling.  Mostly because you can avoid fees of all sorts and you dictate the transaction.  Where and when it happens. It avoids shipping as well so allows you to not have to worry about that cost for the buyer.

Shropshire

If you do ship.... and if you used Ebay to sell as an example (only on a £1 max sale fee event of course!) .... for expensive items don't use Ebay shipping as they provide the insurance and it's a fortune... I find that if I go to UPS direct it can be half the price of via Ebay for exact same UPS service as UPS have different limits for size/weight/insurance... also, if via Ebay the couriers have set dimensional sizes and it's easy to fall foul on large well packed sets and get hit with a surcharge.. eg. UPS is limit of 180cm which is (2 x (W x H)) + L, so even the larger size of lego shipping box is over the limit... whereas on their own site you put in the exact measurements so no arbitrary limits at all and no surcharges... I only ever use UPS for anything over £200 as they seem more business than consumer and parcels tend to arrive in same condition as sent which is not true of Hermes etc, every parcel i've ever had damaged was Hermes.

But if want to avoid Ebay, always worth trying Marketplace on this site.

madforLEGO

I think if you are diligent and take good photos of the sealed box, and also note everything about it (condition, terms and conditions, etc) I think you can sell on eBay without issues. I think most scammers look for those who fail to really go into details about what they are selling, use catalog photos (instead of taking their own), and the terms and conditions of the sale. eBay has fees sure, but really (at least in the US) it can be a 'one stop shop' for payment and shipping, you can print out labels through eBay, and get discounts from USPS here in the US. I have very few issues selling expensive sets and I think it can be attributed to being diligent, not 'sugar coating' the condition of the items/box, spelling out terms and conditions, and ensure you take good photos of the box. As @Shropshire says, you can try the marketplace here as well.

Shropshire

I would not use Ebay postage (the inbuilt option) for anything over approx £150, as above.. they add on insurance as as extra whereas if you go direct to carrier it includes a higher level as standard.. i.e. Ebay negotiate cheap rates but it's based on setting limits on a blanket basis.. i.e. for UPS via Ebay - 10kg and 180cm limit to send something say £500 you're looking at £40 via Ebay, but same item into UPS direct you're looking at £21.99 for exact same service. I agree with above though, I pack it to death... i'll put my packing tips in a separate post.

Shropshire

Packing tips for expensive items....

Take photo's of packed item as you go along

Wrap the set in paper / lining paper / banquet roll / plastic bag / paper bag / wallpaper... something. I tend to do this only for rare sets.

Obviously put it in a box where it's not touching the sides and has something that creates the gap and gives some pushback from crushing. i.e air bags/bubbles, noodles, paper etc.. these don't protect fully but are more about keeping the item away from the sides and in place.. it's mainly "piercing" you are trying to avoid here.

In that box always put an extra sheet of thick cardboard in the bottom and on the top as an extra layer of protection below and above the set. I use up old amazon delivery stuff for this as it doesn't need to be in one piece.

If using a box that is height adjustable i.e. lego S&H boxes, go one level higher than minimum ... and tape the corners!!. You can really reinforce the box from being crushed if you to town with tape on those corners so they can't separate. I mean the corners at the top where you close up the lower box.. if they are held together then it supports the top of the box which is mostly air..  I also tape completely around the box, not just along seams

Measure, weigh etc, print your shipping label..... put one copy INSIDE the box on top. Do not lie about contents/value as it will invalidate insurance otherwise. To weigh large boxes I use a handheld luggage scale, to help if it fits I use an IKEA bag i.e. put it in bag, use scales on handle... if too big for that method.. use one or more of those white straps around S&H boxes to create a loop to hang from scales, if can't do that.. just make a loop of selotape around the box and hang that. or use bathroom scales of course.. always round the weight up a little as you're probably weighing before finishing packing and scales aren't always accurate eg. is was 6.75Kg on my scales i'd put 6.99Kg in as it doesn't change the price.

Affix 2 x shipping labels on outside one on top one on a side. make sure there is no edge of the label that can catch on anything so again use plenty of take including across the middle of the label.

For anything above (my opinion) £300, After i've sealed the box and before labels I wrap it completely in black polythene shrinkwrap.

mr_benn

Appreciate the tips, thanks for replying.  I've opted to start off on here and see where it goes!