What is the best way to sell our Hummel Figurine collection?

Full disclosure: 2nd Markets Corporation owns the Soldster.com website and we are dealers. We specialize in buying large collections direct from the public. Because we are dealers, we buy for resale. So, we hope you will decide to sell your entire collection at one time...and we hope you choose to sell them to us. However, I always try to help folks make the decision that fits best for them. When deciding whether to sell your collection all at once or one by one, you basically have three simple choices:
1) sell them one by one to collectors
2) sell them all at once to a dealer and be done with them
3) do nothing...sit on them

Which path you choose really depends on yourself and how much time to you have to invest in the project. Do you know how to sell online? Do you know how to pack and ship properly? Are you prepared to make dozens of trips to the post office? Are you prepared to refund the buyer's money when they get the item and are not 100% happy with it? In other words, do you want to go into the Hummel business?

If the answer is yes, then you should open an eBay account and get to work. Before you begin, let me warn you in advance that selling on eBay or other marketplace sites is not a picnic, believe me. We have been selling collectibles through the mail for almost 40 years - it is a full time family business - we have 9 employees. It keeps us all very busy. To do mail-order right is very difficult.

If the answer is NO I DO NOT WANT TO GO INTO THE HUMMEL BUSINESS - then you need to face the economic realities of selling to a dealer. A dealer will not pay the full value. You have to come to grips with that fact. It is the same in any business. If we already have 10 Merry Wanderer figurines MINT in the box, and they are slow sellers, then how much do we really want to pay for the 11th one?

On the plus side, when you sell to a dealer you get a large lump sum of cash AND you get rid of the large lump of Hummels taking up space in the basement.

If you think you may be interested in getting our bid for the collection - or at least a rough estimate - then we will need an inventory list. The good news is that most of the data we need is on the outside of the box, so you do not have to take the time to remove each figurine from its box.

The list needs to include:
Figurine name Figurine Number (example: 443 2/0) Figurine Height (it says on the box) Condition (if the figurine is mint in the box AND the box is like new, then we call that MINT IN BOX -- if the box is worn and torn, you need to tell us.

CONDITION WORRIES --- If you decide to sell for yourself, then you need to become an expert grader. Collectors are picky and they want to know EVERY flaw. Failure to mention the tiniest little fleck will result in a returned item and request for refund. Just because a figurine is in its original box does not mean it is MINT. Sometimes a figurine IS NOT MINT even if it has never been removed from its box. This is due to poor storage. Hummels are notorious for getting tiny spiderweb cracks in the glaze (we call this crazing). It is caused by exposure to extremes of heat and cold over the years. For example, if the collection were stored in the attic, then during the summer they would get very hot and in the winter they would get very cold. Over several years, this would cause the glaze to crack and this crazing is the WORST thing that can happen to a Hummel other than actual breaks and chips.

Check for crazing and damage. You must disclose to any buyer any flaws such as crazing and other damage. Be sure to alert us to crazing.

I hope this helps. I look forward to the opportunity to do business with you should you choose that route. We are an A+ rated member of the Better Business Bureau here in Chattanooga Tennessee. We are a full-time licensed business who has been buying collections and estates direct from the public for over 30 years. Our company name is 2nd Markets Corporation (2ndmarkets.com or soldster.com). Our email is leads@2ndmarkets.com.