falcon_owner: Looking for Input on Selling a Used 10179

falcon_owner

Hey I need some help from the community. I have the Collectors Edition of the Falcon (set 10179), and am wanting to sell it. I just got married and we want some extra money so we can get a dog. It has been kept in a smoke free house, stored properly and is in great condition. I have built it once, and am currently rebuilding it just to make sure it has all the pieces still. After building it, I plan to bag it up and prepare it for shipping. I still have the box. I am new to this site, and I could use some help figuring out how to proceed. Here are my questions.

What is a good way to package the pieces for shipping?
Where is a good place to try and sell it? (ebay, here, etc?)
Is anyone interested? I am taking detailed pictures to help buyers feel at ease about buying a used set.
What should I expect to get?

CaptAPJT

Your best bet is to organise pieces by colour, as the falcon has a lot of grey you might want to do large and small grey pieces. I'm always on a hunt for 10179 but mostly because I don't want to pay the current market value which is around $1500. Good luck with your sale.

Diggydoes

Instead of rebuilding it again i would rather check peeron.com or bricklink.com for the inventory list! This will def.save some time!
Make sure that the expensive pieces(printed dish;boat rigging;grey levers)will get packed extra safe!

richo

and also provide some personal provenance, especially as a brand new user. Nobody will pay $1500 out without some background checks, such as eBay feedback etc.

Bumblepants

Serious buyers will want to see good photographs of all of it, including the box and instructions. even the box fetches a ridiculous sum so the condition of even that is important.

falcon_owner

I never sell anything, so I have no accounts anywhere. I was thinking ebay might offer the most secure feeling for buyers, what can I do on there to help assure their fears and worries? I am going to take pictures of it completly built, and of it all bagged up and nice and safe looking ready to be packed. Pictures of box, and instruction manual, as well as the final pack of it all put in a box. I thought I might take a picture of me with it, holding that days newspaper so they know it is a current picture. What can i put on my ebay profile to help since it will be a new profile, only used to sell this one item? Also would you thinking putting the pieces in ziplock baggies, and then putting duck tape on the seal to keep it closed, then putting the bags in a plastic container, inside of a shipping box, be safe enough?

SirKevbags

Because of the world we live in a new seller with such a high value item is always going to raise a massive red flag to lots of buyers. Try and build a selling reputation first.

y2josh

I'd be extremely careful trying to sell such a high value item as a new seller. As @kevbags said, you're going to scare off many otherwise interested buyers, but you're also leaving yourself wide open to a buyer scamming you, as you have no reputable selling history to fall back on if they say, "You sent me a box of rocks. Refund please."

JT32

are you in the UK?

Diggydoes

Maybe you have a (trustworthy) friend who has some ebay reputation so you could ask if he sells it for you with his account? Of course this should be somebody close since it is such a valuable item!

monkey_roo

It may be that if this is your one and only sale item you build, break, box and photograph and then offer it as a collection sale on the forum here? Might limit your market a little but if you are well located it would cover all parties as the item could be looked over prior to payment? Just a thought

wilbur

You may also want to explore selling on Bricklink. I personally have not done it, but I've heard the fees are better. Also, there is no bidding, just a flat rate. So you would know exactly how much money you are gonna make. The cheapest used falcon for sale on the site currently is a little over 1400, and thats without the complete box! Serious collectors buy from that site... smaller market, but if yours is cheapest you'll sell it pretty quick I imagine.

LegoFanTexas

y2josh said:

I'd be extremely careful trying to sell such a high value item as a new seller. As @kevbags said, you're going to scare off many otherwise interested buyers, but you're also leaving yourself wide open to a buyer scamming you, as you have no reputable selling history to fall back on if they say, "You sent me a box of rocks. Refund please."

^ This...

I actually think he is better off selling here, rather than on eBay, fewer scammers here, and PayPal will protect the buyer here.

I bought my used UCS Falcon here from a fairly new member who didn't have a lot of references, but he had so many detailed pictures, and I paid via PayPal, I felt comfortable and the deal was great.

Market value on eBay seems to be about $1,500, here you might get closer to $1,300, but then you don't have eBay fees here either.

Take pictures, post them, see what people say. Offer your phone number via PM (Private Message) and talk to potential buyers on the phone, I have been scammed before, but never by someone willing to actually speak with me on the phone.

doriansdad

OP I would sell it on this forum (just ignore the usual lowball / trade offers), locally on craigslist, or ebay as a last resort. Register an account on ebay then wait for them to email you a fee free listing using your mobile device or such. This will save you the final value fee. You can always go back and edit the listing with more pics / better description once the auction has started. I would wait until January if you are going the auction route. Ship it insured and with signature confirmation if you are selling it online to a stranger. If you really want to make it easy use a consignment ebay selling service. They will take a larger chunk but will inherit all of the headaches and will have established feedback.

Amberyl

Someone selling a used Falcon a while back did a great thing where he divided the parts by numbered step, then did small baggies with the parts for a sequence of steps, with an index card showing the step numbers. He photographed those. Both a great way to verify that everything is present and to reassure buyers that care has been taken.

Pitfall69

Agreed on selling here, although some will also shy away from someone who just joined the forum to sell such a popular and expensive item. Personally, I would build up some trust with people in this forum. No offense to you of course, but I wouldn't buy from you because of the risk. Good luck to you though :)

*also because you posted USC Falcon :)

The_Sly_Fox

kevbags said:

Because of the world we live in a new seller with such a high value item is always going to raise a massive red flag to lots of buyers. Try and build a selling reputation first.

Being a second hand item will not be so bad. If you include some decent photos and give an honest description. A brand new item would certainly raise an eyebrow or two.

Good luck with the sale, you may be surprised how much attention it will receive. I am selling one of mine as part of a collection at the moment.

LegoFanTexas

Amberyl said:

Someone selling a used Falcon a while back did a great thing where he divided the parts by numbered step, then did small baggies with the parts for a sequence of steps, with an index card showing the step numbers. He photographed those. Both a great way to verify that everything is present and to reassure buyers that care has been taken.

*raises hand*

That is the one I purchased, and it was just as promised. Easy transaction with a perfect item.

hoyatables

doriansdad said:

OP I would sell it on this forum (just ignore the usual lowball / trade offers), locally on craigslist, or ebay as a last resort. Register an account on ebay then wait for them to email you a fee free listing using your mobile device or such. This will save you the final value fee. You can always go back and edit the listing with more pics / better description once the auction has started. I would wait until January if you are going the auction route. Ship it insured and with signature confirmation if you are selling it online to a stranger. If you really want to make it easy use a consignment ebay selling service. They will take a larger chunk but will inherit all of the headaches and will have established feedback.

Those eBay deals are a scam. I sold my Market Street as a supposed "free" listing and eBay later charged me a final value fee, claiming the email offer was not legitimate because the email did not pop up in my myebay messages. I protested and elevated the complaint but no luck.

doriansdad

Sorry to hear that. I have used them multiple times with no issue, but I have always received the message in my ebay inbox as well. I receive them every 3 months or so and use them to unload bigger ticket items or bundles.

falcon_owner

Thank you everyone for the feed back it was greatly appreciated. I am almost done rebuilding, and will be following a lot of your suggestions. I plan to bag the pieces up according to the columns in the back of the book that show how many of each piece you should have, and number those by columns. I saw a great profile of someone selling the falcon using that bagging method. Also I will try and sell on here like you all suggested by giving my number (in private messages).

For those who asked, I lived in the United States, in Kentucky. If you are close to there and are interested, I am willing to drive up to five hours one way to show the item and help reassure a buyer.

Thanks again everyone for the help,
Andrew

falcon_owner

Hey everyone I had an idea that I was curious about. If I was to make a video showing the item all bagged up, labeled and such would that be better, or would pictures be better?

ecmo47

I recently bagged up a used USC Falcon. Once the model was assembled and all pieces accounted for, I dissamebled in reverse order and then labled the bags by the page numbers that they covered. So by the time I was done, bag 1 contained the parts for pages 1-26 etc.

FollowsClosely

I would rather see pictures.

falcon_owner

ecmo47 that is exactly how I plan to bag it, or by columns, but your method seems the easiest and fastest to me. Maybe I will do pictures and video so I reach a wider audience. You all are so helpful. Where would I go on here to try and sell it? This forum or somewhere else?